Pass notes No 3,098: Herman Van Rompuy

The president of the European Council is spreading a little happiness among his fellow world leaders this year
Herman Van Rompuy
Herman Van Rompuy: happiness is his priority. Photograph: GEORGES GOBET/AFP

Age: 64.

Appearance: As happy as Larry.

Who is he? He's the guy we use to measure happiness.

Not Larry. Who's this Van Rompuy bloke? Oh. He's the former Belgian prime minister and current president of the European Council.

Never heard of him. He's the one who published his own book of haikus.

Oh him. And why's he happy? Because it's Christmas, and he's got a gift he can't wait to give.

Which is? The World Book of Happiness.

And how do you know he can't wait to give it? Because he has already sent it out to just about everyone on his crimbo list – including David Cameron, Nicolas Sarkozy, Barack Obama and dozens of other world leaders.

Must be a pretty good book then. Either that or he found a stash of them lying around the office and snuck a load out the back door while everyone was busy panicking over the eurozone.

Seems more likely it's just a good book. Yes, it does.

So what is it? Some fancy new prize-winning novel? It's a collection of short, factual essays on well-being and positive psychology by 100 of the world's leading happiness experts, picked from 50 different countries.

Happiness experts? The people we use to measure happiness when comparisons with Larry aren't quite accurate enough.

Who are? A mixture of economists, doctors and psychologists with a history of research into well-being, happiness and the power of positive thinking. Essay titles include Find your own Quastenflosser, Don't Neglect the Soul and And What About Sex?

And Van Rompuy thinks that's what the planet needs? Apparently. He wrote in the accompanying note: "My request to you as world leaders is to make people's happiness and wellbeing our political priority for 2012."

What was their priority before? Averting global financial meltdown. Something wishy-washy like that.

Do say: "Herman, you shouldn't have!"

Don't say: "That's weird, I had a stack of these back at the office."