Happiness depends on health and friends, not money

Level 2 l Upper intermediate

1 Warmer
List five things that make you happy and five things that make you unhappy.
Compare your lists with a partner.

2 Key words
Match the key words with the definitions. Then, find them in the article to read them in context. The
paragraph numbers are given to help you.

alienated anxiety domestic eliminating evidence impact

landmark misery psychological society tackling wellbeing

1. the state of being extremely unhappy _______________________ (para 1)

2. something major that marks an important stage in a process and makes progress possible
_______________________ (para 1)
3. getting rid of something that is not wanted or needed _______________________ (para 2)
4. a worried feeling you have because you think something bad might happen _______________________
(para 2)
5. working very hard trying to deal with a problem _______________________ (para 6)
6. involving your mind _______________________ (para 7)
7. the overall feeling of being happy, healthy and safe _______________________ (para 7)
8. relating to peoples homes and family life _______________________ (para 10)
9. feeling that you do not belong in a particular society, place or group _______________________ (para 10)
10. the people who live in a particular country or area _______________________ (para 11)
11. facts that help to prove something _______________________ (para 11)
12. an effect or an influence _______________________ (para 11)
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NEWS LESSONS / Happiness depends on health and friends, not money / Upper intermediate
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Happiness depends on health and friends, not money
Level 2 l Upper intermediate
Happiness depends on health and 10 This evidence demands a new role for the state
friends, not money, says new study not wealth creation but wellbeing creation,
Layard said. In the past, the state has tried to
Phillip Inman
deal with poverty, unemployment, education and
12 December, 2016 physical health. But equally important now are
1 Most human misery comes from failed domestic violence, alcoholism, depression and
relationships and physical and mental illness anxiety conditions, alienated youth, exam stress
more than money problems and poverty and much more. These should become
according to a landmark study by a team of centre stage.
researchers at the London School of 11 The economist said that children should not
Economics (LSE). be judged by society just on their educational
2 Eliminating depression and anxiety would success. The report adds: The strongest factor
reduce misery by 20% compared to just 5% if predicting a happy adult life is not childrens
policymakers focused on eliminating poverty, the qualifications but their emotional health. There is
report found. also powerful evidence that schools have a
big impact on childrens emotional health and
3 Lord Richard Layard, who led the report, said which school a child goes to will affect their
that, on average, people have become no emotional wellbeing as much as it affects their
happier in the last 50 years, despite average exam performance.
incomes more than doubling.
Guardian News and Media 2016
4 The economist and adviser to former British
First published in The Guardian, 12/12/16
Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown
said the study, called Origins of Happiness,
showed that measuring peoples satisfaction
with their lives should be a priority for every
government. The researchers analysed data from
four countries, including the US and Germany.
5 Extra spending on reducing mental illness
would be self-financing, the researchers added,
because the government would get the costs
back as there would be higher employment and
people would pay more tax. There would also be
a reduction in NHS costs from fewer GP visits
and fewer people visiting hospital
A&E departments.
6 Tackling depression and anxiety would be four
times more effective than tackling poverty. It
would also pay for itself, Layard said.
7 The report supports the arguments that social
and psychological factors are more important to
the wellbeing of people than income levels.
8 Having a partner is as good for you as being
made unemployed is bad for you, Layard said.
9 The report claims that state-run organizations,
including schools, must become more focused on
tackling anxiety and mental health issues.
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NEWS LESSONS / Happiness depends on health and friends, not money / Upper intermediate
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Happiness depends on health and friends, not money
Level 2 l Upper intermediate
3 Comprehension check
Answer the questions using information from the article.

1. Compared to 50 years ago,

a. we are poorer now.
b. we have twice as much money now.
c. our income has not changed.

2. Our wellbeing and level of happiness

a. have increased.
b. have decreased.
c. have not changed.

3. Having a partner
a. is good for your mental wellbeing.
b. is like being unemployed.
c. helps when you are looking for a job.

4. In the past, the state has tried to find ways to deal with
a. poverty, domestic violence, alcoholism, depression and anxiety conditions.
b. unemployment, alienated youth, education and physical health.
c. education, physical health, poverty and unemployment.

5. The report says that states should now concentrate on dealing with
a. domestic violence, alcoholism, poverty, unemployment and alienated youth.
b. poverty, depression and anxiety conditions, youth unemployment and exam stress.
c. alcoholism, domestic violence, depression and anxiety conditions, alienated youth and exam stress.

6. It also says
a. we should care more about exam results.
b. we shouldnt judge people by their exam results.
c. that getting good exam results makes children happy adults.

7. The money that governments would have to spend on reducing mental illness would
a. lead to more unemployment.
b. pay for itself through the positive results it would bring.
c. come from taxes paid by working people.
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NEWS LESSONS / Happiness depends on health and friends, not money / Upper intermediate
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Happiness depends on health and friends, not money
Level 2 l Upper intermediate
4 Collocations
a. Match the words to make collocations from the text.
1. domestic a. evidence
2. emotional b. illness
3. exam c. health
4. failed d. study
5. landmark e. violence
6. mental f. organizations
7. powerful g. performance
8. state-run h. relationships

b. Discuss what the collocations mean. Write a definition for each and give examples where possible.
c. Use the collocations to talk about the article.

5 Discussion
The report claims that state-run organizations, including schools, must
become more focused on tackling anxiety and mental health issues.
Discuss the quote from the article.
Do you agree with the report?
What could schools do to help tackle anxiety and mental health issues?
What else could governments do?

6 Webquest
Find out more about the things or people referred to by these acronyms. Do they have equivalents in the
USA? If so, what are they? Is there an equivalent for each in your country?

acronym what it is US equivalent in my country

NHS
(National Health Service)

GP
(General Practitioner)

A&E
(Accident and Emergency)

LSE
(London School
of Economics)
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NEWS LESSONS / Happiness depends on health and friends, not money / Upper intermediate
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Happiness depends on health and friends, not money
Level 2 l Upper intermediate
KEY

2 Key words 6 Webquest

1. misery (possible answers)

2. landmark
3. eliminating acronym what it is US equivalent
4. anxiety NHS in the UK, a system that There is currently no
5. tackling (National provides free medical equivalent.
6. psychological Health care and is paid for
7. wellbeing Service) through taxes
8. domestic GP a doctor who deals with PCP (Primary Care
9. alienated (General general medical problems Physician)
10. society Practitioner) and treats the families in a
11. evidence particular area
12. impact A&E a medical facility ER (Emergency
(Accident and specializing in acute, Room)
Teachers tip: Show your students the real grammar Emergency) emergency care, usually
video that accompanies the dictionary entry for impact: found in a hospital
www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/
LSE a public research LSE has academic
impact_1. You could also discuss which other words
(London university, part of the partnerships in
they can think of that can be both a noun and a verb.
School University of London; teaching and
of recognized as one of the research with

3 Comprehension check Economics) worlds leading social Columbia University

sciences universities in New York City

1. b and the University of

2. c California, Berkeley.

3. a
4. c
5. c
6. b
7. b

4 Collocations

1. e
2. c
3. g
4. h
5. d
6. b
7. a
8. f
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NEWS LESSONS / Happiness depends on health and friends, not money / Upper intermediate
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