Unit 2
Student's Book page 16
Are happier people healthier – and, if so, why?
Speaking
1 Work in small groups. Discuss these questions and share your ideas.
1. Do you ever feel yourself getting angry? What kind of things can make you angry?
Suggested answer:
I sometimes feel myself getting angry when my younger brothers and sisters make noise when I am studying or when someone interrupts me while I am speaking.
2. Do you think that feeling angry is bad for you?
Suggested answer:
I think feeling angry is bad because it affects our health and it can affect our relationships with our family and friends negatively.
Reading
2 In pairs, discuss the question in the title of the article. What are your opinions? Read the article and consider your opinion again.
I think that happier people are healthier than unhappy people. They have a better perspective on life and will do almost everything with an optimistic attitude. Because of this, I think that they will make healthy, positive decisions in life; for example, they will choose to eat well and exercise more often.
Keywords
|
word |
English meaning |
|
Set back |
a problem that delays or stops progress, or makes a situation worse |
|
Bounce back |
to start to be successful again after a difficult time |
|
optimistic |
believing that good things will happen in the future |
| cross |
Angry or annoyed
|
Colour idioms
|
Colour idioms |
|
|
feel blue |
to feel sad |
|
have green light |
to have or give permission to go ahead with something or for something to happen |
|
red- handed |
in the act of doing something wrong |
|
out of the blue |
apparently from nowhere; unexpectedly |
|
white elephant |
something that has cost a lot of money but has no useful purpose |
|
see red |
to be angry
|
Are happier people healthier – and, if so, why?
|
Anger can also have harmful effects on health. When you see red, your blood pressure is raised and you can suffer from headaches, sleep problems and digestive problems. However, what about positive feelings and attitudes? Until recently, scientists had not investigated whether there is a link between positive feelings and good health. Then, in a study that had followed more than 6,000 men and women aged 25 to 74 for 20 years, researchers found that positivity reduced the risk of heart disease. Other factors influencing health included a supportive network of family and friends, and an optimistic outlook on life. The research showed that children who were more able to stay focused on a task, and who had a more positive attitude to life at age seven, were usually in better health 30 years later. The study has been controversial. Some health professionals believe that bad lifestyle choices, such as smoking or lack of exercise, are the reason for heart disease and other illnesses, and not an individual’s attitude. The researchers, while agreeing, raise the question: why are people making bad lifestyle decisions? Do more optimistic people make better and healthier lifestyle choices? The researchers appreciate that not everyone's personal circumstances and environment make it possible to live without worry. However, they believe that if we teach children to develop positive thinking, and to ‘bounce back’ after a setback, these qualities will improve their overall health in the future. |
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|
It's normal to feel a bit blue from time to time. However, studies show that negative emotions can harm the body. Anger can also have harmful effects on health. When you see red, your blood pressure is raised and you can suffer from headaches, sleep problems and digestive problems. However, what about positive feelings and attitudes? Until recently, scientists had not investigated whether there is a link between positive feelings and good health. |
Studies show that negative emotions can be bad for the body.
The possible effects of anger on health are:
-high blood pressure
-headaches
-sleep problems
-digestive problems.
Recently scientists started to study if there is a connection between positive feelings and good health.
|
Then, in a study that had followed more than 6,000 men and women aged 25 to 74 for 20 years, researchers found that positivity reduced the risk of heart disease. Other factors influencing health included a supportive network of family and friends, and an optimistic outlook on life. The research showed that children who were more able to stay focused on a task, and who had a more positive attitude to life at age seven, were usually in better health 30 years later. |
-The study followed more than 6000 men and women aged 25-74 for 20 years.
- Factors that affect health positively include:
- positivity
- a supportive network of family and friends
- an optimistic outlook on life
- Positivity reduced the risk of heart disease.
-According to the study, children who were in better health 30 years later were those who:
- were able to stay focused on a task
- had a positive attitude toward life
The underlined relative pronoun who refers to children
| The study has been controversial. Some health professionals believe that bad lifestyle choices, such as smoking or lack of exercise, are the reason for heart disease and other illnesses, and not an individual's attitude. The researchers, while agreeing, raise the question: why are people making bad lifestyle decisions? Do more optimistic people make better and healthier lifestyle choices? |
What is controversial about the study is that many other researchers believe that bad lifestyle choices are responsible for these health problems and not an individual's attitude.
Examples of bad lifestyle choices include:
- smoking
- lack of exercise
| The researchers appreciate that not everyone's personal circumstances and environment make it possible to live without worry. However, they believe that if we teach children to develop positive thinking, and to ‘bounce back’ after a setback, these qualities will improve their overall health in the future. |
The researchers understand that people have different personal conditions and environment that can cause problems or worry for them.
Researchers believe that the development of positive thinking in children and teaching them how to start to be successful again after a difficult time can improve children's health in the future.
The underlined pronoun 'they' refers to the researchers.
The underlined pronoun 'their' refers to children's
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