In 2013, Time magazine declared the "end of suburbs," announcing that Americans by the millions were shifting to what planners call the "urban core." The latest news isn't going to make these prognosticators very happy.

Researchers at Penn State University say Americans who live in suburbs appear happier than those who live in rural areas or inner cities, with one exception: folks who have long commutes to work. The researchers also reported that people who live in the unhappy communities spend, on average, 8.3 days a month in a negative mood.

This is not something to scoff at, asserts economics professor Stephan Goetz, who headed the study. "Poor mental health can result in considerable economic costs, including losses of billions of dollars to lower productivity, and this doesn't even include the staggering personal costs of negative mental health and depression."

Barring those who must travel long distances to and from their jobs (which is bound to make anyone grumpy), Goetz said suburbanites seem to enjoy most, if not all, of the amenities of city life without the stress. His conclusion: "It may be that you don't want to be too close to people but you don't want to be too far away, either."

Get Me That, Stat!

In 1970, Americans spent roughly $6 billion on fast food. In 2006, they spent $142 billion. Things have improved lately; Americans last year spent a mere $117 billion on fast food. But that's still just slightly less than the entire gross domestic product of Angola.

Number Cruncher

A single serving of Peeps chocolate mousse-flavored marshmallow reindeer (three reindeer, 34 grams) contains 120 calories. They are entirely fat- and cholesterol-free. In fact, the reindeer contain almost nothing at all (well, there are those 27 grams of sugar), which may explain why reindeer can fly.

Counts

Last year, Americans spent $10.7 trillion shopping, much of it on themselves. Here's where some of that money went, in dollars:

1.5 billion — over-the-counter teeth whiteners.

5.8 billion — sinus treatments.

2.3 billion — tattoos.

66 million — tattoo removal.

500 million — Twinkies.

Sources: MSNBC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Inc., The Wall Street Journal

Phobia of the Week

Fayophobia: fear of elves.

Never Say Diet

The speed-eating record for fruitcake is 4 pounds, 14.25 ounces in 10 minutes, held by Sonya Thomas. There is no truth to the rumor that the fruitcakes used in the competition were regifts.

Best Medicine

Four little-known food facts about calories during the holidays:

1) If you eat something and no one sees you eat it, it has no calories.

2) When you eat with someone else, your calories don't count if the other person eats more than you.

3) Cookie pieces contain no calories because the breaking process causes calorie leakage.

4) Foods of the same color have the same calorie count, e.g., spinach and pistachio ice cream or mushrooms and mashed potatoes.

Observation

"Stressed spelled backward is desserts." — Anonymous

Curtain Calls

In 2009, Vincent Smith II, an employee at the Cocoa Services Inc. chocolate factory in Camden, New Jersey, was loading chunks of raw chocolate into a large melting tank, when he was struck and rendered unconscious by one of the rotating mixing paddles. Smith was trapped in the tank, which was filled with liquid chocolate at 120 degrees Fahrenheit, for 10 minutes before rescuers were able to extract him. He died shortly thereafter.

To find out more about Scott LaFee and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.