What exactly is that elusive thing called happiness and why are we all constantly striving towards it? In trying to pin down what happiness actually is, science has deduced that it’s subjective. Contrary to what Hollywood might want you to believe, there’s no mean score for happiness that the human race needs to strive toward.

IT’S A FACT OF LIFE
The World Happiness Report was produced by the United Nations in conjunction with the Earth Institute and took the results of various studies conducted all over the world that
asked questions such as, ‘all things considered, how satisfied are you with your life as a whole currently (where 0 = extremely dissatisfied and 10 = extremely satisfied)’. The report breaks down happiness levels by outlining internal (mental and physical health, education, age, family experience and gender) and external factors (community and governance, values and religion, work and income).

* Mental and psychical health are important factors in your levels of life satisfaction – there’s a knock-on effect of illness in that long-term or chronic diseases impact your ability to get or hold down a good job, as well as your social abilities, all of which are happiness factors in their own right. But, humans are adaptable, so it’s found a recently disabled person is less happy than someone who’s been disabled for a period of say three years and has learned to live with it.

* Education is important in that it allows you greater freedom in choosing to live a better life, as well as better opportunities for securing a good and sustainable job. In some
countries, upping the minimum school-leaving age has increased the nation’s overall happiness levels

* Age Your happiness levels fluctuate with your age, and are at their lowest between 40-50 when they rise again until you’re around 80, after which other factors may intrude on
your quality of life – such as poor health

* Gender Women are happier than men even though they tend to experience more mental illness and psychological distress. This is only true, however, in countries where
gender rights are more equal.

* Marriage and family In general, married couples are happier than those who aren’t married or are single. They’re also usually physically healthier and live longer. But, a troubled marriage is a sure-fire way to reduce your happiness and the study found that people who divorce experience greater life satisfaction around three years after their divorce than they had three years prior to the divorce. As for children, there’s not a huge difference between childless couples and those who have children – although the age of your children does affect your happiness levels. Children under the age of three and those going through adolescence are more likely to make their parents unhappier.

* Community and governance Freedom to do what you want to do within your community is a major happiness factor, as is the level of trust you feel towards not only those close to you, but also your government, people within your community and even strangers. The amount of social capital you have (investment in social interactions) is directly correlated to your feeling of happiness. Green spaces within your immediate environment are also a factor – in fact, research indicates that green spaces in hospitals offer faster healing rates and greater feelings of well-being in patients, while schools and universities that have green spaces afford students better performance levels

* Religion and values Altruism is seen to create happiness in both the giver and the receiver, but the World Happiness Report states that it could be that happiness is contagious, so it’s not clear if altruism creates happiness or if happiness creates altruism. Being part of a religious group tends to give people more access to a supportive group of friends, a greater feeling of being respected and the belief that your life has meaning

* Work and income A poorly paid job is better than no job at all. This isn’t only because there is an income and a feeling of achievement; it also instils a certain amount of discipline and structure as well as shared experiences with people outside of your family group. Income’s impact on your happiness is relative – it’s not an amount per se, but it’s how well it compares with those people you compare yourself to. So, if you compare yourself to an international multi-millionaire and yet only earn a minimum wage, you’re likely to be dissatisfied with your income. But, if you compare yourself to people within your community who have the same or less income than you, your level of satisfaction will increase. Once again it’s all relative – a person earning R2,000 a month will enjoy a greater surge in happiness if they receive a R1,000 bonus than a person who normally earns R10,000 a month.

DID YOU KNOW: Although it’s universally felt that greater income brings greater happiness, there does need to be a balance. For example, in the US, living standards have increased substantially over the past 50 or so years, whereas overall happiness levels haven’t. Greater income and increased standards of living bring with it other problems – an increased need for physical security and an increased risk of contracting some sort of lifestyle disease like obesity, diabetes or heart disease.

LEARN TO BE HAPPY
On our radio spot, Blaque Life, we recently interviewed Professor Tal Ben-Shahar, author and lecturer, teaching at the Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya. He taught the largest course at Harvard on “Positive Psychology” and the third largest on “The Psychology of Leadership” – with a total of over 1,400 students. Tal is the Chief Learning Officer of the Wholebeing Institute; he consults and lectures around the world to executives in multi-national corporations, Fortune 500 companies, educational institutions, and the general public.

Topics include leadership, education, ethics, happiness, self-esteem, resilience, goal setting, and mindfulness. He is the author of the international best sellers Happier and Being Happy, which have been translated into 25 languages.Tal has given us seven important aspects to living a happier life.

Lesson 1: Give yourself permission to be human.  When we accept emotions — such as fear, sadness, or anxiety – as natural, we are more likely to overcome them.  Rejecting our
emotions, positive or negative, leads to frustration and unhappiness.  We are a culture obsessed with pleasure and believe that the mark of a worthy life is the absence of
discomfort; and when we experience pain, we take it to indicate that something must be wrong with us.  In fact, there is something wrong with us if we don’t experience sadness or anxiety at times – which are human emotions.  The paradox is that when we accept our feelings–when we give ourselves the permission to be human and experience painful emotions–we are more likely to open ourselves up to positive emotions.

Lesson 2: Happiness lies at the intersection between pleasure and meaning. Whether at work or at home, the goal is to engage in activities that are both personally significant and enjoyable. When this is not feasible, make sure you have happiness boosters, moments throughout the week that provide you with both pleasure and meaning.  Research shows that an hour or two of a meaningful and pleasurable experience can affect the quality of an entire day, or even a whole week.

Lesson 3: Keep in mind that happiness is mostly dependent on our state of mind, not on our status or the state of our bank account. Barring extreme circumstances, our level of well being is determined by what we choose to focus on and by our interpretation of external events.  For example, do we focus on the empty part of the full part of the glass?  Do we view failures as catastrophic, or do we see them as learning opportunities?

Lesson 4: Simplify! We are, generally, too busy, trying to squeeze in more and more activities into less and less time.  Quantity influences quality, and we compromise on our happiness by trying to do too much.  Knowing when to say ‘no’ to others often means saying ‘yes’ to ourselves.

Lesson 5: Remember the mind-body connection. What we do – or don’t do – with our bodies influences our mind.  Regular exercise, adequate sleep, and healthy eating habits lead to both physical and mental health.

Lesson 6: Express gratitude, whenever possible.  We too often take our lives for granted. 

Learn to appreciate and savor the wonderful things in life, from people to food, from nature

Lesson 7: The number one predictor of happiness is the time we spend with people we care about and who care about us.  The most important source of happiness may be the person
sitting next to you.  Appreciate them, savor the time you spend together.

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