Keeping the "Happy" in Happy New Year

As we begin the New Year, I thought it appropriate to explore the very greeting that so many of us share with one another this time of year. My unscientific assumption is that most of us want very much to be happy. For me, it's like a dashboard indicator that the myriad pieces that make up my life are generally working well and are in harmony with each other. But how do you find it? I've long heard that happiness is a journey, not a destination. Others have opined that happiness is a choice we make (or not) each day. Both notions are true of course, but they're not the whole story. Happy New Year GIFTS

New Research on Happiness

There have been several studies published recently which have explored the notion of happiness on a much more thorough and scientific basis than ever before. In her new book, The How of Happiness, University of California Professor Sonja Lyubomirsky concluded that as much as 50% of a person's capacity to be [consistently] happy is either genetic or set through social conditioning by age 16. Another 10% is determined by their present life circumstances (financial, relationships, work, etc.). And that leaves about40% that's determined by something else. According to Lyubomirsky, that "something else" is our attitude, disposition, our intention and our expectations.

Implications

The so-what of this research is that, yes, some people do in fact have an easier time being and staying happy. While to some, this may be a bit depressing, it's actually okay with me. There will always be people smarter than me on certain topics, more skilled at certain tasks, and "wired" a bit more soundly in certain areas (just ask my wife). The good news is that I still am in control of at least 40% of what results in my level of happiness on a day-to-day basis. In fact, because my belief is that my life circumstances are also mostly shaped by the decisions I make and actions I take, I'm actually capable of controlling about 50% of my happiness variables...and that's just in the short run.

Happiness and Relationships

There is another important, new finding on happiness that is also worth noting. In his book, Stumbling on Happiness, Professor Daniel Gilbert notes that almost all happiness is experienced within the context of our relationships with other people. While certain discreet events (like winning a prize, or accomplishing a goal) may bring some level of individual pleasure, the most sustainable happiness events are either experienced or practiced within the context of others in our lives. Supporting this notion, Lyubomirsky's research participants who did not have healthy, satisfying relationships generally rated themselves as less happy on her subjective Happiness Quiz.

It's also interesting to know a little about the relationship between happiness and money. While we've all heard that money can't buy happiness (or love), there are some situations where it actually can. But there are a few conditions that need to be considered. According to Gilbert, money will only contribute to a person's happiness if 1) you spend it right, 2) you've come from relatively low means to start with, 3) you have more of it than most of the others within your circle of family, friends and associates.