Make your bed (1)

Some time ago, my wife told me what she learned from a friend as the three criteria for a successful person - making his bed, and having a meal with his family members. She said it half-jokingly, but I could sense some pride in her. She knew that I passed the test.

Yes, I do make my bed. Basically (more about that later).

In an online article called "Make Your Bed, Change Your Life?", the writer Judy Dutton cited the following impressive findings from a survey:

"In a survey of 68,000 people by Hunch.com, 59 percent of people don't make their beds. 27 percent do, while 12 percent pay a housekeeper to make it for them. Here's what disturbed me: 71 percent of bed makers consider themselves happy; while 62 percent of non-bed-makers admit to being unhappy. Bed makers are also more likely to like their jobs, own a home, exercise regularly, and feel well rested, whereas non-bed-makers hate their jobs, rent apartments, avoid the gym, and wake up tired. All in all, bed makers are happier and more successful than their rumple-sheeted peers."

As Judy Dutton pointed out, the findings "show correlation but not causation". So it is not like starting the habit of making your bed tomorrow will make you feel happy, like your job, own a home and all that. I think the findings show that there is something in common about all these factors, and that common characteristic may be a key feature of our well-being. I will say more about that tomorrow.