Morton’s media blitz

Lifestyle medicine pioneer gets national TV and metro radio coverage on world happiness day

An Avondale academic’s holistic happiness message has reached an even wider audience after another national television appearance, this time on a health and wellbeing show.

Dr Darren Morton spoke with The House of Wellness hosts Ed Phillips and Zoe Marshall about the key principles in his new book, Live More Happy—Morton appears at 34.45 in the clip. The Seven Network broadcast the show across Australia this past Sunday (May 6).

The interview follows others that reached an estimated audience of 500,000 in Australia’s four largest cities on International Day of Happiness, March 20. The “exhausting” experience provided “a great opportunity to share proven principles that can lift people’s lives, and I had some good interactions with presenters on air and off air.”

Morton is a pioneer in the emerging field of lifestyle medicine, appointed a founding fellow of the Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine and serving as Lead Researcher in the Lifestyle Research Centre and Course Convenor of Postgraduate Courses in Lifestyle Medicine at Avondale College of Higher Education.

His International Day of Happiness began with an appearance on Channel 10’s Studio 10, where he shared with host Natarsha Belling and panellists Ita Buttrose, Joe Hildebrand and Jessica Rowe five science-backed principles for a happier life. He explained why: (1) Motion creates emotion—physical exercise improves your mood; (2) Blue and green should often be seen—fresh air, sunlight and open spaces make you feel better; and (3) Together feels better—community is important for general wellbeing. He also explained: (4) Feelings follow your focus—expressing gratitude, for instance, can make you happier; and (5) Giving is living—doing something to uplift another person has the power to uplift you, too.

Morton then featured in interviews on major market radio stations in Perth (6PR) and Melbourne (3AW) and visited the Sydney studios of children’s radio station Kinderling, where he discussed happiness within the dynamics of families (see link below). He rounded out his day with an “Afternoons” interview on ABC Radio Brisbane.

At the launch of Live More Happy this past month, Morton spoke of his “audacious” plan to lift the life of 10 million people. Live More Happy “represents what I want to do with my life,” he said, “to share information that can help you live a fuller, better, more abundant life.” This passion has helped shape Morton’s personal mission, which he shared publicly for the first time during the launch. “I believe everyone—I don’t care how young you are, I don’t care how old you are—everyone needs to know what is contained in this book.”

Morton pitches content in the book in a positive way. “I never tell people what they’re doing wrong. I simply say, ‘This is what the science says you can do to feel better.’ Why wouldn’t you want to know that?” His challenge: “Test it, see if it works.”

Morton’s interest in emotional wellbeing began about 15 years ago, five years before the publication of Live More Happy’s predecessor, Seven Secrets for Feeling Fantastic. “I always felt impressed, a deep prodding, to go back and do that book better,” he said. “To build in the science.”

Over the past decade, neuroscience, positive psychology and lifestyle medicine have exploded as areas of research and healthcare. Live More Happy incorporates this new information. While the book maintains Seven Secrets’ easy-to-read and accessible style, it includes more than 200 references.

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