With the economic world melting down, its more important than ever to know what brings happiness and satisfaction. Despite the constant media blast of negativity, we are considerably more adaptive creatures than we believe. The expanding field of happiness research has shown that we tend to overestimate the long-term impact of negative events. Negative events do affect us, but generally not as much as we expect-or for as long. (Dan Gilbert, research psychologist, Harvard)
Yes, its true that thoughts of an uncertain future can bring on debilitating anxiety for some but we are surprisingly more resilient and can cope with a surprising amount of adversity once it is actually happening , said Andrew Ryder, a professor of psychology at Concordia University.
The work of Ed Diener, PhD and others in the research area of subjective well-being, tell us that in democratic countries, beyond a certain comfort level, money has little effect on happiness. Therefore, if we allow the economy to determine our emotional state, we are allowing the source of our happiness to lie outside our control. Wouldn’t it make more sense, considering the constant fluctuations in the market, to reassess your current life situation and focus on those areas in which you have some agency?
Marty Seligman outlines in his book Authentic Happiness three pathways to living a happy life…1) The Pleasant Life…2) The Engaged Life and…3) The Meaningful Life. From my perspective, finding balance among these pathways gives the best chance for living an enriched life. It seems fair to say that during these last several years, many Americans (as well as Wall Street and the Halls of Congress) have been living beyond our means searching for the easy comfort and trappings of the Pleasant Life at the expense of balance. There is an emptiness inherent in seeking pleasure at the expense of the other pathways to happiness. There is now an abundance of research that says that happiness is possible, but elusive. It’s a state of being not what we do or have. Deep levels of joy can come from working at what we love (The Engaged Life) especially compared to the more shallow, short-lived satisfaction that comes from accumulating consumer goods or mindless television watching. We also now know without a doubt that the single most important variable in our level of happiness is meaningful relationships with others (The Meaningful Life) – with family, in love, in friendships and relationships at work. If we worried more about the quality of our connection to others rather than our stock portfolios, we’d be happier people by far.
Despite the constant refrain, The Sky is Falling, The Sky is Falling, there are also many positive indicators that a new level of consciousness is arising. Just the luxury of being able to pause and consider what might bring more happiness and fullfillment, is a luxury that millions of people around the world do not have. Survival remains paramount. Although we may have drifted culturally off course in our country, thanks to a myriad of forces….such as advertising designed to confuse fluff with substance, the search for the quick fix, and a stressed-out populace chasing some epherial idea of what will satisfy,….We may be closing in on some eternal truths….Relationships matter….moral and ethical behavior makes you feel good….meaningful service to something bigger than self brings deep satisfaction…. and the power to create your own internal experience, may be, in large measure, in your own hands. In the end, we get to chose whether the Sky is Falling? or whether there is a New Moon Arising!
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