This has little to do with scientific careers, but given the hardships of student life and the weekend looming, I thought I'd pass it on.
According to a new study commissioned by the British National Lottery and carried out by Richard Tunney of the University of Nottingham, what really makes people happy is within everyone's reach.
The study compared the happiness of lottery winners with non-winners, concluding that lottery jackpot winners are happier more often (95% claiming to be satisfied with their life versus 71% of the control population). Yet the study also asked what treats the winners were indulging in and how these contributed to their well-being. The study found that there was nothing like taking time to have a long bath, listen to music, or read a book to lift the spirits of the people who described themselves as happy. In contrast, those people who described themselves as less happy would rather go out to buy themselves something, like a CD or a meal out. You don't necessarily need to splash out a lot of money to feel better after a bad day.
"While buying sports cars, giving up work and going on exotic holidays is out of reach for most of us, there are small lessons we can learn from society’s happiest people to help improve our quality of life," Tunney wrote in a press release. "It appears that spending time relaxing is the secret to a happy life. Cost-free pleasures are the ones that make the difference -- even when you can afford anything that you want."
