Tuesday 20 March is International Day of Happiness when we are encouraged to make the world a happier place. So, how will you be celebrating? asks Ellie Smith
So will you be leaping out of bed with a spring in your step and a smile on your face, blasting out the Pharrell Williams hit Happy while skipping into work? Possibly not. For most of us, it’s more likely it’ll be a pretty average March Tuesday; but with all the talk about ways to enhance our happiness, it’s easy to feelbad about not feeling happy.
As a society, we seem to be obsessed with happiness — more than ever before. A quick Google search for the word yields millions of results, and there are thousands of books about the topic for sale on Amazon. Mo Gawdat, Google’s chief business officer, recently created the first equation for happiness, which requires balancing experiences and expectations, and his Channel 4 interview discussing it became the channel’s most downloaded video ever.
But what is happiness? The Dalai Lama, who has spent a lifetime pondering happiness and suffering, defines it thus: “Since our goal and the purpose of life is happiness, what is happiness? Sometimes physical suffering can even bring a deeper sense of satisfaction like with an athlete after a gruelling workout. So ‘happiness’ means mainly a sense of deep satisfaction. The object of life or our goal, then, is satisfaction.”
However it is defined, happiness is now seen as something we can measure. National leaders worldwide are giving it more recognition: since 2012, the UN has been producing an annual World Happiness Report, which ranks 155 countries by their happiness levels.
But has our pursuit of happiness gone a bit too far? Has the pressure of striving to be constantly content with our lives created a paradox in which, in a quest to be happy all the time, we might actually be making ourselves sad?
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Winter 2017/18-Ausgabe von Optimum Nutrition.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Winter 2017/18-Ausgabe von Optimum Nutrition.
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Summer Of
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Now that summer is here, it’s time to peel off the layers and make some vitamin D. But if your skin isn’t as peachy as you would like, or if you are worried about staying safe in the sun, find out how good nutrition may support your skin’s health. Maggie Charlesworth writes
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If headlines about microbeads from cosmetics polluting our seas have got you wondering how you can do your bit for the environment, try using nature’s harvest to feed your skin. Hannah Maryse Robinson writes
A Summer Selection Of Goods And Goodies
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Do Something Different
As many of us are concerned about keeping our brains active, Ellie Smith investigates whether trying something completely new could boost both our brain health and mental wellbeing
Lifting Weights, Lifting Confidence
When Bianca Mills was bullied at school she could not have dreamt that she would be able to speak in front of a group of women, let alone coach them in lifting free weights. She told Louise Wates why she believes buddying-up is just as important as physical strength for fostering confidence
Teaching Children How To Forage
Catherine Morgan finds out how foraging can teach children (and adults) about more than nature’s store cupboard, and can foster an understanding of and respect for the environment.
Keep Calm And Curry On
In August, India celebrates the anniversary of Indian Independence, yet the Anglo-Indian community, a legacy of the British Raj with its roots in European and Indian ancestry, still treads the cultural line between both communities. Jenny Mallin, author of A Grandmother’s Legacy, tells us about the fusion food in her family and recipes passed down through the generations
