A recent study finds that Germans are incapable of enjoying life.

APPARENTLY, the Germans joy gene is kaput. As I scrolled down Der Spiegel online news about a week back, the headline, Study Finds Germans Incapable Of Enjoying Life, stood out.

It even trumped my original reason for trawling the website, which was to read commentaries on Bayern Munichs dismal defeat at the hands of Chelsea in the Champions League final, which I should add was (and remains) no laughing matter.

Anyway, Rheingold (a Cologne-based market research and consultancy institute) had found that 46% of Germans claim to be increasingly unable to enjoy anything due to the stress of daily life and the feeling of being constantly reachable. Fifty-five per cent of the studys younger participants even claimed to have lost their ability to feel good. The researchers concluded that, Our joy gene is increasingly defective weve forgotten how to enjoy ourselves.

While this is no scientific study, it remains an eyebrow raiser. Yet how reflective is it of reality?

I know Ive repeated myself oftentimes about the lack of spontaneity when it comes to fun pursuits like going for massages or catching up with the extended family for a mini-reunion.

The precision planning that goes into preparing for such activities, for example, often overwhelms me.

This is in stark contrast to the spur-of-the-moment adventures Ive had back home. One minute we are breakfasting on karipap sardin and kuih bom and the next minute my niece says, Shall we go to Malacca, ah? Three hours later, my sister, my niece and I were counting change at the Malacca toll plaza. We were there for only three days but returned rejuvenated and high on laughter and onde onde.

I bet if I were to float such an idea here to say, my mum-in-law, wed still be discussing logistics and the fact that it might not be such a good idea after all.

Our family reunion dates are fixed a year in advance and an activity programme is sent out to all members closer to the date via email for voting and approval. In other words, organised fun. Last minute tweaks to a finalised programme have on occasion caused consternation.

The rest is here:
Joy gene alert

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