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The Pursuit of Happiness – Part 2 – What Actually Works

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  Quick Facts

  • The pursuit of happiness is a natural human phenomena and research has revealed effective ways of achieving happiness.
  • Relationships, using our strengths, creating meaning in our lives, and caring for our physical wellness through exercise are four examples of proven happiness boosters.

Detailed Analysis

In our last post, we broke down the myths of happiness and how we can counteract the hedonic adaptation which can compromise our happiness. Fortunately, research has not only broken down our old paradigm of what makes a happy life; it has also given us insight into what we can do to actually be happier, regardless of our circumstances.  Today, we’ll explore four important ways to invest in your happiness.

Take care of your relationships – Relationships are perhaps the most important way for humans to find true and lasting happiness. Family, friends, community connections – these all contribute to human flourishing. Take time regularly to nurture the important relationships in your life and you’re likely to be a happier person (not to mention increase the happiness of those around you, too). Research suggests that actually talking to people – rather than texting and emailing – boosts this relational benefit even further.

Using your strengths – Determining your personal strengths and using them consciously can increase of happiness. In the work world, this is an easy way to create a win-win for ourselves and our business, by discovering how you can being your unique abilities to your work context. Assessment such as the StrengthsFinder or the Via Character Strengths assessment can help you pinpoint some of your strengths, or just honestly assess what you know you are good at – whether it’s as specific as designing analytics strategies, or as general as a quality like empathy or humility – and use them as frequently as you can.

Creating meaning – Orienting ourselves within a bigger picture of values gives our lives meaning and sheds long-term happiness even on struggles and challenges. Regardless of what we are doing, meaning emerges when we have a sense that we are working for something bigger than ourselves – whether a cause, an ideal, or a spiritual truth we believe in. For example, if we value artistic expression, the sometimes long and frustrating process of creating will still bring happiness, since it’s part of living out our values and links to a broader meaning. And working for more money might not create much meaning, but working to provide for your family, experience the joy of achievement, or enjoy the feeling of tackling new challenges can.

Exercise and physical well-being – It’s simple – exercise is one of the most effective ways of increasing happiness. From improving our overall health, to lowering stress, to boosting mood and energy levels, exercise pays huge dividends in the quest for a happy life. And it doesn’t have to be anything complicated, expensive or time consuming – it has been reported that even a 12 minute walk can enhance our mood (not to mention provide us with many physical benefits as well). Of course, walking is only one option among many. Perhaps you prefer yoga, running, team sports, dance or hitting the gym. Whatever your preference, know that your body is not the only beneficiary of your fitness regime – your mental state is, too.

In the end, it seems that happiness is less of an end-state and more of a journey – a constant process of investing in the things that matter and mindfully limiting our emphasis on things that don’t. Gratitude, savouring, love, growth, physical well-being – these are the building blocks of a happy life.

The Pursuit of Happiness Part 1 – What Doesn’t Work

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Quick Facts

  • The pursuit of happiness is a natural human phenomena; however, we often use ineffective means to reach this goal.
  • One of the most common methods, the pursuit of material wealth and comfort, is one such ineffective method, due to a human adaptive trait known as “hedonic adaptation”.

Detailed Analysis

The pursuit of happiness has been part of the human experience for millennia. But only recently has science begun to shed light on the path (and limits) to sustainable happiness.  Positive psychology is the branch of psychology focused on positive human well-being, or what pioneer Martin Seligman describes as “flourishing”. In this post, we’ll look at some of the myths and pitfalls of the pursuit of happiness, while our next post will explore a few proven ways to increase happiness in our lives.

The happiness question often centers on achievement and its rewards, and this can be especially true for businesspeople working in competitive environments and rewarded for hard work. However, the acquisition of material wealth is often a less effective path to happiness than we might think. Consider income: In Canada, some of the happiest places are in Newfoundland, while some of the least happy in Ontario, despite that fact that the average income in Ontario is about $10,000 higher than in Newfoundland.  This is just one example of the lack of correlation between income and happiness. In fact, research shows that, once people have enough money for relative security and comfort, earning power and its corollaries (luxury items, larger homes, etc.) don’t change happiness much at all (the distinction is important – it can’t be emphasized enough that people who are not able to earn enough for stability and comfort are compromised in many ways, including happiness).

So it turns out the old saying is true: money (once our necessities are taken care of) really can’t buy happiness. But why? Blame a phenomena called ‘hedonic adaptation’. As humans, our ability to adapt is one of our great strengths – but one of its side effects is that we quickly adapt to an improvement in our material circumstances, too.

In othe words, if you go from having no home to having a home, the difference in happiness is significant. But if you move from a comfortable home to a bigger or more expensive home, after a brief happiness bump, your mind quickly adapts to having more space or luxury, and soon you are about as happy as you were before the upgrade, but not happier. This can trigger a frustrating and ineffective cycle of chasing that initial bump in happiness through more earning or acquisition.

While the hedonic treadmill is ingrained in the human mind, there are two practices we can undertake to counteract it:

  • Gratitude: It’s such common advice these days as to almost be cliché, but science confirms that gratitude makes us happier. Taking some time a few times a week to make a note of the things we are grateful for is a proven method to keep us from being carried away by the hedonic adaptation trap.
  • Savouring: A form of mindfulness, the practice of savouring is one in which we take the time to fully experience and enjoy what we are doing and where we are. Be fully present to the comfort you experience as you drive your car. Give your entire attention to enjoying your meal. Put your phone down and really listen to your kids, your spouse or your best friend when they talk. Whatever it is, we increase our enjoyment by taking the time to fully engage with our experience, rather than thinking about what’s coming next, or being distracted by our email.

So, while the pursuit of happiness comes naturally to us, some of the ways we instinctively try to pursue it are less effective – and in fact can work against our goal. In our next post, we’ll look at proven ways to boost happiness.