THE MERRY MONK

He's officially the happiest man alive and now Matthieu spends his days sharing his wisdom with the world 

- NASIFA SULAIMAN

mANY of us spend our lives in the pursuit of happiness. “If I lose five more kilos, I’ll be hap­ pier,” we tell ourselves. Or: “If I win the lottery, I’ll be happier.”

But one person will tell you there’s only one thing that will bring you true happiness – and it has nothing to do with physical appear­ance or money or ma­ terial possessions.

“There’s so much suffering in the world it should

kindle your com­ passion and if your compassion is kindled you go to a stronger, healthier, more meaningful way of being,” Matthieu Ricard says. “That’s what I call happiness.”

Sound a little woo­woo? Well, consider this: this monk has been the bearer of the title “the world’s happiest man” for near­ ly 20 years so he knows what he’s talking about.

Matthieu (77) was given the name after he took part in a 2004 research project at the University of Wis­ consin­Madison.

The project involved wiring participants up to an electroencephalo­ gram, which records the spontaneous electrical activity of the brain and levels of gam­ ma waves, which are associated with well­ being, focus, cognition and memory.

Matthieu scored significantly higher than hundreds of other volun­ teers and his gamma waves were off the charts, resulting in the project organisers declaring him the happiest man alive.