A recent study published in the Journal of Experimental
Psychology: General concluded that American students of college age who
actively seek happiness don’t find it.
Instead, the study showed that students who are desperately
seeking happiness showed lower psychological health. The reason is that in the
US happiness is viewed as being an individual and active pursuit: chasing the
best career, buying things and expecting all of this to lead to happiness. Instead of happiness, the American students
were found to have a lifetime of let downs.
In a lot of other cultures, happiness is seen as being a
social endeavor: spending time with friends, caring for parents, making good
social connections---more achievable goals. So, the study concluded that in more
group oriented Asian cultures, more students of college age were happier.
Researchers found that there are ways to feel happier:
1. 1. Schedule fun activities each day---gardening,
seeing a friend, walking your dog. These bring about positive psychological
emotions.
2. 2. Shift your perspective; stay calm. When people
view their time as limited, they want to feel serene happiness more than
excited happiness.
3. 3. Lower your expectations. Expecting big fun often leads to the
opposite.
4.
Savor great moments. Appreciate and relive
wonderful moments, even after they are over.
ARE YOU HAPPY? SHARE WITH US
YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT THIS TOPIC!
Taken from an article by Mandy Oaklander:
Why Chasing Happiness Might be Making You Miserable, in TIME, October 12, 2015
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