A code for happiness

I summarised the clip below and this article on the UCL website

Summary with vocab in bold

I was watching ‘Have I got News for you?’ the other day. It’s the only TV panelshow I watch andmiles betterthan other comedy quiz shows in my opinion. It’s verywittyand the two team captains, Ian Hislop and Paul Merton have been there since it started in 1990. I remember watching it when I lived at home with my parents and I’m still watching it 30 years later! The hostasks the fourpanelistsquestions abouttopicalnews stories and they crackveryhumorousandsatiricaljokes.

Anyway…in the last episode they were talking about anequationthat has been developed for happiness byneuroscientistsat University College London. The long line of symbols and letters look likegibberishbut apparentlyin layman’s termsit means that we should lower ourexpectations.

In an article on the UCL website, it says that happiness is complicated as there are so many different factors that make people happy. However, they are trying to 'capture this subjectivityand get a more complete view of what happiness is.’ Through MRI scans and an app that has been developed, they came to the conclusion that having high expectations can lead to unhappiness.

If something is hyped up,we tend to feel disappointed if it’s not as good as we imagined. If we’re looking forward to something and then itfalls through,we feellet down.However, imagining the worst from the start doesn’t work as itrelinquishesthe feeling of hope that makes us feel good. They say that the key is to have realistic expectations and be aware that things might not go to plan.

Happiness isephemeraland they recommend seeing it as a tool, rather than a goal. It can give us information about what is and isn’t working in our lives. If our happinessdroops,it might just be worth trying something new.

Summary without vocab in bold

I was watching ‘Have I got News for you?’ the other day. It’s the only TV panel show I watch and miles better than other comedy quiz shows in my opinion. It’s very witty and the two team captains, Ian Hislop and Paul Merton have been there since it started in 1990. I remember watching it when I lived at home with my parents and I’m still watching it 30 years later! The host asks the four panelists questions about topical news stories and they crack very humorous and satirical jokes.

Anyway…in the last episode they were talking about an equation that has been developed for happiness by neuroscientists at University College London. The long line of symbols and letters look like gibberish but apparently in layman’s terms it means that we should lower our expectations.

In an article on the UCL website, it says that happiness is complicated as there are so many different factors that make people feel content. However, they are trying to 'capture this subjectivity and get a more complete view of what happiness is.’ Through MRI scans and an app that has been developed, they came to the conclusion that having high expectations can lead to unhappiness.

If something is hyped up, we tend to feel disappointed if it’s not as good as we imagined. If we’re looking forward to something and then it falls through, we feel let down. However, imagining the worst from the start doesn’t work as it relinquishes the feeling of hope that makes us feel good. They say that the key is to have realistic expectations and be aware that things might not go to plan.

Happiness is ephemeral and they recommend seeing it as a tool, rather than a goal. It can give us information about what is and isn’t working in our lives. If our happiness droops, it might just be worth trying something new.

Glossary

panel

A group of well known people that discuss subjects on a TV show

miles better

Much better

witty

To be funny in a clever way

host

Someone on a TV/radio show that is in charge and asks the people taking part questions.

panellists

A member of a group of people who are invited onto a TV show

topical

Related to a subject that is of particular interest at the present time

To crack a joke

To tell a joke

humorous

Funny

satirical

Humour that criticises people or things and makes them seem silly

equation

A mathematical statement showing that two sets of numbers, letters or symbols are equal

neuroscientists

Scientists that study the brain and the nervous system

gibberish

Nonsense

in layman’s terms

To explain something in simple language

expectations

The belief that something will happen

subjectivity

Something that is based on your own feelings and not on facts. Everyone experiences things differently.

hyped up

To make something sound more interesting and impressive than it really is

falls through

When a plan/event doesn’t happen

let down

When someone is disappointed because something didn’t happen as they expected it to.

relinquishes

To stop having something, especially when you do not want to

ephemeral

Something that does not last long

droops

To become sad or depressed. It is also used when something bends or hangs downwards, like a dying flower.

Questions

  1. What factors do you think make people happy?

  2. What makes you happy?

  3. Do you agree that having realistic expectations can make us happier?

  4. What was the happiest period in your life?

  5. Do you like the idea of there being an equation for happiness?

  6. Have you seen ‘Have I got News for you?’ before?

  7. Do you watch any comedy quiz shows?