It's a new year and the bottom line of most of our New Year's resolutions is to be happier. Whether your goal is to create a thriving business, reduce stress in your life, or tackle a major challenge, underneath it all, you want to be happy.
Today I'd like to share some resources to help you be even happier in 2008, but before I do, I'll say that total happiness may not be the right goal.
A recent article in the Association for Scientific Psychology's Perspectives on Psychological Science (vol. 2, #4) called "The Optimum Level of Well-Being: Can People Be Too Happy?" by Oishi, Diener, & Luca, showed research that a quest for very high levels of happiness can be problematic.
Our happiness levels are mediated by our temperaments which are not completely changeable. Seeking to be extremely happy can set you up for failure and lead to sensation-seeking activities like using drugs or quitting things that aren't the most exciting but are important.
I wonder if this is part of the reason that celebrities get caught in the cycle of using drugs-because they feel that they should be supremely happy since they have it all, and if they don't naturally feel this way, they seek a quick way to.
That said, most of us could do with a bit more happiness, so here are some tools to help you.
#1: Read articles on this blog about happiness, gratitude, and relationships.
#2: Read the book Happy for No Reason by my colleague and bestselling author of Chicken Soup for the Women's Soul, Marci Shimoff.
I mentioned above that much of happiness is genetics- about 50% actually. But 50% is not genetics, and Marci shows you how to impact this part. I love Marci's premise that success, wealth, and other goals result from happiness. It's not the money brings happiness, it's that happiness brings money. You can check her book out here.
#3 Read a fascinating article about what activities bring happiness and how much time they take. If you are pressed for time, which I'm sure you are, you can figure out what brings you the best return of happiness on your investment of time.
Wishing you a joyful and prosperous 2008! Larina Kase
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