Science of Happiness
Aristotle once said "Happiness is the meaning and purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence." Finding true happiness is serious business, and as a result, it has become big business. On the internet and in the bookstores, a thousand gurus tout different remedies for human misery. How do we distinguish fact from hype? We need to consult one of our greatest gurus, the scientific method. Over the last twenty years we have seen a dramatic upsurge in scientific studies aimed at discovering the causes of “subjective well being” or to put it simply, discovering what makes happy people happy. Many of the scientific studies point to certain key areas that can strongly impact our pursuit of happiness. In these pages, we review the most scientific studies, find areas of agreement, and translate the results into non-technical English. Let’s take a look at the areas of consensus that are emerging through the new science of happiness.
Seven Science-Based Strategies for Happiness
1. Communicating
2. Caring
3. Exercise
4. Getting in the Flow
5. Spiritual Engagement
6. Cultivating Strengths and Virtues
7. Positive Thinking: Optimism, Savoring, and Gratitude
These strategies are based on our analysis of key scientific studies (see bibliography): Read more about the contents of this page
1. Communicating
The top line: People who have one or more close friendships appear to be happier. It doesn’t seem to matter if we have a large network of close relationships or not. What seems to make a difference is if and how often we cooperate in activities and share our personal feelings with a friend or relative. Simply put, it's not the quantity of our relationships, but the quality that matters. In one study people were asked on random occasions about their mood. They were found to be happiest with their friends, followed by family members, and least happy if they were alone (Larson). Another study constructed a scale of cooperativeness, ie how willing people were to constructively engage in activities with others. This study showed that the cooperativeness of an individual was a predictor of their happiness, though it did not conclusively show if their cooperation resulted in happiness or the other way around (Lu). A study on the quality of relationships found that to avoid loneliness people needed only one close relationship coupled with a network of other relationships. To form a close relationship required a growing amount of "self-disclosure," or a willingness to reveal ones personal issues and feelings, and without it people with friends would still be lonely (Weiss). A similar study found that some students who had many friends with whom they often spent time were still plagued by loneliness, and this seemed to be related to their tendency to talk about impersonal topics such as sports and pop music instead of their personal life (Weeler).
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2. Caring
3. Exercising
The top line: Regular exercise is associated with improved mental well-being and a lower incidence of depression. Have you ever noticed that you feel great after going for a run? Do you love working out or playing sports on a regular basis? It turns out that you are not alone, and that exercise may have a big effect on mood and mental well-being. While it might be no surprise that exercise can improve your mood, a good deal of scientific research has been done to discover the possible reasons for this. Some researchers argue that exercise may act as a diversion from negative thoughts, and the mastery of a new skill may be important. There is evidence to indicate that social contact between people who are working out or involved in sports may be an important source of satisfaction as well. Still others think that physical activity causes the brain to release chemicals called endorphins that cause one to feel good after exercising. Most of the researchers looking at exercise and mood compared groups of people who were exercising to those who were not. They then looked to see if those who were exercising felt better in the short term. Some researchers compared exercising to treatments for depression such as antidepressant medications or cognitive-behavioral therapy. The vast majority of studies have shown that there is a significant association between exercise and improved well-being. It has proved more difficult, however, to show that exercise directly causes mental well-being; people who are happier, after all, may simply be more inclined to exercise. Among the studies that support the theory that exercise directly causes improved mental well-being (as opposed to vice-versa) is one that looked at the effect of exercise on older adults with clinical depression (Blumenthal et al., 1999). The authors compared exercise to a commonly prescribed anti-depressant medication (Zoloft), and found that both were equally effective in reducing depressive symptoms. In contrast to these results, a group of researchers from the Netherlands found that exercise may not be nearly as important as genetics in determining one’s mental well-being (Stubbe et al., 2007). These researchers looked at pairs of identical twins in which one twin exercised significantly more than the other, and found that there was no significant difference in their level of happiness. In conclusion, there is a great deal of evidence that exercise is associated with improved mental-well being and a lesser incidence of depressive symptoms. Nevertheless, there is still controversy in the scientific community as to whether exercise causes improved mental well-being, or whether those with improved mental well-being have a predisposition for exercise. The truth may lie somewhere in the middle.
Exercise and Happiness in Depth: Reviews
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4. Getting in the Flow
Scientists such as Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi have studied the impact of Flow states on human happiness, productivity and success. In one study 250 high-flow and low-flow teenagers were asked to report on their feelings and activities at regular intervals. The high-flow teenagers on average reported more time spent on hobbies, sports and homework. The high-flow teenagers also measured higher levels of self-esteem and engagement. Interestingly, however, the high-flow teenagers self-reported lower levels of fun than the low-flow teenagers. Apparently, high-flow teenagers see their low-flow peers as experiencing more fun engaging in low-flow activities, such as video games, TV or socializing. However, the high-flow kids end up having greater long term happiness as well as success in school, social relationships and careers. If Flow has such incredible benefits to our happiness, relationships and success, then why do we habitually choose low-flow activities? Why do we, in the moment, choose another episode of American Idol over a game of pickup basketball? One hypothesis is that the high-flow activities require more initial motivation because they do require skill and concentration. In other words, high-flow activities are work! But work that pays off. And unfortunately low-flow activities, such as watching TV, often contribute to low levels of depression.
