
Path to true happiness 'revealed' - eliot_sykes
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4436482.stm
======
failquicker
I can't speak for anyone else. But for me, I truly started getting happy when
I started "Reveling in Simplicity" Not in a superficial way, not in the
"minimal is cool" way. But in the I really don't need much to be happy way.

I've moved a LOT. I was in the military. And once I got out, I has a string of
businesses I started all over the US. And I use to carry these boxes of
"STUFF" with me. My wife too. We had all this crap, that was soooooo important
to us. But half the time we never even bothered to unpack it. Finally, we both
came to our senses, and sold, gave, or threw most of it away.

I hear people talk about "Golden Handcuffs" I know what you mean. I had them.
But you know what, I was able to shake them too. So maybe they're not
handcuffs. Just decorations. That we like so much we won't take them off. But
we can.

My family is great now. We live on so much less. And our quality of life is
through the roof! If my family was a startup, we would have so much runway our
competitors would be shaking in their boots. And just like a startup, that
gives you a lot of freedom to experiment.

I love to experiment.

Simplicity is the key to happiness. At least that's my opinion. Sorry for the
rant in the comments. Didn't mean for it to go on so long.

~~~
nazgulnarsil
true happiness is a low burn rate.

~~~
failquicker
Well said sir.

------
eliot_sykes
The main thing I took away from this article were the 10 recommendations in
the grey box towards the end-right-hand-side of the article:

* Plant something and nurture it

* Count your blessings - at least five - at the end of each day

* Take time to talk - have an hour-long conversation with a loved one each week

* Phone a friend whom you have not spoken to for a while and arrange to meet up

* Give yourself a treat every day and take the time to really enjoy it

* Have a good laugh at least once a day

* Get physical - exercise for half an hour three times a week

* Smile at and/or say hello to a stranger at least once each day

* Cut your TV viewing by half

* Spread some kindness - do a good turn for someone every day

~~~
potatolicious
> _"Smile at and/or say hello to a stranger at least once each day"_

Must emphasize this - I find that a lot of times when I'm feeling very blah a
surefire fix is to strike up a conversation with a stranger, or at the very
least exchange pleasantries.

It's depressing how socially disconnected modern life has made us - we live in
the densest conglomeration of humans history has ever known, yet we've never
been more alone. You will shuffle past thousands of fellow human beings during
your daily commute without ever having learned the slightest thing about any
one of them. You will all sit silently, absorbed in tedium and boredom while a
vast treasure trove of experiences and stories goes unheard you - including
your own.

I'm not especially social I have to admit - but I think humans are hardwired
to desire contact. I cannot overstate the importance of this - it's simply too
bad that society has made conversing with strangers a faux pas... even though
in my experience most people crave it more than they'd care to admit.

~~~
jgrahamc
I agree about this. After I read "The Game" and "Rules of The Game" by Neil
Strauss (which are about being a pick-up artist) I took away the lesson that
the hardest part (at least for me) was walking up to strangers and talking to
them. It was amazingly liberating to do it, however. What I do is ask them
some question that they could plausibly answer as a way to starting a
conversation. I have had very, very, very few bad reactions.

~~~
ivenkys
Did you try this on the London Tube,ideally at rush hour :-)

~~~
jgrahamc
No. That doesn't seem like a reasonable environment to start a conversation.
There's is an art to it...

Basically, if you want to start a conversation with a stranger then I'd
recommend doing it in a place where they can 'escape' from you. If you corner
them, say on the tube, then they have no means of leaving and hence they will
feel as if your approach is hostile. And that's especially true if you are
both sitting or face to face.

I recommend reading Strauss' book because it's fascinating, but the bottom
line is approach people from an angle (not head on and not from behind). Make
sure they've got the physical space to leave if they want to, maintain enough
distance that you are not in their personal space, and if you do get chatting
it can be helpful to indicate in some way that you are only temporarily there
talking to them.

~~~
pasbesoin
I really like your qualifications. In my own experience, e.g. with regard to
"networking" advice that is promulgated, they are too often ignored. No wonder
the advice feels awkward to someone who is sensitive to exactly these
issues/concerns.

------
richardw
I wonder if knowing there is a team of people focused on increasing your
happiness, increases your happiness? I'd imagine it's fairly hard to get a
double blind test going for this experiment!

------
ajscherer
How did the researches measure peoples' happiness levels?

------
known
Altruism leads to true and everlasting happiness.

------
JoeAltmaier
Exercise alone will do most of the job.

------
ivenkys
Just in case someone misses this - this is circa 2005.

~~~
Tichy
Any idea if it is online somewhere? The actual show, I mean?

Also, how did it pan out, did they achieve greater happiness for that village?
I liked their "seeding" approach.

~~~
gjm11
According to
[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/featu...](http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/features/article588739.ece)
and
[http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2005/...](http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2005/12_december/05/slough.shtml)
the people directly involved reported being happier, by more than the
experimenters expected. There's no information there about (1) whether the
happiness gains lasted or (2) whether they had any effect on other people.

Slough's population is ~120k, so I'd be surprised if any "seeding" effect
produced measurable results on the population as a whole.

I don't see any sign that the BBC has either put the episodes online or
offered them for sale.

