What makes people happy?

In this article I am going to discuss what makes people happy.

Have you ever wondered why some people are more happier than others? Why is it that happiness seems to steer it´s way into the lives of some people but not as much into the lives of others. I´ve thought about this quite a lot and in my opinion there is no simple answer. There´s just not!

But, I do think that a number of things have a lot of influence on how much happiness each individual enjoys in life. I also think that we have much power over those things and that we can actually bring these specific things into our lives if they are non-excistent at present.

As I have mentioned before on this site I do belive that we, each and every one of us, have a lot of power over our lives just by controlling the way we think and what we do. Our mind is an amazing thing! We have so much control over our lives, so much more than most of us realize.

So, by realizing what specific kind of things, attributes, experiences or characteristics are the ones that bring us the most happiness we should be able to purposely seek them out and attain them.

 

So, what makes people happy?

People are different and we all have different opinions on what happiness is. For some it´s money, for others it´s family and friends and the joy they bring us. I think it´s safe to say that happiness is in the eye of the beholder. Meaning, that while some seek happiness with their family and by socializing with friends others try to find happiness through work and money. Personally, I belong to the first group of people. I value the time I have with my family the most and that´s where the source of my happiness is. Sure! Money can bring you happiness. You can do a lot with money, you can use it to bring other things into your life that will in turn bring you happiness. But, if you don´t have someone to experience all this with you…how happy are you really? That´s my opinion anyway..

Happiness comes in all shapes and sizes. Happiness for one person can mean something completely different to another. But there are some things that may have more power than others to bring us happiness.

A very interesting research by psychologist Martin Seligman shows that there are indeed some things that very happy people seem to posess and those results can give you great ideas about what makes people happy. Many studies have been done in the past on the characteristics and situations of unhappy people but this was the first research that was done on „very happy people“. In this study, Seligman and a fellow psychologist, Ed Diener, examined factors that seemed likely to have influence on high happiness: social relationships, personality, psychopathology, religiosity and exercise. What they found was that very happy people have rich and satisfying social relationships and relative to average happy people or unhappy people they spend little time alone. Also, there were some factors that seemed to be of great importance. The very happy people, those who were scored with high happiness, seemed to be very extraverted, they scored low on neuroticism and relatively low on psychopathology.

With these results in mind you should really take time in your life to dedicate to your family and friends. By having both a good family life and good social relationships you may be on your way to a happy life.

Use your time to be happy!

How much time do you give yourself with your family? If your are completely honest with yourself, are you really „there“ when you are at home with your family?  Do you use your time together in the best way possible? If not, this may be the right time for a change. Why not treasure the time you have together? Enjoy every moment while it lasts, enjoy it as much as you can. You might regret it later on if you don´t.

You should also think about your relationship with your friends. When was the last time you called a friend instead of sending an email or a text message? When was the last time you had lunch or had an evening out? Value the friendships you have and schedule time to spend with your friends. Take the time to talk, to listen, to laugh together and to do all those things you love to do together. Think about how happy you have been in the past after time spent with your friends. You probably know by experience how effective your friendships are to bring you happiness. Remember those factors on what makes people happy, that very happy people value their social relationships and take the time to strengthen them. I highly recommend that you do so too.

I would like to leave you with a great quote (as I do love those..) that sends a powerful message. Please read it and then take time to really think about it..

Until next time,

Lóa

- What a wonderful life I’ve had! I only wish I’d realized it sooner  -

Colette