Surprising Ways Sharpening Your Math Skills Can Make You Happier

NEW YORK, Aug. 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- In the movie Mean Girls, Lindsay Lohan's character Cady Heron loves her math class because math "is the same in every language," even though the majority of her friends—nerds and popular kids alike—think it's unfathomable that anyone would actually enjoy math. Unfortunately, most U.S. students are more like Cady's friends than Cady in that they balk at their upper-level math classes, convinced that "in real life" they couldn't possibly need to know the formula for finding the circumference of a circle or how to find the area of a right triangle.

However, as many people realize when they reach their adult years, math skills come in handy in almost every profession. Even if you don't become an accountant, physicist or banker, math plays an important role in everyday life. In his book Positivity: How to Be Happier, Healthier, Smarter, and More Prosperous, Harry Edelson expounds on the myriad ways to improve your math skills as an adult and how doing so will help you in nearly every aspect of your life.

"To engender an appreciation of math in your children, try to connect math with your child's passions," says Edelson. "If they can see their math lessons in action, it will help them understand just how important mathematics can be. Believe it or not, improving your math skills can make you not only more secure financially but also happier. Starting your kids off on the right foot when they're young can contribute to major happiness in their futures." 

Areas of life in which math plays an important role, Edelson reports, include these:

• Shopping: If you've ever been to a store when they're having a sale, you know how important it is to be able to calculate percentages. Savvy shoppers will know how to compare two or three different items at different prices to determine the best value.

• Getting paid: We all know that whatever your salary is on paper does not equate to what you bring home at the end of the week. Before you even see a paycheck, taxes are deducted. Only then will you see the actual amount you have to work with. Break it down by month to determine the kind of things you have to spend money on, like your mortgage, car insurance, cell phone, Internet, etc. Sharp math skills will help you make a reasonable budget for yourself, and, more importantly, stick to it.

• Driving: Let's say you're going to visit your in-laws for the holidays. You live 40 miles away and the speed limit on the main highways is 55 miles per hour. When do you have to leave your house—with your spouse, kids and baked goods in tow—to make it in time for the Thanksgiving feast? Time to think back to the lesson on calculating rates.

• Decorating your home: The best decorators are also expert mathematicians. Calculating area and the volume of three-dimensional objects is crucial. Can the dimensions of your living room accommodate that sofa you saw in the furniture showroom? And will there be enough space left to fit a coffee table and the TV stand that you've had since college?

Edelson, a Wall Street icon and founder of Edelson Technology Partners, was once known as the most quoted analyst on Wall Street. He credits his math skills for much of his lifelong as well as his continuing success. At age 81, he is still going strong with no plans to retire.

Edelson's book is due out in September 2015 and is currently available for pre-order on Amazon.

For more information contact:
Dian Griesel International
Brenna Goodsitt
212.825.3210

SOURCE Harry Edelson