These days I'm very interested in the 'science' of happiness. I've read some great books about it like The Happiness Hypothesis (Haidt) and The Geography of Bliss (Weiner). And today I was very pleased when one of my students brought in a related article for News Day.
Batchelors Cup-A-Soup recently did a survey of 3000 Brits to find out life's greatest pleasures. I can't find drinking, making or buying soup anywhere on the list but the results are interesting.
It seems that most things that make us happy are quite small, and usually free, like the first snowfall of the year or catching up with old friends.
I've copied the list below, but I don't know how to reverse the order. So if you want the best last, you should scroll to the bottom and read up from number 50.
Batchelors Cup-A-Soup recently did a survey of 3000 Brits to find out life's greatest pleasures. I can't find drinking, making or buying soup anywhere on the list but the results are interesting.
It seems that most things that make us happy are quite small, and usually free, like the first snowfall of the year or catching up with old friends.
I've copied the list below, but I don't know how to reverse the order. So if you want the best last, you should scroll to the bottom and read up from number 50.
Top 50 greatest little pleasures in life:
1. A good night’s sleep
2. Finding a forgotten tenner in your pocket
3. Cuddling up with a partner in bed
4. Crying with laughter
5. Having a lie-in
6. Sleeping in newly laundered bedding
7. Getting a bargain
8. Making someone smile
9. Catching up with an old friend
10. Laughing at things that have happened in the past
11. Eating a Sunday roast with your family
12. Someone saying you look nice
13. Curling up on the sofa with a good book and a hot drink or soup
14. Discovering you’ve lost a few pounds
15. Breakfast in bed
16. Waking up thinking it’s a work day and then realising it’s the weekend
17. A random person smiling at you in the street
18. Looking through old photo albums
19. Eating a takeaway
20. First snow fall of the year
21. Singing your heart out to your favourite song in car
22. Having lunch with friends
23. Listening to a baby laughing
24. Having a massage
25. Reading a book or listening to your iPod on holiday by the pool
26. Playing in snow
27. Finding a pair of jeans that fit perfectly
28. Being chatted up
29. A girly-night in
30. A pampering session at home
31. The smell of freshly cut grass
32. Sitting in the pub with your friends
33. Looking at a baby asleep in a cot
34. Waking up in a room with an amazing view
35. Clothes shopping
36. Receiving a letter from a friend
37. Fitting into an old pair of jeans again after losing some weight
38. Staying up all night getting to know someone special
39. Your mum’s cooking
40. Getting dressed up for a night out
41. Watching a live band
42. Drinking a cold beer after work
43. Browsing in a secondhand book shop
44. Going to the cinema
45. Getting a new hairstyle
46. Your queue being the quickest in the supermarket
47. The cold side of the pillow
48. Watching a DVD
49. Getting tipsy
50. Popping bubble wrap.
