Happiness
Commentary by Rod McIver from Heron Dance:
There was an interesting radio program this past Monday on the radio show On Point on the subject of happiness. The guest was a scientist, Sonja Lyubomirsky, professor of psychology at the University of Riverside and author of The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want. Ms. Lyubomirsky has conducted extensive research on the subject of happiness. The happiest people, she said, are:
- more grateful- more forgiving- less likely to compare themselves with others- less likely to dwell on little things- more likely to live in the present moment- more likely to set goals and seek to meet them.
Fifty percent of what makes a person happy, she says, is genetic. This is based on research with twins who embark on very different paths in adulthood. Of the rest, about 10% is based on endowments: looks, brains, inherited wealth, romantic partner. The rest we can influence by how we think and live day to day.
Her biggest surprise in conducting this research was that adults with children are noticeably less happy, on average, than people without children. People who are highly motivated by material possessions are less likely to be happy. People who serve others are more likely to be happy if their life involves voluntary service. People who are forced into that role, for instance by having to be a primary caregiver to an incapacitated relative, tend not to be very happy.
I left Wall Street to find happiness, and it is a subject I’ve thought a fair amount about. The radio show led me to ask myself once again: When am I happiest? What immediately came to mind is walking in the woods and finding a quiet place inside.
We all need a touchstone, a place in the center of our lives that we can touch from time to time, hopefully daily. The still point. It doesn't have to be the woods. It can be listening to classical music in the dark, or The Who, Live at Leeds, played at high volume. It can be pottery. It can be running on the beach at night. It can be gardening. We need a place where we come into close contact with something deep, meaningful and something that embodies love. By making time for that, we express the view that we are important to ourselves, and probably also that there is something out there beyond words that is important, that plays an ongoing role in our lives, even if it cannot be put into words.
In celebration of the Great Mystery of Life!
There was an interesting radio program this past Monday on the radio show On Point on the subject of happiness. The guest was a scientist, Sonja Lyubomirsky, professor of psychology at the University of Riverside and author of The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want. Ms. Lyubomirsky has conducted extensive research on the subject of happiness. The happiest people, she said, are:
- more grateful- more forgiving- less likely to compare themselves with others- less likely to dwell on little things- more likely to live in the present moment- more likely to set goals and seek to meet them.
Fifty percent of what makes a person happy, she says, is genetic. This is based on research with twins who embark on very different paths in adulthood. Of the rest, about 10% is based on endowments: looks, brains, inherited wealth, romantic partner. The rest we can influence by how we think and live day to day.
Her biggest surprise in conducting this research was that adults with children are noticeably less happy, on average, than people without children. People who are highly motivated by material possessions are less likely to be happy. People who serve others are more likely to be happy if their life involves voluntary service. People who are forced into that role, for instance by having to be a primary caregiver to an incapacitated relative, tend not to be very happy.
I left Wall Street to find happiness, and it is a subject I’ve thought a fair amount about. The radio show led me to ask myself once again: When am I happiest? What immediately came to mind is walking in the woods and finding a quiet place inside.
We all need a touchstone, a place in the center of our lives that we can touch from time to time, hopefully daily. The still point. It doesn't have to be the woods. It can be listening to classical music in the dark, or The Who, Live at Leeds, played at high volume. It can be pottery. It can be running on the beach at night. It can be gardening. We need a place where we come into close contact with something deep, meaningful and something that embodies love. By making time for that, we express the view that we are important to ourselves, and probably also that there is something out there beyond words that is important, that plays an ongoing role in our lives, even if it cannot be put into words.
In celebration of the Great Mystery of Life!
posted by Gary O'Connor at 2:09 PM
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