Laughter, long rumoured to be the best medicine for life's aches and pains, is now being dispensed at Laughter Yoga clubs which are springing up all over the country as this health-promoting phenomenon gains momentum. As well as releasing endorphins which give us the 'feel good factor', laughter can act as aerobic exercise, increasing the oxygen uptake in the body with multiple benefits. It’s a bit like jog ...

I suppose everyone longs for a silver bullet. The idea that there is something that you can do or say that will instantly solve a huge problem. Thus was I tempted to attend the Siblings Connect conference, designed for people who have siblings with mental illness. My hope was to come away better equipped and able to help my nearest and dearest. But as it turned out, I was about to meet a whole new family I ...

Resilience is a virtue according to Alain De Botton, the self-styled moralality guru, who has announced 10 commandments for virtuous non-believers on the anniversary of the publication of his book Religion for Atheists.  [caption id="attachment_5809" align="alignleft" width="180"] Alain de Botton[/caption] His short manifesto and list of 10 commandments are aimed at anyone and everyone who seeks some sort o ...

Have you ever wondered what's really important to you? Many of us have vague notions but we rarely pause for long enough to think it through. Does it matter after all? In many ways it might seem relatively low down on our list of priorities, but last week a lecture organised by Action for Happiness made the audience see things in a completely different light. Whether it's done on a personal level or on a na ...

People who see themselves as being happy often also see Meaning in their life and this has led experts to conclude that  if you want to be Happy you need to find some Meaning! Not afraid of a challenge, the Happiness Club in Glasgow tackled this thorny problem at last week’s meet-up in Sloans Pub, the oldest in the city, where they hold their monthly meetings. ‘But we don’t  just talk about Happiness and Me ...

'If a man says he has the secret to happiness, don't listen to him. He is a charlatan!' started the lovable Leo Bormans who describes himself as 'a little Belgian fellow', though he is also the author of the World Book of Happiness which has been sent to 52 world leaders by the head of the European Union. He started his speaking career as a boy, standing on soap boxes and reciting poems while his salesman f ...

It seems we can buy happiness after all! And it’s all about generosity. Last night Nipun Mehta shared his message of ‘gift-ivism’ with an audience at the Conway Hall, London, describing humble experiments in generosity that have created positive change around the world. His mission statement in life is to “bring smiles in the world and stillness in my heart”. His fame has spread rapidly since May 2012 since ...

A few years ago, we were given a recipe for Happiness but no-one we spoke to seems to have heard of it. A government-sponsored group of psychologists  were asked to write a thesis on what makes people happy and how to be happier. Their reports were then distilled to reveal what were the most commonly agreed five things we can do to improve our state of contentment. In case you haven't heard of them here the ...

There is no surer way to achieve happiness than to have low expectations. Thus did a warm glow and a tear spread across the sitting room as first the green tussock and then the strains of Jerusalem pierced our frenetic television screens on Satuarday evening. Could it be, could it possibly be that we were about to get what we do best, without apology or explanation? Live theatre from Shakespeare's time onwa ...