The Reading / Listening - Mornings - Level 4

A study says people are happiest in the mornings, and bluest at midnight. Researchers in London conducted a study on people's mental well-being at different times of the day. They asked people to rate their feelings of happiness, overall satisfaction with life, and how worthwhile they thought life was. The researchers said: "We repeatedly saw mornings align with better mental health…and midnight with the lowest."

The researchers also found that we felt happiest on Sunday mornings, when our anxiety is lower. This is because we have the chance to unwind on Saturdays. We are more likely to have fun and splash out on something nice while shopping. This has a positive impact on our happiness. The researchers said there were other "drivers" that affect our positive feelings. These include the seasons, weather, rain, humidity, and societal factors.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Mornings - Level 5 or  Mornings - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.theguardian.com/scociety/2025/feb/05/scientists-find-that-things-really-do-seem-better-in-the-morning
  • https://fortune.com/well/article/time-of-day-feel-best-worst
  • https://scitechdaily.com/new-study-reveals-the-best-and-worst-times-for-your-mental-health/


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. people are happiest in the
  2. Researchers in London
  3. people's mental
  4. different times
  5. rate their feelings
  6. overall satisfaction
  7. how worthwhile they thought
  8. mornings align
  1. of happiness
  2. of the day
  3. with better mental health
  4. well-being
  5. life was
  6. conducted a study
  7. with life
  8. mornings

Paragraph 2

  1. we felt happiest
  2. our anxiety is
  3. we have the chance to
  4. We are more likely to have
  5. splash out on
  6. This has a positive impact
  7. other drivers that affect our
  8. societal
  1. unwind
  2. something nice
  3. on our happiness
  4. factors
  5. positive feelings
  6. lower
  7. on Sunday mornings
  8. fun

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A study says people (1) ________________________________________________ the mornings, and (2) ________________________________________________. Researchers in London (3) ________________________________________________ on people's mental well-being at different times of the day. They asked people to (4) ________________________________________________ of happiness, (5) ________________________________________________ life, and how worthwhile they thought life was. The researchers said: "We repeatedly saw mornings align with better mental health…(6) ________________________________________________ the lowest."

The researchers also found that (7) ________________________________________________ on Sunday mornings, when our (8) ________________________________________________. This is because we have the (9) ________________________________________________ on Saturdays. We are more likely to have fun and (10) ________________________________________________ something nice while shopping. This has a (11) _____________________________________________ our happiness. The researchers said there were other "drivers" that affect our positive feelings. These include the seasons (12) ________________________________________________, and societal factors.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Astudysayspeoplearehappiestinthemornings,andbluestatmidnight.
ResearchersinLondonconductedastudyonpeople'smentalwell-bein
gatdifferenttimesoftheday.Theyaskedpeopletoratetheirfeelingsofh
appiness,overallsatisfactionwithlife,andhowworthwhiletheythought
lifewas.Theresearcherssaid:"Werepeatedlysawmorningsalignwithb
ettermentalhealth…andmidnightwiththelowest."Theresearchersals
ofoundthatwefelthappiestonSundaymornings,whenouranxietyislow
er.ThisisbecausewehavethechancetounwindonSaturdays.Wearemo
relikelytohavefunandsplashoutonsomethingnicewhileshopping.This
hasapositiveimpactonourhappiness.Theresearcherssaidtherewereo
ther"drivers"thataffectourpositivefeelings.Theseincludetheseasons
,weather,rain,humidity,andsocietalfactors.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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