The Pursuit of Happiness By Jill Newby James

1 ¶1 Everyone wants to be happy. In fact, the 2 American constitution lists the ‘pursuit of happiness’ 3 as a right. Finding it, however, isn’t always easy. 4 Many people think happiness comes with money, 5 success and family comfort. As a result, they want 6 a bigger salary, a better career, a nicer house and 7 the perfect husband/wife and friends. When we’re 8 not happy with what we have, we think we’ll 9 become happy when we get what we want. 10 However, some psychologists disagree. When we 11 get the villa with a swimming pool, the expensive car 12 and the managerial job, we’re happy for a while, but 13 it doesn’t last. What we have at that point becomes 14 normal, and we start to want more, thinking that will Happy young Omani boy. 15 make us happy again.

16 ¶2 So what really makes people happy? The results of research are often 17 surprising. Studies of twins suggest that the characteristics, which contribute to 18 happiness, such as being confident or a friendly personality, are from nature: 19 they are genetic. That means we are partly born with the ability to be happy. The 20 other half comes from outside – the ‘nurture’ aspect. That is important, because 21 research by Baucells (2009) suggests that experiences bring more happiness 22 than acquisitions. That means that what we live through is more likely to make us 23 happy than things we own.

24 ¶3 It is for this reason that extroverts – outgoing people – are often 25 happier than introverts – shy people. Extroverts go out with their friends more, try 26 new things more, and seek new experiences more often. Introverts often find it 27 hard to make new friends, don’t go out so often, and are wary about going to new 28 places or seeing new things. Since happiness comes from experiences, they are 29 less likely to be happy. Furthermore, when introverts experience social isolation 30 (feeling alone), according to DiSalvo (2009), they can become stressed, 31 depressed, sleep badly and have higher blood pressure.

32 ¶4 Health and happiness are closely related. Research by the University of 33 Kansas (2009), shows that when we are happy, we are more likely to stay 34 healthy. It cannot cure an illness, but it can prevent us getting sick and may 35 increase the chances of getting better more quickly. Healthy people tend to 36 exercise, too, and exercise releases endorphins. These chemicals prompt the 37 brain to release hormones into the body, which improve mood and a sense of 38 well-being. Research by Gloady (2009) even says the number of steps we take 39 each day is directly related to how happy we are. 40 ¶5 So, if your genes are 41 not predisposed to happiness, 42 you are an introvert and you 43 don’t exercise so much, does 44 that mean you are certain to be 45 unhappy? Not necessarily. 46 Zajonc (1989) did some 47 research into happiness by 48 looking at the emotional effect 49 of producing a smile. By 50 smiling at someone, it seems 51 we smile at ourselves, too, and 52 feel happier. Even faking one 53 has the same effect as a genuine smile. Zajonc tested this by getting people to 54 make sounds. The sound ‘oo’ makes people feel depressed because it forces the 55 mouth into a pouty, unhappy expression. Making an ‘ee’ sound, makes people 56 feel good because it forces the mouth into a wide shape, just like a smile. 57 People often think smiles are catching and it seems there is some truth in this. 58 Force a smile at someone, and they smile back, and soon you will smile in return, 59 but it will be a real smile this time. Women often use smiles to make a situation 60 more comfortable and smile more often than men. This reflects the Pew Global 61 Attitudes Project which covered 38,000 people in 44 countries and showed that 62 women were generally happier than men. W:619, R:62%, VP: 94%K1K2AWL

Sources

Baucells, Manel; Sarin, Rakesh K. "Achieving the Elusive Goal of Happiness." Insight. 2008. (May 23, 2009) http://insight.iese.edu/doc.aspx?id=937&ar=18 DiSalvo, David. "Why 'Many' Might be the Loneliest Number: An Interview with John Cacioppo." (Mar. 17, 2009) http://neuronarrative.wordpress.com/2009/03/17/ Gloady, Rick. "Walk your way to more energy." California State University, Long Beach. (May 25, 2009) http://www.csulb.edu/misc/inside/archives/vol_58 no 4/1.htm Global Attitudes Project Report (2003), Pew Research Institute, http://www.pewglobal.org/ category/survey-reports/ University of Kansas. "Happiness = Health; Does happiness equal health?" Research Matters. Mar. 22, 2009. http://www.researchmatters.ku.edu/happy.shtml Zajonc, R. B., Murphy, S. T. & Inglehart, M. (1989). “Feeling and facial efference: Implications for the vascular theory of emotion.” Psychological Review, 96(3), 395-416

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