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You are here: Home / Family and Relationships / Don’t Worry, Be Happy

April 11, 2019

Don’t Worry, Be Happy

Family playing on the beach

Yes, now you have that song stuck in your head, you’re welcome. As I hum the song, I can’t help but to smile and to reflect on things that make me happy. To give the definition of happiness may seem silly, since most of us understand what it is, but according to positive psychology researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky, happiness is “the experience of joy, contentment, or positive well-being, combined with a sense that one’s life is good, meaningful, and worthwhile.” Now that we all have the same definition we can talk about ways to experience happiness.

The title of this blog, and the song itself, makes it seem like all you need to do is just cheer up and forget all your troubles. I am in no way implying that things are that easy. In fact, for some people with mental health issues, like depression, many of the ideas in this blog may seem impossible. If you or someone you know has a mental health issue, it is imperative that they receive professional help, so that they might achieve overall health and wellness, including happiness.

I think of myself as a happy person. One fact about happiness that surprised me is that older people are happier than younger people. Happiness in relationship to age is a U-shaped curve–lots of happiness when people are younger, a little less happy during middle age, and back to lots of happiness for older adults. Though declining health in older age may alter the U shape for some people, research suggests that older people are happier than their middle aged counterparts. Because I am in the age group that is at the bottom of the happiness curve, I am glad to learn that there is a good chance that I can be event happier in the coming years.

The evolutionary basis for happiness was not something I had considered. The need to get along with those in our group in order to survive and pass along our genes meant we had to be cooperative with and attractive to those within our group. If we were not happy enough, we would not be viewed as desirable. So even when we weren’t happy, we might pretend in order to attract a mate. We did not need to get along with other groups, which helps explain why people from different groups have not necessarily been agreeable throughout history.

This is not to say that we must be happy ALL the time! In fact, we need to have moments when we experience negative emotions in order to more fully appreciate what makes us happy. Being able to create growth and meaning out of both positive and negative events is the true meaning of “happiness.”However, happy people do have some advantages over people who may be less happy counterparts. According to Lyubomirsky, these are some of the benefits for happy people:

  • Happiness is good for our health: Happy people are less likely to get sick, and they live longer.
  • Happiness is good for our relationships: Happy people are more likely to get married and have fulfilling marriages, and they have more friends.
  • Happy people make more money and are more productive at work.
  • Happy people are more generous
  • Happy people cope better with stress and trauma.
  • Happy people are more creative and are better able to see the big picture.

You can find out how to “buy” health and happiness in this blog about money and happiness which I wrote a couple months ago. I would also like to hear how you find or make your happiness, so please leave a comment or send me an email.

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WRITTEN BY: Misty Harmon, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Perry County, harmon.416@osu.edu

REVIEWED BY: Joseph Maiorano, PhD, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Harrison County, maiorano.2@osu.edu

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • https://pixabay.com/photos/family-sea-vacation-beach-summer-2432568/
  • https://pixabay.com/photos/african-african-american-afro-3797905/

SOURCES:

  • Greater Good Magazine. Happiness Defined: What is Happiness? Found on 4/10/19 at https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/happiness/definition
  • Greater Good Magazine. Happiness Defined: Why Practice It? Retrieved on 4/10/19 from https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/happiness/definition#why-practice-happiness
  • Harmon, M. (2019). How to "buy" happiness and better health. Found at https://livesmartohio.osu.edu/money/harmon-416osu-edu/how-to-buy-happiness-and-better-health/
  • Harvard Men's Health Watch. (2017). The pursuit of happiness. Retrieved on 4/10/19 from: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-pursuit-of-happiness
  • Ho, L. (2019). How to Be Happy: Why Pursuing Happiness Will Make You Unhappy https://www.lifehack.org/610387/why-its-impossible-to-be-consistently-happy
  • Kloppers, M. 10 Things To Stop Caring About If You Want To Be Happier. Found on 4/10/19 at https://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/ten-things-stop-caring-about-you-want-happier.html
  • Locke, R. (2018). 10 Scientifically Proven Ways To Stay Happy All The Time. Retrieved from https://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/10-scientifically-proven-ways-stay-happy-all-the-time.html
  • National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI). Mental Health Conditions. Retrieved on 4/10/19 from: https://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-Conditions
  • Suttie, J. (2019). How Understanding Evolution Can Help Us to Be Happy. Greater Good Magazine. Found at https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_understanding_evolution_can_help_us_to_be_happy

Categories: Family and Relationships, Mind and Body
Tags: behavior change, families, relationships, wellness

Avatar for Misty Harmon
Avatar for Misty Harmon

About Misty Harmon

Misty Harmon, MS is an Ohio State University Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences in Perry County. Misty has over 22 years of experience in adult fitness and overall health and wellness. Her passion is educating people about healthy lifestyle choices to reduce overall risk for disease. Misty is married and has 3 children. She enjoys spending time with her family, exercising, boating, being outdoors, eating at local places, traveling, and shopping.

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