I get that the coronavirus is here. And it’s serious. For context, I have elderly parents and a very elderly father-in-law.
But guess what happens when you tell people NOT to panic and NOT to panic buy?
I’m minded of the series Dad’s Army in which Corporal Jones’ catch-phrase ‘DON’T PANIC’ (accompanied by flapping arms) actually caused those around him to panic.
The official Government advice thus far is all well and good. I think you should continue to sneeze into a tissue and wash your hand thoroughly. Self-isolation, at least for vulnerable people, is a good idea.
BUT…
All the advice so far has been from the medical profession and, guess what, it doesn’t seem to be working.
So here’s some advice from the other end of the spectrum. I’ve studied people who are happy and well for 12 years. I even wrote a Loughborough thesis on it, hence I get to call myself a ‘Doctor of Happiness’.
Cheesy title aside, here are two HUGE points.
Here’s some proper research, and I know it’s proper because it’s from Yorkshire where, apparently, they have a fridge full of the flu virus. They take consenting adults and expose them to the latest flu virus in an attempt to produce the next strain of vaccine.
Once the fridge is opened, 47-per-cent of adults get the flu . And they get it bad.
But here’s the thing. If you take someone who is emotionally upbeat and expose them to said fridge, only 27-per-cent will come down with flu. They will feel fewer symptoms and recover a lot quicker.
So HUGE point number 1: being happy is the best medicine you can get.
Second, contagion is even bigger than your physical health.
Your emotions are contagious. Your happiness leaks out of you and reaches 3-degrees of people removed from you. That means you are positively impacting on your friends, your friends’ friends, and your friends’ friends’ friends. Plus if you have a happy brother or sister it makes you 14% happier and, get this, if you have a happy neighbour you will be a whopping 34% happier.
You cannot NOT have an impact on those around you. In plain simple English it boils down to this: those around you are catching your feelings.
Put the two HUGE points together and the conclusion is thus: Happiness inoculates you against the flu virus. But when you’re happy it leaks into those around you, creating happiness in your nearest and dearest. So you’re inoculating them too!
Stay safe people. By remaining happy.
And if you need a booster, our training will do the trick