[Graeme]

The Keys to Happiness, and Why We Don't Use Them

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '"')It requires some effort to achieve a happy outlook on life, and most people don't make it." —Author and researcher Gregg Easterbrook

Happiness is 50 percent genetic, says University of Minnesota researcher David Lykken. What you do with the other half of the challenge depends largely on determination, psychologists agree. As Abraham Lincoln once said, "Most people are as happy as they make up their minds to be."

One route to more happiness is called "flow," an engrossing state that comes during creative or playful activity, psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has found. Athletes, musicians, writers, gamers, and religious adherents know the feeling. It comes less from what you're doing than from how you do it.

Sonja Lyubomirsky of the University of California at Riverside has discovered that the road toward a more satisfying and meaningful life involves a recipe repeated in schools, churches and synagogues. Make lists of things for which you're grateful in your life, practice random acts of kindness, forgive your enemies, notice life's small pleasures, take care of your health, practice positive thinking, and invest time and energy into friendships and family.

The happiest people have strong friendships, says Ed Diener, a psychologist University of Illinois. Interestingly his research finds that most people are slightly to moderately happy, not unhappy.

"If you are looking for something to complain about, you are absolutely certain to find it," Easterbrook told LiveScience. "It requires some effort to achieve a happy outlook on life, and most people don't make it. Most people take the path of least resistance. Far too many people today don't make the steps to make their life more fulfilling one."

[Doly]

Correction: it takes some effort in our culture. In spite of all the myths that Western culture is designed to make people as happy as possible, it actually isn't. Many places that are "less developed" have cultures that make happiness the path of least resistance.

[rogerhb]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')t comes less from what you're doing than from how you do it.

[diogenes]

As it is defined today, the pursuit of happiness is foolish and counterproductive. Happiness has come to symbolize a continual state of entertainment, rather than contentment. Contentment and acceptance lie at the center of all classical philosophy and most religions: "Meet your obligations, help those close to you, and smile at the sunsets." It's not possible to maintain a state of "happiness" in the modern sense, because we can't constantly entertain ourselves with novelties----though we certainly try. Contentment, on the other hand, can persist even through adversity; it's often visible in those few truly pious elders who still exist today. "My hip hurts, and my wife has been gone three years today, but God has given me a long and good life." I somehow doubt that either the Baby Boomers or Generation X will prove as gracious when their twilight is upon them.

Consider that much of our culture is directed at the cult of youth----the prevention of wrinkles for women, the maintenance of physique for men; prolonging sex urges and drives; delaying childbearing. Have you noticed that many diet-obsessed exercise enthusiasts die in their fifties and sixties, just as less health-conscious people do? My grandmother smoked, chewed tobacco, ate bacon and eggs every morning, never exercised, and lived to be nearly ninety. I'm certainly not holding her up as a model of behaviour, but it does emphasize some of the absurdity of the American obsession with preventing ageing and prolonging the sexual portion of our lifespan.

Furthermore, true happiness is contrary to capitalism. If you want something, you are not content; this crudely compares to the Buddhist doctrines against "attachment." Wanting things----consumer goods----is a necessary component of consumer capitalism. How often have you heard the word "consumer" relating to the population as a whole, including yourself? It's really quite accurate, and quite insulting. Not a pretty descriptor at all...

[bobbyald]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'H')appiness is 50 percent genetic, says University of Minnesota researcher David Lykken. What you do with the other half of the challenge depends largely on determination

[ubercynicmeister]

Hi Diogenes

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('diogenes', 'A')s it is defined today, the pursuit of happiness is foolish and counterproductive. Happiness has come to symbolize a continual state of entertainment, rather than contentment.

[Cola-Is-Petroleum]

It would be interesting if someone did a sweeping psychological analysis of western culture as a whole. I imagine that such a study would find that Western Culture (in particular, but not exclusively) has a whole array of psychological disorders embedded in its present form. The cultures of modern western (and westernised) countries seems to be afflicted with a whole array of neuroses and emotional dysfunction. A few examples:

*The chronic obsession with youth. Not only looking young, but "being" young. Women in particular (but the trend is disturbingly starting to spread to men now) are all too eager to buy up anti-ageing wrinkle creams in order to fight "The Seven Signs of Ageing", but why don't people address the real problem with ageing? The real problem with ageing and loss of youth is the insecurity in our minds, and in how we deal with this reality.

*Our cultures schizoid problem with body weight. On one hand society emulates Paris Hilton et al, and yet at the same time something like half the population is significantly overweight. I don't really understand what the heck is going on here, but it must be something interesting....

*Sexualisation of society. One particularly sick mainfestation of this is when you see pre-teen ("tween") girls prancing around in public in clothing fit for a hooker. Also, our societies disturbing and relatively new tendency to revere pimps, criminals, stippers, and hookers. Any culture that starts looking up to such people is clearly in some sort of trouble.

*This absolutely insidious idea that the human body is a "beautiful" thing. If it's so beautiful, then why are shopping centres full of beauty enhancement and even body cleaning products? Why are consumers under so much pressure to buy and use beauty and cleaning products even if they just want to walk out the front door of the house?
There are at least two reasons why this is an undesirable thing: 1) people are encouraged to identify their self-worth (and the worth of others) with there bodies, and 2) it leads people to obsess over sexual and sensual desires in a way which is unecessary and unhelpful.


These are just some examples that come to mind at the moment, but surely there are others. It is because of these sort of problems that genuine contentment and happiness is more or less a pipe dream for many if not most people who live in such societies today.

[Itch]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')he real problem with ageing and loss of youth is the insecurity in our minds, and in how we deal with this reality.

[Graeme]

They are rich who have true friends - mates are key to happiness, new research shows

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'A')n extensive study into how our social networks affect our emotional well-being has found that the more friends we have, the happier we are — and those of us lucky enough to have more than ten good friends are more likely to be happy than unhappy. The 'Circle of Friends' study, commissioned by The National Lottery, looked at levels of happiness and satisfaction with life among lottery winners and non-lottery winners.

1,760 respondents participated in a UK-wide questionnaire examining how satisfied they were with life, exploring their achievements and their relationships with their friends — including when they met, how often they talk, the kind of activities they do together and how many new friends they have made in the past two years.

The report found that those with five friends or fewer had a 60 per cent chance of being unhappy. People with between five and ten friends have a 50 per cent chance of being happy. But for people with more than ten friends, the likelihood of being happy varies between 55 and 56 per cent. Adding more friends than this doesn't significantly increase the possibility of happiness — so ten is the optimum number. On average, respondents who reported themselves 'extremely satisfied' with their lives had twice the number of friends of those who were 'extremely dissatisfied'.

[Revi]

Being a "consumer" isn't that fun. That is the reason for a lot of the unhappiness in our society. It's a lot more fun to be a creative person. I find that whenever I am engaged in some kind of creative activity I feel better. When I am just a consumer it bums me out a bit.

It's nice to have friends, but sometimes it isn't going to happen. There are some people who just are fun to be with. Others are a drag, but you have to work with them.

[FoolYap]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Cola-Is-Petroleum', '*')Our cultures schizoid problem with body weight. On one hand society emulates Paris Hilton et al, and yet at the same time something like half the population is significantly overweight. I don't really understand what the heck is going on here, but it must be something interesting....

[SuperTico]

Here. This should cheer you up !
http://survivalacres.com/wordpress/

You cant be happy in a Nazi run empyre.
http://www.happyplanetindex.org/map.htm

I'm happy !