Here are two recent statistics that give pause for thought: 1. Britain is now the loneliness capital of Europe Its people are less likely to know their neighbours or have strong relationships than anywhere in Europe. 2. Every two hours a man kills himself in the UK Suicide is the single biggest cause of death […]
Choices
‘Can I become happier?’ part 5 (Choices)
This is the final post in the series exploring what determines our happiness As we’ve seen, genetics plays an important role at 50%, perhaps more than we would guess. Life circumstances (where we live, our social or economic status, etc) come in at just 10%, which again is not necessarily what many of us would think! […]
‘Can I become happier?’ part 2
Last week I posed the question, ‘Can I become happier?’ The answer is of course ‘yes’, our choices are important. But they aren’t the only factor involved. I then asked a second question ‘Which is most important in determining our happiness – genetics, circumstances or choices?’ Each of them have some impact, but not to […]
Can I become happier?
Until quite recently Psychologists believed that our disposition towards happiness depended entirely on genetics. Just like a central heating thermometer, we all have a set point for happiness and mood, and no matter what we do our sense of wellbeing comes back to same point. In many ways this is a good thing Human beings […]
