The Meaning Of Work
MOW_S.jpg

The science of happiness at work

"If you find a job you love, you'll never work again."
Winston Churchill

 

If 1/3 of my waking hours are to be spent at work, it's important I find a job that makes me happy.

Not buying the hippy mumbo jumbo that all I need is a grass skirt, good vibes and flowers in my hair, I turned to science for some answers. I discovered a new field of science called Positive Psychology. Here, happiness has been scrutinised in methodical studies. 

Here is what I learned...

 

Exercise and Happiness

Exercise (a practical experiment)

Exercise is vital for our general wellbeing. A recent study showed exercise was more effective at combating depression than antidepressant medication. Dr Ben-Shahar told me that exercise does not act as an anti-depressant, rather not doing exercise is a depressant. Humans evolved to be physically very active creatures. Exercise releases endorphins which contribute to our natural levels of happiness and wellbeing. Depriving ourselves of these hits will inevitably lead to depressive moods.

I had also read that as well as exercise, jumping into cold water can boost our mood. Plunging into a cold pond decreases stress hormones (like cortisol) and boosts the feel-good neurotransmitter, serotonin.

Having trawled through books and papers for too long, I was starting to feel fat, lazy and a little depressed myself. It dawned on me: I was now in the perfect condition to test whether this exercise stuff really works. Time for an experiment...

Keen to try something a bit niche, I signed up to an event called The Swimmer in which a group of mad fitness fanatics run 13 miles across London and stop every so often for a dunk in freezing cold ponds. When booking the tickets, I read:

‘The Swimmer takes a break over the spring and summer - too many wetsuits in training and then the water gets a little cloudy with wee wee. We keep it Autumn, Winter. Old Skool.’

These guys were proper.

If running and cold water swimming are supposed to make me feel good on their own, then surely running and cold water swimming COMBINED would make me feel incredible. I had high hopes.

At 5.45 am on a dark, damp Saturday morning in October, my alarm jolted me out of a deep and peaceful sleep. The frosty flow of air from the small gap in the window was a hostile contrast to the warmth under the duvet. Knowing what I had to do this morning made getting out of this heavenly cocoon even more difficult than usual.

By the time I had cycled to the start point, I was tired, cold, miserable and scared. How could this possibly be a way of improving my happiness? It didn’t help that I was greeted with a sea of sickening smiles, warm handshakes and hearty laughter from my fellow runners. Clearly these nutters were on some kind of ecstasy trip from the night before. No one sober or sane could feel good under these conditions.

At 7.00 am, we began the arduous journey. It was a 10 minute steady jog towards our first dip and impending doom. We reached the ‘changing room’ (a bench behind a rickety wall) barely any warmer than when we started. As I watched steam fizzle from my breath I began to take off my clothes. First my shoes, then my top, then my pants. I watched the cold air shrink my penis and testicles until they looked like they did before I grew my first pubic hair. It felt like a very strange way to get happy.  

In just a pair of swimming shorts and goggles, I padded across the cold stone floor to the diving platform. There, we all lined up, about 30 of us in total. All ages, genders, shapes and sizes, our bodies standing together, like a troop of helpless, nearly naked soldiers, waiting for the call. On three we jumped.

The shot of adrenaline hit me like a knife in the back. My chest cavity compressed from the shock. I had started to panic and was struggling to breathe. In attempt to keep up with the others, I wriggled and splashed half way across the pond. Now a long way from the bank and still hyperventilating, I began to feel very vulnerable. It was at this moment, my then girlfriend (who was coping far better than me) thought it would be funny to dunk me underwater. Panicked and in blind survival mode, I felt my fist extend towards her face. At the last second consciousness prevailed and I managed to narrowly divert the punch. I had become a monster.

Somehow, we both made it back to the shore unharmed. As I climbed out, a strange cold burning sensation spread across my whole body. I was awake, alert and euphorically high. I wanted to do it again.

The remaining three dips were much easier as my core body temperature was higher from the running and now I knew what to expect. Each time, the high from the dip seemed to get better and better. I was hooked.

In the final 6 mile leg of the journey, I felt relaxed enough to strike up conversation with my fellow runners. They were seriously impressive people: doctors, business leaders, radio producers. They told me how cold water swimming before work drove away stress, kept them switched on and positive - qualities that I have observed in all good leaders. It all started to make sense and, in one morning, I was converted.

I am writing this having been for my regular early morning dip. It is now November and I saw the first frost on my cycle over to the pool. So far, the colder it gets, the better it feels. Exercise makes me feel good, cold water swimming makes me feel fantastic.

 

Summary:

  • Exercise can be more powerful than anti-depressants

  • Building regular exercise into our schedule boosts wellbeing

  • Cold water swimming releases feel good hormones

  • Doctors, CEOs and radio producers said that a cold swim before work means they start the day ready to lead their team

Matthew Simmonds