Happy and Healthy

I am making my way through Daniel Goleman's book, 'Social Intelligence'.

The last chapter I read was talking about how the quality of relationships and friendships you have can actually make you physically healthier. Pipping even smoking as a risk factor, Goleman believes loneliness can make you more likely to get sick. He also refers to studies where people's blood pressure is measured around, and then compared to the quality of relationships they have with people they are spending time with when the measurements are taken.

Not surprisingly again, people we enjoy spending time with keep us relaxed which in turn keeps us healthier.

A lot of what he talks about in the book seems like common sense. But, as the saying goes, there is nothing common about common sense.

I find reading psychology books a little eerie at times. Half the time it seems like they know far more about your life than they should. We all think of ourselves as unique snowflakes (sorry... weak description but the London snow must be getting to my head), but a lot of the things that stop us from being happy seem very very common.

Money problems. Colleagues we don't like. Jobs we are just in to pay the bills. People we care about not really listening. Not getting enough exercise. Eating badly. Not getting enough sleep. Excess Regret. Excess Anxiety about the future. Rushing. Thinking things are more important than they really are. Spending time doing the things that are least important to us, and not the things that are most.

Seldom do we hear really surprising problems that people are having. They are things that people have experienced... and often, not always, but often... they are something we can do something about if we want to.

Heidt's book 'The Happiness Hypothesis', Gilbert's 'Stumbling on Happiness', Robinson's 'Out of our Minds', Godin's 'Tribes', Gladwell's 'Outliers' and this book seem to carry a similar message... that you can do something about it...

If you want to be happy... do something about it.