The secret to living a happy life? Dundee...
IT is perhaps the ultimate question ever to tax the human intellect – what is the elusive secret to living a full and happy life?
Some search for the answer in wealth and possessions, while others pursue more creative or emotional solutions such as art, music or simply the love of family and friends.
But now one team of scientists claims to have finally cracked the key to a ‘rich’ and fulfilled existence – and it turns out to be Dundee.
According to their calculations, people who want to enjoy a happy life should move to the city, become a fisherman and earn less than £35,000 a year.
Yesterday Dr David Lewis, who carried out a study to find the secret to real fulfilment in life, revealed that cash has very little to do with it any more.
The psychologist explained: ‘Our r esearch has r evealed s ome fascinating insights into how rich people view their lives to be.’
His team entered numerical values representing attitudes towards such factors as planning, confrontation, success, perfection, money and family into an equation to determine the happiest place.
Dr Lewis, of research consultancy Mindlab, added: ‘We used quadratic mathematical modelling to find the “formula for true richness” or, in other words, what combination of attitudes towards life is found in the happiest people.
‘During the interviews, 59 per cent of people said the best things in life are free, citing their families and happy memories as their most treasured possessions.’
Mindlab, whose other discoveries include the fact that swimmers are the best lovers and custard creams are Britain’s most dangerous biscuit, found that people working in fishing and forestry led richer lives than those in business and financial jobs. Furthermore, people earning less than £35,000 a year were happier than high earners.
The UK-wide survey questioned around 2,000 people.
In Scotland, Dundonians came top in terms of richness and fulfilment, followed by people living in Edinburgh and then Glasgow.
Similarly, people living in Wales, the South- east of England and Yorkshire appeared more satisfied with their lives than most.
Married couples with two children seemed more content, along with people aged 65 and over.
Low scorers included the 35 to 44 age bracket, Londoners, singletons, bankers and those earning between £150,000 and £199,999.
Lucie Illingworth, senior brand manager with Anchor Cheddar, which commissioned the research, said: ‘We don’t think that it’s always material possessions which make people the happiest and the British public agrees.’