Five studies that will make you feel so much better about life

There are actually some studies out there that make us feel better about life. Here are five such studies that end very well for us regular folk...

There is a constant supply of studies out there telling you that cutting out dairy makes you thinner, lessening your alcohol intake makes you more attractive, intense physical exercise makes you fitter and being in a relationship makes you live longer.

Sure, that’s great news for some, but what about the people who like to drink, eat cheese and can’t be bothered with press ups and push ups i.e. the vast majority of us.

Luckily, there are actually some studies out there that make us feel better about life. Here are five such studies that end very well for us regular folk...

1 A study by the University of Minnesota has made us all feel a lot better about being untidy, finding a link between a messy space and creativity. Their research shows that while living in a clean space encourages healthy eating and generosity, people who live in messy rooms have more creative and interesting ideas.

2 This could honestly be the best news ever. According to a study published in the Journal of Physiology, dark chocolate contains the plant compound epicatechin, which appears to stimulate muscle growth in a similar way to vigorous exercise. Apparently it can also improve your maths - basically chocolate is amazing and we should never stop eating it.

3 Drinking wine before bed has been scientifically proven to help you lose weight - and we’re thrilled. According to Washington State University and Harvard there is a chemical in wine called resveratrol which works in the body as a means to stopping fat cells gaining more fat, therefore helping you slim down. We don’t need any more convincing - a nightcap it is.

4 Do you find yourself unable to focus on work, your mind lagging every afternoon at 3pm? Well don’t worry, according to scientific research those who consistently find it difficult to focus on the task at hand may actually be more intelligent than colleagues who are more gifted at paying attention. The reason behind it being that intelligent people constantly have new and exciting ideas running through their brains, making it harder for them to focus.

5 A US study suggests that women with curvy figures are likely to be brighter than their waif-like counterparts and may well produce more intelligent offspring. Researchers studied 16,000 women and girls and found the more voluptuous performed better on cognitive tests - as did their children. In fact, the bigger the difference between a woman’s waist and hips the better.

Phew! Now let’s go have some red wine and chocolate because of... well, science.

The writer tweets at @PanwarSanya