The Happiness Formula - Season 1
Season 1
Episodes
Measuring Happiness
Scientists say they can measure happiness, and they claim it can make us more resilient and creative, harder working, healthier and even live longer.
So shouldn't the government intervene and make us do what's good for us or at least encourage us?
We journey to the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, which is the only country in the world that puts happiness at the heart of government.
Rewiring our Brains
A new form of psychology - positive psychology - suggests we can think ourselves happy and actually rewire our brains to be more optimistic.
We are told we all have a set range of happiness. Now positive psychologists say we can make ourselves 10-15% happier permanently - if we work at it.
And they are keen to try it out on a whole nation.
The Price of Happiness
As a society we are richer than we have ever been but according to scientists we are not any happier.
Psychologists say we are driven by our in-built need to compare ourselves with others, and we quickly adapt to money and possessions.
We explore what could be done to improve our consumer society - should we ban advertising for children, tax the rich, commute less or work less?
Happy Mind Healthy Body
Scientists say happiness makes us healthier.
Happiness seems to have a protective effect, giving us some protection against heart disease and cancer.
The science of happiness has persuaded influential figures in government to consider ideas which could lead to a complete rethink in the NHS.
Trust in Happiness
Trust, community and friendships are crucial to our happiness and health. But trust has declined dramatically since the 1950s.
Research suggests that a decline in agreed rules of behaviour, commuting, and even the TV are partly to blame.
The science of happiness poses questions about multiculturalism and whether we should do much more build bridges between different communities.
Future Happiness
Technology promises happiness at the flick of a switch.
But labour saving devices and technological advances have not produced lasting happiness, and we have all ended up working more to pay for the latest gadgets.
We are told we should teach children to be happy. They have started teaching happiness in the USA and now happiness is entering the classroom in the UK.
Recently Updated Shows
Amandaland
Following three series of the Merman-produced, BAFTA award-winning series Motherland, a brand-new spin-off, Amandaland, is coming to the BBC, focused on Amanda.
Post her divorce, Amanda has had to downsize and up sticks to South Harlesden, or as the Estate Agent calls it SoHa (definitely not the area around Wormwood Scrubs prison).
With both Manus and Georgie now at secondary school, Amanda has to try and get her head around raising teenagers, dealing with modern motherhood horrors like teenage drinking, fake Instagram accounts and eco anxiety. Not even a woman as certain of her parenting as Amanda can deal with these nightmares alone.
Then there's Amanda's mother Felicity who is constantly around, and completely in denial that she is, in fact, lonely. Theirs is a slightly unhealthy co-dependent relationship based on backhanded compliments and veiled snipes about her new home.
After a brief spell of freedom, Anne is sucked back into being Amanda's minion to help her navigate the social scene with the other parents at the children's new school. Thank God for Anne.
The Pitt
The Pitt is a realistic examination of the challenges facing healthcare workers in today's America as seen through the lens of the frontline heroes working in a modern-day hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Each episode follows an hour of Dr. Robby's 15-hour shift as the chief attendant in Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital's emergency room.
Mrs. Brown's Boys
Comedy starring Brendan O'Carroll as loud-mouthed Irish matriarch Agnes Brown, whose favourite pastime is meddling in the lives of her six children.
Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches
Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches centers on an intuitive young neurosurgeon who discovers that she is the unlikely heir to a family of witches. As she grapples with her newfound powers, she must contend with a sinister presence that has haunted her family for generations.
The Ark
The Ark takes place 100 years in the future when planetary colonization missions have begun as a necessity to help secure the survival of the human race. The first of these missions on a spacecraft known as Ark One encounters a catastrophic event causing massive destruction and loss of life. With more than a year left to go before reaching their target planet, a lack of life-sustaining supplies and loss of leadership, the remaining crew must become the best versions of themselves to stay on course and survive.