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 Our choice of what we eat and where we get it from can have a big effect not only on our own lives and health, but those of other creatures, people and the environment. This section will expand over time with more links and information on food.
- An inconvenient sandwich - most of us use convenience food sometimes - it is quick, cheap and something we can eat wherever we happen to be. This report by the New Economics Foundation shows the hidden costs of our convenience food to society, public health and the environment. |
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 For many of us, there are very few things that are more important in life than good friendships. Technology has brought new ways of conducting friendships into our lives, such as those we conduct over the internet on social networking sites, but many people would agree that it's hard to beat close, supportive relationships with direct contact. Whatever types of friendship you have or wish for, below are some materials relating to the idea of friendship and connection to other people:
- The annual friendship cull - an article from Mark Vernon examining the different types of friendship we can have throughout our lives. See Mark's book 'The meaning of friendship' for more insights and ideas.
- How to connect - leaflet from Life² showing 10 ways you can bring people into your life more and connect better with other people. |
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 The quality of our relationships with other people is one of the most important factors contributing to our well-being – if not the most important. Loneliness and isolation can be bad for our physical and mental health, so it is important to find ways of getting connected with the people around us - both individually and getting involved in our local communities. Even the simplest and smallest moments of connection – like saying hello to our neighbours - can make us feel better about ourselves, give us a sense of purpose and give us more opportunities for getting on in life. The links below provide some opportunities for getting more involved with other people and our local communities - why not give them a try?
- How to Connect - a free leaflet from Life² giving 10 practical ways we can build our links with other people.
- Street Party - a not-for-profit organisation that helps people to build community spirit at the street level through communities meeting in traffic-free streets, especially in street parties. The organisation can help you plan and run your own street activities!
- Do-it, Volunteer Centres, and Community Service Volunteers - not-for-profit organisations providing thousands of volunteering opportunities around the country - there are bound to be some great opportunities available near you - a great chance to meet people, get involved in your community and help others out. |
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 Happiness – it’s the one thing we all seek but often find elusive. Despite our increased wealth in the last 50 years, studies show that we are no happier than we were. Thousands of self-help books and pieces of wisdom are available to people on this topic, and it is difficult to know where to find credible or useful information on it.
Fortunately, we are now starting to build a proper base of scientific evidence as to what makes people happy. This doesn’t of course mean that people are all the same, but the 'science of happiness' is able to identify some important basic factors that have been proven to contribute to people’s well-being – for example, family and good relationships. Having this information to hand can be useful in helping us think about our own sources of happiness, but we should still make sure we think for ourselves about what really gives us meaning and happiness in our own lives.
The findings now emerging from the science of happiness have also reignited the centuries-old debate about whether to put happiness at the top of the political agenda, and to make the aim of our society to seek the maximum happiness for everyone. If we can identify some key factors that promote happiness, should we not promote them in society? Opponents of this view suggest that, although happiness is generally seen to be a positive thing, it isn't necessarily the aim of life or the only thing that makes our lives meaningful, and promoting it blindly could actually restrict our lives.
The links below give access to some great resources to give you more specific information and ideas on happiness, and how to think about it in your own life. They also open up the political debate about happiness, and whether we should make it the aim of our society to maximise everyone's levels of happiness.
- The Mental Health Foundation provides lots of useful and accessible information about how we can improve our mental health and well-being - including 10 tips for better mental health.
- Happiness – lessons from a new science – by Richard Layard - this leading economist explores why, despite being wealthier than ever before, we’re no happier. The book gives an overview of the new 'science of happiness', including some of the things that have been most commonly proven to promote happiness.
- The Happiness Hypothesis – by Jonathan Haidt - a book exploring the human condition, and our search for happiness, using insights from modern psychology and philosophy.
- The movement for happiness – a new organisation set up by Professor Layard (see above) and other influential figures that seeks the promotion of happiness - both as a political aim and in our own individual lives. The organisation launches in September 2010.
- Smile or die - by Barbara Erenreich - just to balance the links above, this book by a leading US political thinker argues that the positive psychology movement has taken over American society, and is actually making people's lives worse - as life isn't just about happiness.
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 We live in a complex, pressurised world and our lives can be rushed and busy. Living in such an environment, we can make our lives better by finding some periods of peace and quiet when we need them. This can bring us many benefits, including reducing our levels of stress and giving us greater perspective on our lives.
Finding peace and quiet doesn’t have to involved running away to a remote island - we can find it even in the most stressful and busy situations. Below are some ideas on how to find peace and quiet in daily life, as well as some inspiring ways in which other people have sought and found it.
- A bit of peace and quiet – a guide from Life² giving 10 ideas on how to find more peace and quiet within the rush of modern life.
- Walden – by Henry David Thoreau – a classic, inspiring story of one man’s decision to leave the industrialised world behind and set up a home in the woods by a remote pond. |
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