Happiness

Happiness is in Your Hands

Is the glass half full or half empty? According to recent studies, we have the choice to decide which one we think it is, and that decision can help determine the quality of relationships, job performance and lives.

Happiness is a belief system. We know we are happy when we feel good, such as when we experience excitement, elation or fulfillment. We also know that we are happy when we are void of uncomfortable emotions, such as worry, boredom, fear, shame, jealousy and guilt.

There is a misconception that lots of money, a great job or an overabundance of “stuff” is equivalent to happiness, but pleasure is provided by external stimuli. We can seek pleasure in these things to make ourselves feel good, but to experience happiness, we need to look within.

In her book The How of Happiness, psychology professor Sonja Lyubomirsky notes that 40 percent of our happiness is within our control. This empowering discovery means that we don’t need certain things to make us happy. Rather, a simple shift in mindset, a change in attitude and a new outlook on life can move us from being unhappy to happy (or vice versa).

Lyubomirsky’s studies have revealed that the benefits of happiness include greater productivity and higher quality of work, larger social rewards (including more satisfying marriages and more friends), increased energy and activity, better physical health and longer lives. Happiness allows us to be stronger and healthier (mentally and physically) as individuals and therefore contribute more productively and significantly to society as a whole.

Having voluntary control over a significant portion of our happiness means that we can decide whether we’re going to be happy about things we encounter on the road in life. Happy people have a tendency to look at life events and daily circumstances in ways that maintain their happiness. They focus on the “good” things about the past rather than the experiences that made them unhappy. In general, they are forgiving and grateful for things that have happened to them and are willing to move into the future without holding on to those things that may have been unpleasant at the time. They don’t dwell on what has happened and can’t be changed.

In the present, happy people take pleasure in the moment and find things at any given point in time that make them feel joy. They find meaning in their lives and their surroundings and react to the moment in a way that reflects their positive outlook on life.

Turning toward the future, happy people remain flexibly optimistic. They are realistic about what the future holds, but if things don’t turn out the way they hope it will, they take the moment in stride, learn what they can from the situation and move on.

It’s never too late to see the glass as half full rather than half empty. There are many things people can do to change the way they view the world and themselves in order to be happier. Join us in November as Sam Zoranovich, a certified life coach, provides information about five specific actions people can take to increase happiness and life satisfaction. Seating is limited; sign up early to reserve a spot.

References:

Sonja Lyubomirsky (2008). University of California, Riverside. Retrieved October 16, 2009 from  http://www.faculty.ucr.edu/~sonja/

What is happiness? (2009). Reach Out Australia. Retrieved October 16, 2009 from  http://au.reachout.com/find/articles/what-is-happiness