BOREDOM

Does the OSKIA Newsletter bore you to death?!

Well if it does, then keep it to yourself, not only because we’d prefer you to but because people who complain of boredom are more likely to die younger...

Specialists from the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at University College London have found that those who admit to being bored and who experience ‘high levels’ of tedium are more than two-and-a-half times as likely to die from heart disease than those who are more satisfied with their lot in life. This doesn’t necessarily mean that smugness is good for you! It does however suggest that those who get bored more easily turn to habits unconducive to a long and healthy life, such as smoking and excessive drinking. And don’t assume that because the tests were conducted on civil servants - 7,524 of them aged between 35 and 55 were questioned between 1985 and 1988 - that it was only the particular rigours and stresses of a life of determined public service that finally took its toll (did anyone pick up on the note of gentle sarcasm there....?).

But the key principle to take away is this - approach life with a positive attitude and a lightness in your step and not only will you enjoy yourself more but enjoy yourself longer as well.