Happiness: The Ultimate Birthright
As much as we may try to deny it to ourselves, the hope for happiness and joy is deeply ingrained within us. No matter what our circumstances, we all long for those moments of life that are free from pain, hardship and suffering. And yet so many of us seem powerless or unable to do anything about it.
I have been reading in-depth about this topic lately and I am convinced time has proven me wrong. I used to think that the things in life that generated happiness (health, wealth, relationships) were completely out of my control and dependent on luck. In other words, I assumed that I had no responsibility for my own happiness and if I wanted it badly enough, it would eventually fall into my lap.
What a waste of time and energy! This isn't to say that these external factors don't play a role in our happiness. But after doing some research on the topic, I am convinced that there is more to it than just this...
My belief is based on a little bit of science and common sense. Let's first look at the science...
There is a new science of happiness, called Positive Psychology, which studies what makes people happy. One of the most important findings is that there are 3 main ingredients to happiness:
Optimism, meaning that you believe that your life will be happy and successful (as much as 80% of your happiness depends on this; see article) Personal Growth and development, which means that you are constantly learning new things and growing as a person. You see life not as something to endure but rather something to enjoy. This is another area where 80% of your happiness depends on (see article). Social Connection or love, from family and friends and even from pets. This is another area where 80% of your happiness depends on.
And what is this science based on?
Well, there are two parts to this new science. The first part is a large number of scientific studies, which show that the 3 ingredients above increase happiness and the "bliss point" or emotional intensity of a person. The other part is a research program called the "happiness projects", in which 200 million people have participated and 10,000 people have been interviewed to find out these things for real.
The "happiness project" people were surveyed on many different topics, from their education, to their mothers and fathers, to their work and family and friends. In the end, all the data collected was put together in a big report (full details here).
What does this mean for you?
Well, if you take the time to read the Happiness Project report for yourself (it's about 9 pages long), you will find out that we are far more in control of our own happiness than most people think we are. This means that we do have some control over our happiness levels. The realization may not come as a surprise but it is still important to realize because it can be helpful in certain situations.
In other words, happiness is more than just being in the right place at the right time. It usually comes from a combination of external things (including luck) AND internal factors (how we choose to look at life, etc.).
The key thing to remember is that every person still has responsibility for his or her own happiness. In other words, no one can give you happiness but yourself. While we may not always have control over certain external things like luck, relationships and health, we do have control over our attitude toward life. This is why Optimism and Personal Growth are so important because they help us develop a positive attitude.
Everybody is different, so there is no one set of things that will bring you happiness (for example, everyone has different learning styles and even cognitive processes). But the key is to start learning how you can develop a positive attitude toward life and to recognize the 3 main factors that will help you be happier:
Optimism Personal Growth Social Connection or Love
If you think this stuff up to this point is a waste of time, then give yourself a pat on the back because chances are you have been in denial all this time! In other words, maybe now that we have some scientific evidence behind us (and common sense), we can start following these steps.
If you want to know more about this science or even see the data for yourself, the full report is available here.
Also, I would like to hear what you think about all this in the comments section below. Have you ever read about happiness before? What do you think? Does it make sense to you? Do you have any personal stories to share? Leave a comment!
For those of you who are interested in taking this further, then I strongly suggest that you check out my latest book called Self Improvement SOS: How to Overcome Your Fears and Establish Self-Confidence . It will teach you everything mentioned above and much more. You won't be disappointed! Click on the link below if interested...
=> Self Improvement SOS: How to Overcome Your Fears and Establish Self-Confidence.
Photo by: mrkrupski (www.flickr.com)
This article was written in August 2011, therefore everything mentioned is based on research from that time (2011). To find out the latest facts, I recommend that you read the Happiness Project report for yourself which can be found here. The science of happiness is always changing so it's important to check things like this out for yourself in order to know what's going on today! Thanks for reading! :) Please share your thoughts below!P.S. Want to start doing the things that will lead to happiness? I have a new book called Self Improvement SOS: The 3 Easy Steps To Overcome Your Fears and Establish Total Self-Confidence . You can get it here. Thanks so much!P.S.S. Want to learn how to make your life better, become more confident and find true love? Subscribe here for free to receive my guide "How To Be Successful, Get Laid, and Have a Life You Love". More details here.
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Hi there ! I'm Simon , the founder of www.selfimprovementsos.com . I'm a Psychology student from Norway. I have studied psychology and neuroscience for the last four years, and these fields have greatly influenced the articles on this blog. I do not work for any of the companies mentioned in this article, but rather it's all just based on my own experience and research over time. All articles on this blog are intended to be educational, so if you feel something is incorrect please contact me by email or leave a comment below. Thanks for reading! :)
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Conclusion
The concept of happiness is one that has been studied by many psychologists and scientists. It's clear that our attitude towards life plays a large role in how we feel, but there are also some findings that are more specific to our own personal happiness.
In other words, it's possible to measure things like levels of elation and general happiness (by using surveys), as well as specific things like your own personal belief system, cognitive processes and internal factors such as your attitude towards life. These factors will have a great impact on how you feel about everything, meaning that if you want to improve your chances for being happy, it may be a good thing to start making changes in these areas now.