A HARVARD PROFESSOR'S THREE RULES FOR REMAINING HAPPY

 

The world economy shrank for the last two quarters, leading many to speculate that we are in a very serious recession. Surely anxiety about the recession is high.  Does that mean that the next few months will be miserable and that a shrinking economy will be a shrinking joy?

"Yes and no", says Harvard professor Arther Brooks in his latest "Atlantic" focused on the science of happiness.

"The unhappiness that accompanies a recession is real and you are irrational if you feel it. Your instincts might tell you about this unfortunate feeling of agony by focusing on the problem seriously and managing your affairs meticulously. But this is not the best way to alleviate your misery," he writes.

Here are three rules that Brooks gives so that one's happiness is intact; 

1. Stop checking

2. Turn off the news

3, Remember you are not alone in this ordeal, and have a cup of tea.