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5. Spiritual Engagement
Spirituality and prayer also provide people with an opportunity to engage in a meditative act. Meditation has been shown to have a strong link with well-being because it calms the body, reduces stress and anxiety, and also supports positive thinking. Finally, both spirituality and organized religion can help provide people with perspective and hope. By believing in something greater than themselves, it may help them stay positive in times of sadness, and foster resilience. Generally, religiosity can be defined as one’s relationship with a particular faith tradition or doctrine about a divine other or supernatural power, while spirituality can be defined as "the intrinsic human capacity for self-transcendence, in which the self is embedded in something greater than the self, including the sacred" and which motivates "the search for connectedness, meaning, purpose, and contribution.”1 But these abstract ideas are measured in many different ways, from frequency of church attendance to asking people “how religious are you?” As for mental well-being and happiness, studies look at both negative (i.e. depression) and positive indicators of mental well-being (i.e. self-reported happiness, self esteem, positive relationships with others). Two recent surveys of the studies (meta-analyses) examine the different definitions and measurements of religiosity/spirituality as well as mental effects. One looks at adults, the other, adolescents, both with different results. A 2003 review of 34 studies with mainly adult populations found that personal devotion measures are most strongly related to mental well-being, while ideological measures showed less strong though positive effects, and institutional measures (i.e. religious service attendance) had the weakest. A 2006 review of 20 studies with adolescent populations (average age 10-20) reported that 90% of these studies show positive findings in the relationships between adolescent religious/spiritual engagement and mental well-being.3 In contrast to the mostly adult-based study, it was institutional involvement that had the largest effect on mental well-being, with ideological and personal devotion measures showing a smaller impact. Scientists suppose that the social and behavioral impact of institutional involvement may be more beneficial to young people, because it provides a sense of order and belonging during a difficult transitional period of their lives. In general, they found that religious and spiritual involvement was more beneficial to older teens’ mental well-being, perhaps because it reflects personal choices rather than imposed parental expectations. They also found that it has more of an impact for males, but are unsure why. One important point about the studies is that, even though most researchers say they are looking at the “effect” of religion on mental well-being, the vast majority only show that religious and spiritual people report higher levels of happiness and mental well-being. This means that good mental well-being might predispose people to religious involvement or vice versa. To look at whether religiosity/spirituality causes better mental well-being, scientists must study people over a long period of time.
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6. Cultivating Strengths and Virtues
The top line: The work of positive psychologists such as Seligman appears to show that the happiest people are those that have discovered their unique strengths (such as persistence and logic) and virtues (such as humanity and patience), and use those strengths and virtues for a purpose that is greater than their own personal goals. These kinds of people are doing what we have suggested in the section on “caring,”but on top of that they use their unique abilities and gifts to do it. You may have strengths that are so natural to you that you may not even consider them strengths. Think about an episode in your life when you were at your very best. What qualities enabled you to perform like that? While an infinite number of talents and strengths exist that humans can possess, Character Strengths and Virtues are ones that humanity morally values. When Martin Seligman and Chris Peterson sought to discover and classify common Character Strengths and Virtues across cultures, they created a classification of core virtues that humans morally value no matter what the cultural, racial and regional differences. Take the VIA Signature Strengths assessment to determine your top five Signature Strengths. (link here) Current research indicates that you are most likely to value a job, relationship, hobby or institution that aligns with your core signature strengths and allows you to regularly utilize them. In fact, research indicates that using signature strengths in new and consistent ways, and building on your current strengths may more effectively improve wellbeing than trying to improve your weaknesses.
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7. Positive Thinking: Optimism, Savoring, and Gratitude
Optimistic people view the same events as challenges and opportunities that pessimists may see as annoyances or frustrations. As a result, The only known downside to optimism is that optimists slightly underestimate risks, which is one of the reasons why professions were pessimism may prove to be more beneficial (such as law) also report higher levels of depression Martin Seligman’s book Authentic Happiness has an optimism assessment you can take. If you score low, don’t despair! Optimism is not a fixed character trait! You can improve your optimistic outlook on life through your hard word and cognitive discipline. The book Authentic Happiness by Martin Seligman outlines exercises and strategies for improving your optimistic outlook on life.
Optimism in the news: CBS News item on optimism
Gratitude in the news: Making a difference (Humorous and moving story about a "gratitude visit.")
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