Take some time for yourself with soothing classical music from the mindful mix, the Science of

Happiness Podcast.

For the last 20 years I've dedicated my career to exploring the science of living a happier more meaningful life and I want

to share that science with you.

And just one thing, deep calm with Michael Mosley.

I want to help you tap in to your hidden relaxation response system and open the door to that

calmer place within. Listen on BBC Sounds.

Apparently the UK's GDP is in decline. Should I be worried? Find out. Hello, we had a class at my old teacher's training college called

the speaking and the idea was that selected students stood up in front of the

class and recited a well-known poem you know daffodils, Westminster Bridge

that sort of thing and after the recitation the lecture will give you a mark out of ten.

Thank you very much, Patricia.

That's a six.

Not bad, Lawrence, but just a seven.

Now, although these marks counted towards our final assessment they seemed so arbitrary they became a

well a running joke really we gave everything a score the refectory ham sandwich got a 4.5 iris Benson's new

haircut 7.6, Tim Donovan's chat up technique, minus 3.

But real people failed a real course because of that measurement in much the same way that some current academics fail to make the grade

because the new research excellence framework can only crudely measure research output.

In her famous wreath lectures, philosopher Nore O'Neill considered the distortions of reality produced

by this audit culture, this ever-increasing reliance upon a figure or set of figures to capture a complex reality.

And perhaps no single figure has come under such sustained recent attack

...