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Every time I look around I find another article about what happiness can do for someone. The most recent article was in the Los Angeles Times, where Amina Khan reported that, according to a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, happiness can actually help people make more money.
“Whether smart or simple, tall or short, self-confident or insecure, happier people earned bigger paychecks than more doleful peers: Deeply unhappy teens’ future incomes were 30% lower than the average, while very happy teems earned 10% above average.”
While this study shows that the outward expression of happiness can benefit our pocketbooks, there is also evidence showing its value to health and our general well-being.
In a recent lecture by Dr. Andrew Weil, noted leader in integrated medicines, he described “infectious happiness” as an emotion that can spread from person to person. Weil further stated “that there is no question that who you choose to associate with can raise or lower your spirits, make you happy or sad, calm or anxious, comfortable or uncomfortable.” These are qualities that translate directly to being healthy or unhappy and these “infectious happiness” qualities can be quantified.
One finding of a study published in the British Medical Journal was that if a person lives less than a half mile from a happy friend, he has a 42% greater chance of being happy. This same infectious happiness can ripple through groups and organizations, and has a profound effect on the happiness of those individuals.
Happiness not only affects the external environment – relationships with others, and increased financial success – but also generates a healthier body and mind. Recent studies indicate that much of true satisfaction and well-being come from within, and that one is not born happy or unhappy – it is mostly a developed or a learned trait.
How can that be? We get a glimpse of how in a study by Professor Robert A. Emmons, U.C. Davis psychologist and Editor in Chief of the Journal of Positive Psychology. He has found that “those who regularly practice grateful thinking improved their happiness score by 25%. Since being grateful improves one’s happiness, so do these same qualities reportedly have a positive affect on one’s health.”
Evidence continues to mount that thought affects the body, especially qualities like gratitude, which researchers see as a rapidly growing field of study. Some say improved health and happiness may result more from increased spirituality and less from external materialistic achievements. How, then, would one improve or increase one’s spirituality? Author Maggie Lyon in an article entitled, “Making Room for Spiritual Practice,” defines spiritual practice as something you do every single day that draws you deeper into who you really are, by connecting you with your divine self.
Having been an advocate of this type of spiritual practice for decades, I agree with her description of the discipline it takes. “You must designate, carve out, and stick to the time for it, often letting go of something else in order to keep it alive. Many people find it easiest to maintain a practice first thing in the morning. But what does that mean you give up? Sleep? Or is it the extra hour on the computer before bed the night before so that you don’t lose the time in bed?”
I have a set study time each morning for reading and studying from Scripture as well as the book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, along with quiet time for prayer. I can quantify the improvement of my personal health and happiness by using this consistent practice to develop my spirituality.
Article first published in Blogcritics.
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Great thoughts! More money does not generate more happiness but the study you quoted states happiness leads to better income. Very interesting!
How nicely explained, Don, such a vital subject. Peace, gratitude, poise, calmness, confidence, satisfaction, completeness, fearlessness, expectancy — the list goes on — things that contribute to or constitute happiness, firstly are normal constituents of our divine nature, and secondly are qualities we must work towards bringing out and retaining, with broad resulting improvements in daily experience, including health. That’s practical prayer, which serves us and everyone so well. Thanks for writing it up so informatively.
Diana, I appreciate your thoughts on this subject. We do need some reminders as to what brings happiness.
Once again, it’s the attitude of gratitude that counts. Great blog.
Great article! I think most people (including myself sometimes!) rely on outward events to make them happy instead of starting off with happiness first. And I love that Maggie Lyon pointed out that being happy and grateful takes time and discipline – that we need to set aside moments of turning our attention specifically to these acts in order to see change in our lives. I think too often we wait for moments of gratitude to come to us instead of going after them and creating them mindfully for ourselves. Thanks for posting Don!
So nice to see validation of what Mary Baker Eddy wrote about over 100 years ago. In her day the study of science was just beginning to lead to serious research. Prior to that, very little was known about the scientific laws that are now commonly accepted.
Mrs. Eddy saw that life itself has a scientific basis and consistency, that divine laws of harmony, health and supply can be demonstrated as reliable and consisent – and provable. Thanks for this thoughtful and encouraging post, Don.
Great article, Don! One that is very worth sharing! Thanks!
Well here I am even though it is late. I couldn’t go to bed without reading your blog, and this was a great one Don. Thanks.
I too set aside time each morning for quiet reading, study and prayer. It is a great way to start the day. I find my health and happiness improved by doing this each day.
More and more psychologists, professors, doctors and others in the medical field are finding that happiness is a wonderful source for health. More than 100 years ago Mary Baker Eddy wrote this about her search for health, “Every material dependence had failed (me) in (my) search for truth; and (I) now understand why, and can see the means by which mortals are divinely driven to a spiritual source for health and happiness.”
Thanks again Don, I love your thoroughness of the subject.
It’s always nice to be reminded of what’s really important. It sometimes seems like devoting time to gratitude and spiritual practice will take away time from something else that needs doing, but I find over and over that I get more done, have happier days, achieve things more harmoniously, etc. if I begin by devoting time to aligning my thought with God.
This will be so helpful for so many. Thank you.
I read the article and immediately sent it to a childhood friend who is a Jungian therapist. I have shared some Christian Science ideas with him when I reported to him the passing of my mother and when he asked me about what I thought about the shootings in Connecticut. The ideas in this article are stated in such a way that I feel that he will be able to grasp the importance of what generates true happiness and the effects that it can have on one’s life. Thank you for sharing this piece.
I love the idea of “infectious happiness!” When you think about it, it’s true.
“Happiness is spiritual, born of Truth and Love.” states Mary Baker Eddy in Science and Health. She refers to happiness about 45 times in this book. Some great ideas to check out, all pointing to God (Truth, Love, Soul, etc.) as the source of true happiness!
Thanks for the article!