Improved Lives

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I almost wish I lived in the UK so that I could take advantage of all the great stuff that comes out on the BBC.

In this “unusual three-month experiment, six specialists from a variety of disciplines worked to improve the happiness levels of a typical UK town [called Slough]. The experts tried and tested 10 simple measures in the quest for happiness.” - BBC Article

The idea behind the experiment was to work closely with 50 people and get them to do the various happiness boosting exercises, and it was believed by the six specialists that “the volunteers will take their newfound skills and attitudes out into the community, and in this way we will begin to change the psychological climate of Slough.” - BBC Article

This ripple effect (where attitudes like happiness can spread through social networks) is a really interesting (and useful when you understand it) phenomenon and you can read more about it in this post if you’re interested.

The Happiness Boosting Exercises

The six specialists tried a few different happiness boosting exercises and found these ones to be the most effective:

1. Plant something and nurture it
2. Count your blessings - at least five - at the end of each day
3. Take time to talk - have an hour-long conversation with a loved one each week
4. Phone a friend whom you have not spoken to for a while and arrange to meet up
5. Give yourself a treat every day and take the time to really enjoy it
6. Have a good laugh at least once a day
7. Get physical - exercise for half an hour three times a week
8. Smile at and/or say hello to a stranger at least once each day
9. Cut your TV viewing by half
10. Spread some kindness - do a good turn for someone every day

I think it’s important to note that 3 of those exercises (3, 4, and 8 ) all focus on interacting more with the people around you. It’s easy to see how in our modern age we have replaced that kind of interaction with cheaper entertainment like TVs and computers.

Did the Happiness Boosting Exercises Work?

They did.

At the start of the experiment the six specialists tested the 50 volunteers on a variety of different things that indicate happiness and one the key indicators for this experiment was Life Satisfaction, for which the 50 volunteers had an average score of 6.4/10, which isn’t all that good.

At the end of the 3 months they measured again and for the 50 volunteers Life Satisfaction was up roughly one third to 8.1/10, not bad for 3 months.

I’m definitely going to be trying a few of these, especially number 1, plant something and nurture it. I’ve been looking for an excuse to start a garden and now I’ve got it.

Further Reading:
- Path to true happiness ‘revealed’ by the BBC
- BBC TWO’s Making Slough Happy reveals final happiness levels to be up by a third by the BBC
- There’s also a 4 part documentary series on this experiment put out by the BBC called ‘Making Slough Happy’ which I couldn’t find anywhere. If anyone can find a lead on it let me know.

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