Happiness is termed as subjective by many thinkers and writers. But now let’s have a look and see what science tells us about happiness.
We all want to be happy. That is one thing we guess no one would say otherwise. We always believe that there are two types of people in this world, one who remains happy, no matter what the situation is and the other one is those who are unhappy and there is nothing in between these two. But the fact remains that there are many subtopics we must consider when we talk about happiness like by being happy are we benefitted in any way? Interestingly, Nancy Etcoff, who is an evolutionary psychologist at Harvard tries to find what are the roots of happiness and what can sustain it, according to science. Here is what she has to say.
There is significant inequality in terms of happiness across the globe
Many factors such as environment, circumstances play a big role in defining happiness in different parts of the world. For example, in the United States, we may find the highest levels of happiness in comparison to countries that suffer from tyranny, hunger, and poverty.
Friends tend to inspire more happiness in an individual than family members
Etcoff believes that social bonds are crucial for an individual’s happiness. We are happy when we are surrounded by friends, relatives, and lastly spouses and yes, she meant that in this particular order. Surprisingly, children score even lower than spouses in terms of personal happiness (we are not saying that studies are). And studies also prove that we experience the least level of happiness by being with our boss. So, social relationships have an important part in your mental wellbeing.
Don’t forget to smile often, science says that it is contagious
Etcoffstresses the importance of happiness and how it might be contagious. She explains that humans are known to catch emotions from one another. She further explains that sometimes your happiness hugely impacts your friend’s happiness which further can influence your friend’s friend happiness (the one you might not have even met)! Clearly emotions and happiness radiate.
Happiness has many long-term benefits
In her research, Etcoff sites many instances that prove that happiness provides several positive side effects. Happy people tend to live longer, earn well, are more productive than others, and are known to be good citizens.
Hope you have found enough reasons to be happy and spread happiness.
