WHAT IS HAPPINESS?

A

What is happiness? Happiness can mean different things to different people. For example, for one person, it may mean being in a relationship, whereas for someone else it may mean feeling you have the ability to handle whatever life throws at you. While you might think that there are certain things that make you happy (or could make you happy if you had them), research shows that there are certain common traits among happy people-and it isn't necessarily what you might have thought.

B

What makes happy people happy? You might think that happy people have lots of money, are phy_sically attractive, have great jobs, or own the latest gadgets. Or you might just think happy people are plain lucky, and are born that way. Research suggests, however, that there are a number of variables that make a far greater contribution to happiness than external and more superficial factors.

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C

That doesn't mean that if you have a lot of money you won't be happy, or that having a lot of money is bad. It just means that other factors are more important in determining happiness. In fact, a strong positive relationship between job status/income/wealth and happiness only exists for those who live below the poverty line and/or who are unemployed.

D

What distinguishes happy people is that they have a different attitude-a different way of thinking about things and doing things. They interpret the world in a different way, and go about their lives in a different way.

E

This might seem obvious-why wouldn't you want to be happy? But the implications are greater than you might think. Happier people are generally healthier people-not only mentally but also physically. So you can see that happiness is actually something that is really important, that you might want to increase if you can.

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F

The 'happiness equation'. It has been suggested that there are several factors that contribute towards our happiness. Firstly, there is some evidence to support that we are all born with a certain 'set-point' of happiness, determined by our genes. This is supposed to change only slightly, if at all, as we get older. This contributes towards around 50 per cent of our level of happiness. So, if something dramatic happens, for example, you win the lottery, or break up with your boyfriend or girlfriend, within a year or so (depending on the situation) your happiness level will return to its set point.

G

There is also some evidence to suggest that the circumstances we live in influence our level of happiness. You don't always have a lot of control over your circumstances (for example, we can't all live in mansions and drive new cars). Evidence suggests, however, that this accounts for only around 8-15 per cent of our happiness levels, which really isn't that much.

H

This third factor is the most important factor in the equation, because you can control it and in the process control your happiness. It includes all aspects of your life over which you have a relatively high degree of control, including our thoughts and actions. This includes the way you choose to think about and act on the past, present and future, and seems to have quite a significant impact on how happy you are-if you do the math, it could be up to 42 per cent.

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I

When thinking about the past, people who are happier pay attention to what is 'good' about the past, rather than focusing on the unhappy times. They are grateful, forgiving, and don't believe that the past will determine what happens in the future.

J

But does aiming to be happy mean you can't be sad? Not at all. In fact, going through times where you are sad can sometimes make the happiness all the brighter. Sadness is a part of life, and sometimes it's even possible to feel happy and sad about something. For example, you might be happy to move out of home, but sad that your won't see the family, or your family dog, as much any more.

K

Happiness-something that can be worked on. Happiness is something that means different things to different people, but overall it seems that it is the way we choose to think about ourselves, our place in the world and the world around us, and how we act in that world, that differentiates the happy people from the less happy people. This is something that you actually have voluntary control over, and that you can work on in your daily life. Not only that but it can contribute to a large proportion of your happiness, as seen in the equation. It's up to you.

Source: Reachout