Step by Step 3000. Book Four.

Unit 1. The Less Travelled Path.
Part 1. Warming up.

A. Keywords.

happy(happiness).

Vocabulary.

take stock.

You're going to hear three men giving their views on happiness. Fill in the blankets with words you hear.

What makes me happy is slowing down. I think that we live in a very fast, speedy world and we often forget to take stock and take time.
Well, the problem with happiness is of course that sometimes when you're happy, you are infected with the spirit of the fact that it's going to stop, and sometimes you can't enjoy the happiness because you know it's going to end.
I think it's a vey good thing to try and aim to be happy.
Happiness is a difficult concept. You're aiming for sort of contentment and satisfaction with a few moments of joy.
And for me, like most people actually, what the evidence tells you is it's about having good relationships and making time for them, so I'm never happier than I'm with my wife and child and also having fulfilling and and satisfying work.
Again there's a wealth of, sort of evidence about this, above a certain point wealth and possessions don't contribute to happiness.
Of course there's a minimum, if you've just lost your job and you can't pay the mortgage, you're going to be miserable.
But above a certain level, and it's actually relatively low in a society like ours, money doesn't actually buy happiness.