22

That number, 22, its everywhere I look!  It started early this week when my daughter asked me to download the Taylor Swift song 22 for her, and I can't get that tune out of my head.  Then the second episode of 22ness came along, £22K, the magic number.

Its magic because earn less than £22K you're miserable. Earn more than £22K you're miserable. £22K is the magic happy salary.

I have touched on the past on money and happiness, money does buy happiness and comforts, but more money after a certain point does not.  You need to earn something to tick your world around, but too much  money makes you materialistic and miserable. Money does not buy happiness.

This was further reiterated for me studying the Danish, the so called happy people.  They stick to the £22K limit. If you happen to get promoted, or get a better job, you cut your hours to stick to the £22K.  I was taken aback by this, is this where I am going wrong? Do I need to work less to be happier and accept a pay cut?  I am still in two minds, I don't think £22K is enough to live on, or is it?

Nation Happy

It seems very much that everyone is onto this happiness malachy.  A few months ago, the UAE appointed a "happiness minister" who was to look at ways of improving the happiness of the nation. "Les Happiness" workshops have already commenced.  I shrugged it off.  Then within the last two weeks, India, Bhutan and Venezuela have all followed suit.  This is not something to ignore, happiness awareness is certainly on the rise, and coming to a parliament near you.... soon.



Nevertheless, Nations' happiness has been on the agenda for decades, and countries are often ranked in order of their happiness.  India's ministry of happiness came after Pakistan came higher in the ranks than India - causing national outrage.  However time and time again, its Denmark that comes top of the list of happy nations.  All the Danes I know are miserable as hell.  Is it because they are in England and yearn to be back in Denmark?  To further explain this, I was given a book by a good friend that I chose to read to understand the secrets of Danish happiness.  High taxes, great social welfare, low numbers at church, brilliant childcare, rubbish food, unless you're from Copenhagen.... how can all these lead to happiness?  I can see the social welfare and childcare making me happy, but the higher taxes don't.   And studies have shown that religion makes society happier. So to put my theory to the test, I picked one of the few Danes I know and started to quiz them about the Danish way.  As usual, he grumbled and grumbled how much Cambridge sucks, the rents are too high, house prices are higher, what is your public transport like (erm that's why we cycle!).  So what made Denmark better I asked?  Well, when the bus says its coming at 07:29, it comes at 07:29. Period. It's the order and structure and that this is honoured in every corner of their lives that makes them happy. So the government can take 50% of their salaries as tax, they think its a bargain for the level of service they are getting.  Order. Hmmm, I can subscribe to that. That would make me happy.

I guess I owe it to my happiness project to plan my next holiday to Denmark to see what the big deal is?  I can already foresee that the Danish Pastries will make me very happy, but the Leverpostej certainly will not.

Happiness doubts

My first blog of 2016. If I were still working at GSK I would have been sacked already for not meeting my first quarter objective.  My blogs have been few and far between these months, but already 2016 is a year of great change. And I may not have been blogging, but my happiness project is still firmly in my mind.  I have finished more than a quarter of my ultimate to do list, focussing on some very difficult ones that are now done. And some promises I made to myself, regarding sleep, running and phone are more or less there. Of course, I can do more. We all can.

But of late, I have been thinking long and deep about happiness, and as a scientist, I have  massive issue with this. Just like I would be worried, in the lab, working on a project regarding pain, I find happiness a very abstract notion. There is no easy biochemical marker for happiness, how do we really know we are happy? Maybe, for example, I consider myself as happy, but maybe its all rubbish and in relation to others I am as miserable as they get? How do I know. When you tell me you're happy, how does that compare to me?  How can happiness be standardised? These thoughts have come into my mind a fair bit the last few months, but I have had to quickly banish them away.  Afterall, one of the key happiness hurdles is not to compare yourself to others.  Even the happiest people I know have their moments of doom and gloom.  Right now, sitting in my computer, I want to quantify my happiness, but I have no idea how to? 


According to the University of Stamford, you can quantify your happiness by two measures. Your state of mind and how well your life is going. The first concept, I find hard to answer, how happy is the state of mind.  Surely, you can say you're happy, you can convince others you are, but really are you? How do you know you really are?  How well your life is going is also an abstract concept, you start to compare yourself there, and that is a nono. 

So despite the demons, that I have yet to figure out how to solve,  my happiness project is still alive and running. Because it surely does more good than harm to be thinking carefully about my happiness and wellbeing.  So the blogs are back, especially now things have calmed down around me, so watch this space.