I don't know about you, but I'm done with economic meltdown. I'm finished listening to my boss do the doomy-gloomy speech every time anyone mentions next year's budget. And I've had enough of taking in my own lunch. Frankly, I need a lie-down, ideally somewhere the boss can't find me.
Given the choice I wouldn't mind trying out the World's Most Relaxing Room, designed by Professor Richard Wiseman at the University of Hertfordshire. Thirty years of research has established that soft mats, green light, a blue screen, a whiff of lavender and a bit of classical music comprises the most relaxing environment possible. It's certainly a change of scene for banker Ken Dougall. "Lying on the floor listening to music is very different to what I'm normally doing on a work day morning," he says. I bet it is, Ken. Though I wouldn't try it at home - as Professor Wiseman points out: "Setting up the room has been enormously stressful".
Some rather odd news from BusinessWorld: apparently women office workers love their computers more than their partners. On average, women spend 9.3 hours with their computers compared to just 3.6 hours with their partners. Is that not just women spending their working day in the office? But it gets weirder. According to the study women love their computers more than their partners "even if it causes them pain". What, like when the monitor tells you that it loves you, but it's not in love with you? Or like when the hard drive says it's having an affair with the printer from down the hall? It turns out it's something to do with carpal tunnel syndrome, but I think we all get the basic message. Women! Leave that computer alone and get back to the kitchen!
On a brighter note, The Irish Herald reports that people who work hard and take pride in what they do are likely to live longer. Conscientious grafters are 50% less likely to die at any given age than those who are not. I always knew that wastrels like me were a lost cause, but an early death as well? And there I was hoping to be a burden on my family.
For the slackest among us, planning for retirement may soon be unnecessary - the Office for National Statistics has announced that the average age at which men finish work continues to rise. It has now reached almost 65 - the highest since records began in 1984. Meanwhile, women are working to 61, which is beyond the state pension age. What exactly happens to those of us ready to retire right now remains shrouded in mystery - let's hope it's nothing an hour or two in Professor Wiseman's relaxation room couldn't cure.
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