Fascinating. I would love to read the whole article but my initial reaction is that I'm not surprised because people do tend to make rational decisions and those who are active in Second Life will be so for the reason that they experience a gain from it that outweighs other uses of their time. I echo John's comment that a "happy life" is a patchwork of many different domains and increasingly virtual ones are playing an important part in the lives of many. The comparison with deep involvement in any community, real or virtual would I think find few differences. "For an unemployed person, the happiness boost for going to Second Life is bigger than that for getting a job." I think it would surely depend on the person and the job. I'd love to know about the selection criteria and methodology here. If any of us finds a community where we can achieve something and have that achievement recognised by our peers its a powerful draw, wherever and whatever it is.