A real stress-buster

Professional Adviser
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Professor Micheal O'Donnell says he is suspicious of the idea of stress - and his results in cutting police force retirement suggest he may be on to something, writes Johanna Gornitzki

It may sound strange that someone like Professor Michael O'Donnell, who enjoys his job, could argue that "happiness at work is not necessarily the best thing to strive for". However, far from being callous and unkind, Prof O'Donnell's standpoint stems from his belief that striving for happiness will only make employees feel unfulfilled. "I found that happiness is usually something that has happened in the past and striving for it would only make people unhappy. Instead, they should try to be content with what they do for a living," he explains. Prof O'Donnell's career began in 197...

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