The Recipe for Happiness

I have never been to Slough, but I've always thought the name was somewhat unattractive. Perhaps this is the reason why the place was chosen for a 3 month experiment to increase the levels of happiness there. The results are to be portrayed in a 4 part series on BBC2 entitled "Making Slough Happy".

The expert team recommends 10 steps to happiness:

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.

Maybe I'll give these a go. What do you think?