8 Reasons to Be Grateful

A new take on the snooze button, a new beginning for Barbie, hope for a female-orgasm pill, proof your friends are invaluable, and 5 other great reasons to smile.

YOUR MOST CREATIVE TIME IS AHEAD OF YOU!

The age at which great innovators have their history-making, million-dollar ideas has been steadily rising over the past century, a U.S. study found. So if you don't yet feel the spark of genius, it's OK: Creative output tends to rise in the 20s and 30s and peak in the late 30s and early 40s.

GOT FRIENDS? LIVE LONGER!

The next time your guy complains that you're spending too much time with your girlfriends, tell him you're doing it for your health. The ongoing HARVARD Nurses' Health Study finds that not spending enough time with your pals is as big a health hazard as smoking or obesity!

TROUBLE GETTING UP IN THE MORNING? HELP IS ON THE WAY.

Developed by a student at ITALY'S Interaction Design Institute, the Sfera clock is hung from the ceiling above your bed. Every time you hit the snooze button, the orb-like ticker rises a little higher. By the fourth hit, it's out of reach and you must get out of bed to turn it off. Genius. Go to www.hayatbenchenaa

A FEMALE-ORGASM PILL IS IN THE WORKS.

Within 10 years, a new pill could be available to help you reach the big O with less, um, effort. A LONDON research team has discovered that the "greatest single factor" affecting a woman's ability to climax may be her DNA. With proper funding, they will be able to produce a miracle drug sometime this decade for orgasm-challenged women.

THIS IS NOT AS GOOD AS IT GETS.

According to psychologists and aging experts, we actually get happier as we age. As women grow older, we become more assertive, and the boys - shocker - get more accommodating and emotionally expressive. Wow, we can't believe we're saying this, but how can we speed up the aging process?

THERE MAY BE A ROBO-BUDDY IN YOUR FUTURE.

Robots are evolving at warp speed. At a trade show in JAPAN, these little clumps of metal were shown drawing portraits, playing baseball, teaching the waltz, and even giving stand-up comedy a whirl. One in particular, called the Repliee Q1expo, is eerily lifelike. It's covered with a skin-like substance, moves its mouth, looks like it's breathing, and appears to react to people around it. Can we get ours to look like Clive Owen?

YOU GET PRETTIER AS THE NIGHT WEARS ON.

And it's not just the booze. According to a study at the University of WASHINGTON, you inflate your opinions of those around you as a crowd dwindles, and you look increasingly attractive to fellow night-owl partiers, too. So stop worrying about harsh lighting, smeared makeup, or mussed hair. He thinks you're a goddess.

YOU'RE REACHING NEW HEIGHTS.

The United Nations reports that, globally, much has improved: Our life expectancy and fertility rates have gone up, more girls have been enrolled in primary education, and record numbers of us are earning our own income.