Back then I asked, ”If you were to consider all the things in your life (relationships, work, socioeconomics, et cetera) as a whole, how happy would you say you are on a scale of one to ten, with one being the least happy and ten being the most?”
I was not surprised (more like glad) to read in the article below that, while not otherwise impossible, we tend to be happier when those around us are also happy.
But all is not necessarily well.
As a nation, it seems that we've grown sadder and more anxious during these times of recession and debt ceiling limitations, even amidst the continued airing of Jersey Shore.
As a nation, it seems that we've grown sadder and more anxious during these times of recession and debt ceiling limitations, even amidst the continued airing of Jersey Shore.
At the same time, studies say severe mental illness is more common among college students than it was a decade ago, with most young people seeking treatment for depression and anxiety. A study presented at the American Psychological Association found that the number of students on psychiatric medicines increased more than 10% over the last 10 years.
According to The Happiness Project, there are 10 myths about happiness (each “myth” is clickable, if you so desire):
No. 3: Venting anger relieves it.
No. 5: A “treat” will cheer you up.
No. 6: Money can’t buy happiness.
No. 10: It’s selfish to try to be happier.
Perhaps the most interesting advice I found came from a Facebook page:
Don't go with the flow. Be the flow.
Very zen. reminds me of this:
Here is the article.
Posted on 6/29/2011 and by Diana Yates, Life Sciences Editor.
CHAMPAIGN, lll. — In 1943, American psychologist Abraham Maslow proposed that all humans seek to fulfill a hierarchy of needs, which he represented with a pyramid. The pyramid’s base, which he believed must come first, signified basic needs (for food, sleep and sex, for example). Safety and security came next, in Maslow’s view, then love and belonging, then esteem and, finally, at the pyramid’s peak, a quality he called “self-actualization.” Maslow wrote that people who have these needs fulfilled should be happier than those who don’t.
In a new study, researchers at the University of Illinois put Maslow’s ideas to the test with data from 123 countries representing every major region of the world.
“Anyone who has ever completed a psychology class has heard of Abraham Maslow and his theory of needs,” said University of Illinois professor emeritus of psychology Ed Diener, who led the study. “But the nagging question has always been: Where is the proof? Students learn the theory, but scientific research backing this theory is rarely mentioned.”
The researchers turned to the Gallup World Poll, which conducted surveys in 155 countries from 2005 to 2010, and included questions about money, food, shelter, safety, social support, feeling respected, being self-directed, having a sense of mastery, and the experience of positive or negative emotions. Diener, a senior scientist for the Gallup Organization, helped design the survey.
The researchers found that fulfillment of a diversity of needs, as defined by Maslow, do appear to be universal and important to individual happiness. But the order in which “higher” and “lower” needs are met has little bearing on how much they contribute to life satisfaction and enjoyment, Diener said.
They also found that the fulfillment of more basic needs – for money, food or shelter, for example – was more closely linked to a positive life evaluation, the way an individual ranked his or her life on a scale from worst to best. The satisfaction of higher needs – for social support, respect, autonomy or mastery – was “more strongly related to enjoying life – having more positive feelings and less negative feelings,” Diener said.
An important finding, Diener said, is that the research indicated that people have higher life evaluations when others in society also have their needs fulfilled.
“Thus life satisfaction is not just an individual affair, but depends substantially also on the quality of life of one’s fellow citizens,” he said.
“Our findings suggest that Maslow’s theory is largely correct. In cultures all over the world the fulfillment of his proposed needs correlates with happiness,” Diener said. “However, an important departure from Maslow’s theory is that we found that a person can report having good social relationships and self-actualization even if their basic needs and safety needs are not completely fulfilled.”
“Another revision of his theory is that we found that different needs produce different types of well-being,” Diener said.
“Anyone who has ever completed a psychology class has heard of Abraham Maslow and his theory of needs,” said University of Illinois professor emeritus of psychology Ed Diener, who led the study. “But the nagging question has always been: Where is the proof? Students learn the theory, but scientific research backing this theory is rarely mentioned.”
The researchers turned to the Gallup World Poll, which conducted surveys in 155 countries from 2005 to 2010, and included questions about money, food, shelter, safety, social support, feeling respected, being self-directed, having a sense of mastery, and the experience of positive or negative emotions. Diener, a senior scientist for the Gallup Organization, helped design the survey.
The researchers found that fulfillment of a diversity of needs, as defined by Maslow, do appear to be universal and important to individual happiness. But the order in which “higher” and “lower” needs are met has little bearing on how much they contribute to life satisfaction and enjoyment, Diener said.
They also found that the fulfillment of more basic needs – for money, food or shelter, for example – was more closely linked to a positive life evaluation, the way an individual ranked his or her life on a scale from worst to best. The satisfaction of higher needs – for social support, respect, autonomy or mastery – was “more strongly related to enjoying life – having more positive feelings and less negative feelings,” Diener said.
An important finding, Diener said, is that the research indicated that people have higher life evaluations when others in society also have their needs fulfilled.
“Thus life satisfaction is not just an individual affair, but depends substantially also on the quality of life of one’s fellow citizens,” he said.
“Our findings suggest that Maslow’s theory is largely correct. In cultures all over the world the fulfillment of his proposed needs correlates with happiness,” Diener said. “However, an important departure from Maslow’s theory is that we found that a person can report having good social relationships and self-actualization even if their basic needs and safety needs are not completely fulfilled.”
“Another revision of his theory is that we found that different needs produce different types of well-being,” Diener said.
Willa Cather: “One cannot divine nor forecast the conditions that will make happiness; one only stumbles upon them…”
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Hi Tom,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this article; it gave me a lot to think about. I had learned years ago about the "venting anger doesn't alleviate anger" part of the article -- it just rehearses anger so we get really good at being angry.
I did notice, in that part of the article, the following: "[P]eople who use Botox are less prone to anger because they can’t make angry faces." Does this mean I can bill Botox to my Parkland insurance?
Now THAT would make me happy :-)
Thank you for writing this article; I really enjoyed it.
Hi Tom,
ReplyDeleteI love it! "Be the ball." "Be the flow." Whatever situation you find yourself in, you have to picture a positive outcome.
Thanks for sharing lots of good information via this article.
Kim