A Recipe for Happiness Based on Positive Psychology Research
Wouldn't it be great if there were a clear recipe for happiness, just as there's a clear recipe for brownies? Just a little dash of this, a cup or two of that, throw it in the oven and boom - instant bliss!
Unfortunately, religions, philosophers, scientists, and everyone on every street corner has been debating the ingredients of happiness for thousands of years . . .
 . . .And the ingredients in the recipe for happiness are still unclear: earthly virtue, rewards in heaven, enlightenment, creative expression, power, money, fame, beauty. . .and on and on.
Recently, however, positive psychologists who study human joy and thriving have isolated some key variables that lead to happiness.
On this page, I'll take a look at these key ingredients in a recipe for happiness.
(Please note this is not my "two cents" about the recipe for happiness. I've compiled this recipe for happiness based on the research of Western, empirically based positive psychologists.)
Enjoy!
The Recipe for Happiness Research from various positive psychologists differs somewhat, particularly because the experiments were set up differently.
But, after combing through various sources, here are the major ingredients in the recipe for happiness as far as I can tell. If you'd like to read more about the research behind these recommendations, please visit my quality of life research page.
Physical
- Don't Smoke and Don't Drink Too Much: In the longest longitudinal study on happiness ever, those who smoked and had drinking problems were less happy and they died earlier. (1)
- Maintain a Healthy Weight: Weight and overall health predict happiness in the long term. But subjective health - how healthy you think you are - matters more in the short term. So manage your weight, keep yourself healthy, and feel grateful for the health you do have today. (1,2)
- Exercise: Exercise produces many feel-good chemicals. Additionally, exercising with others strengthens social bonds, and skilled exercising creates states of flow. (1,2,5)
Social
- Socialize A Lot: Of all factors, strong social connections - family, friends, and others - ranks as the greatest predictor of subjective reports of happiness.(2,4)
- Get Married (And Cultivate a Good Marriage): Married people are more likely than non-married people to report being very happy. Obviously, however, if it's a bad marriage that's different. (2)
Transcendent
- Get Religion: Studies show that those who believe in a higher power and are involved in communities of faith are happier. (2,4)
- Find Meaningful Work: Daily work that uses your highest character strengths brings greater fulfillment and satisfaction. (2,5,6)
- Meditate: Research from positive psychologists shows that Loving-Kindness Meditation strengthens positive emotion. Many other studies show that meditation decreases stress and boosts confidence, sense of peace, focus, and happiness. (3)
Internal
- Cultivate and Express Positive Emotions: Optimism, gratitude, and other positive emotions help build networks of social resources. They also change your internal chemistry, help you live longer, and help you bounce back more quickly from negative events. (See the positive psychology and gratitude journaling page for more on how to do this.) (2,3)
- Work Through and Employ "Mature Adaptations" In Difficult Situations: Researchers find that people who face and work through emotions in difficult situations (suffering, broken relationships, trauma, other setbacks) wind up happier in the end. In addition, those who employ "mature adaptations and defenses" including altruism, humor, anticipation, delaying of gratitude, and sublimation (finding other outlets) are happier in the long run.
- Keep Going: The Harvard Grant study, mentioned above, tracked the lives of men for nearly 80 years. These lives changed dramatically over the course of a lifetime. Some changed for the worse, usually when they repressed emotions and did not face difficult situations. Others emerged from seemingly impossible psychic wounds to experience happiness as they aged. In sum, researchers found you cannot judge the happiness of a life at any set point in time. So if you're in a difficult situation, keep going. You never know what might be around the corner for you. (1)
Do:
- Find "Flow": Engaging in activities that call upon your strengths, talents, and highest values bring you into a state of flow. Flow occurs when you feel effortless engagement and total focus. What you DO will affect how you feel. (2,3,5,6)
Things You Can Leave Out of Your Recipe for Happiness - Making More Money: Research studies consistently show that once you have enough money to cover your basic needs, making more money does not make you any happier. (There's a temporary boost, which disappears after 3 months). (2,4,5)
- Getting Even More Formal Education: I'm all for getting educated, but don't think that even more formal education will make you happier. Research shows that getting as much education as possible has no effect on happiness. So, get enough where you can live reasonably, but don't seek formal education because you think it will make you happy. (There are many miserable PhDs out there.) (2)
- Obsessing Over Health: Avoiding smoking and excessive drinking, managing your weight, and exercising all bring increases in happiness, particularly in the long run. In the short run, your subjective measure (how happy you think you are) is more important. So, be as healthy as you can, and then stop worrying about it. (2)
REFERENCES
(1) Schenk, Joshua Wolf. (June 2009). "What Makes Us Happy." Atlantic Monthly Magazine. (This article discusses the Harvard Grant study, the longest longitudinal study on happiness ever. Click here to link to it.)
(2) Seligman, Martin (2002). Authentic Happiness. NY, NY: Simon & Schuster.
(3) Frederickson, Barbara (Dec 3, 2009). "The Science Behind Coaching With Positivity." Presentation at the International Coaching Federation Annual Conference. Orlando, FLA
(4) Brooks, David. (Mar 29, 2010) "The Sandra Bullock Trade." New York Times.
(5) Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly (1997). Finding Flow. New York: Basic Books.
(6) Rath, Tom (2007). Strengthsfinder 2.0. New York: Gallup Press
Leave Recipe for Happiness and Return to Happiness Main Page Leave Recipe for Happiness and Return to BPGR Main Page Related Articles:
|
Subscribe To This Site
