Do you really want to be happy? (1)
I have always been interested in happiness. I think it is ‘a good thing’ – and I would like to see more of it, at both the individual and the societal level. A few years ago, I read a fascinating book on the subject, called simply “Happiness” [see my review here], and one of the most popular pieces in the Life Skills section of my web site is entitled boldly “How To Be Happy” [check it our here].
Earlier this week, I attended a packed-out seminar at the London School of Economics” entitled “Measuring Happiness?” which was addressed by four experts on this subject. The first speaker was Ben Page who is Chief Executive of Ipsos MORI, the pollsters who conduct the personal well beingsurveys for the British Government’s Office of National Statistics (ONS).
In an entertaining 10 minutes with lots of slides, some of the points he made were:
- The UK and France are now measuring happiness and well being
- Not all richer countries are happier
- The Danes seem to get happier and happier
- Spending more time with your family is the top thing that people say would make them happier
- The older you get, the less money matters and the more health matters
- Gardening and sports appear to makes you happier
- The married and the educated are happier
- Those who go to church are happier
- The middle-aged are the least happy
So his slightly tongue-in-cheek advice for improving one’s happiness included such tips as:
- Get married
- Be richer than your friends but stay friends with them
- Spend less than you earn
- Get religion
- Stay healthy
- Avoid middle age
January 19th, 2014 at 4:53 pm
Well I wouldn’t argue with any of that, save for the bit about getting religion!
January 19th, 2014 at 5:39 pm
I know what you mean, Chris. If you don’t have a faith – like me – then that option is not open to you. But there is serious evidence that, if you have a faith, religious practice can make you happier.