Think money, fancy cars and marriage will make you happy in the long run?
Think again!
Counting your blessings, nurturing relationships, sharing what you have and moving your butt are a few of the ways to find your happy place.
These were among the scientific findings presented by Dr. Mark Holder, an associate professor at UBC Okanagan who studies the science of happiness, at SAGA Public Art Gallery recently.
Guest speaker at the Canadian Mental Health Association’s AGM, Holder explained that psychology has traditionally focused on what is wrong with a person and how it can be fixed.
“We have added positive psychology,” he said, noting there’s nothing wrong with the traditional focus, it just doesn’t provide all the answers. “We study what is right with you (e.g., happiness) and how to promote it.”
While Holder found 18 different definitions for depression in the dictionary, he says happiness was not even mentioned, and, until recently, has been ignored by science and medicine.
Holder says happiness matters because everything people care about is linked to it, including our health and immune systems.
In lab tests in which humans were exposed to the virus that causes colds and the flu, happy people were less likely to get sick and had fewer symptoms if they did become ill.
“It’s not because happy people take better care of themselves, these were biological measures of the immune system,” Holder said, noting happiness is associated with fewer visits to doctors and emergency rooms and fewer drugs.
Other traits happy people share are better relationships, increased tolerance and sensitivity, generally better, more lucrative careers and longer lives. And happiness, it seems, is what we all really want.
“In a study of 48 countries across five continents the number-one answer was happiness,” said Holder of a survey. “That’s what parents wanted for their kids, and it’s only in the last three to six years that we’ve got a handle on that.”
Once people are above the poverty line there is a disconnect between income and happiness as there is between happiness and gender, education and physical beauty.
The biggest factor that governs happiness – 40 to 50 per cent – is chromosomal inheritance, said Holder.
“Choose your parents wisely. If you’re unhappy, it’s not too late to blame mom and dad,” he said to much laughter. “But this means 50 to 60 per cent is not determined by genetics.”
So what induces happiness?
Leisure, holidays, exercise, team sports, hobbies, gardening all rank high on the list, while passive leisure such as watching TV and spending too much time on the computer or playing video games are detrimental.
The only TV watchers whose happiness quotient increases are soap opera fans and that, says Holder, is because they view the actors as friends.
“Research shows another critical component is personal relationships, they determine to a large degree your happiness quotient,” Holder said.
“And give up social networking,” he said, noting one U.S. college had students shut it down for one week. “They remeasured students and found they were happier, exercised more, ate better and were less stressed.”
Volunteering is important because it makes people less self-focused, makes them feel competent and promotes social relations.
And while there are some aspects of money that do contribute to happiness, it’s not about how much you make but how you spend it.
“Buy experiences and not things, savour the cheap joy – going for a walk, watching a movie on a rainy night,” he said. “Over the first two weeks there’s no difference between things and experiences, but joy in experiences come after two weeks.”
Other ways to create happiness include thinking of positive events and being present in the moment.
“Optimism is clearly linked to happiness,” added Holder, who recommends people visualize it in their daily lives. “Think about what your world would look like after you have tried your best and been successful.”