In Judith Viorst's classic children's book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, Alexander wakes up with chewing gum in his hair -- and everything goes downhill from there. He trips on his skateboard and drops his sweater in the sink. He doesn't get a window seat in the car, and the dentist tells him he has a cavity. His mother makes him get white sneakers instead of the blue-and-red-striped ones he covets. He's forced to eat lima beans for dinner, and there's kissing on TV. To top it all, his nightlight burns out just as he's getting ready for bed.
Alexander's plight resonates not just with kids but with any adult who has ever whined about a luxury problem. Alexander is clearly a very fortunate child. He has food on the dinner table every day, a warm bed for sleep, dental care, a sweater, and sneakers, not to mention real luxuries like a TV and a skateboard. So when we read about the spoiled child's tantrums, we can't help but be reminded that most of the stresses in our adult lives -- the congested commuter traffic, the workplace conflict, the leaky roof -- are also luxury problems.
Read about this interesting study concerning the relation between emotions, health, and GDP worldwide: EmotionsHealthGDP
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