Is it getting better?

Since I'm soon to become the Queen of Psychology, I thought I'd post a few links to some great articles about happiness. The Sunday Times magazine has a long article today, titled "What makes you happy?", read the whole thing here.

There's good reason to understand the nuts and bolts of happiness as:

"Research shows that happier people are healthier, more successful, harder-working, caring and more socially engaged. Misery makes people self-obsessed and inactive."

"They measured levels of an antibody that protects the body against invading cells...chocolate sent the antibody levels soaring up...pleasant music also boosted the immune system."

"Laughter...reduces chemicals, like cortisol and adrenaline, circulating in the blood."

The article outlines a ton of research that's been conducted scientifically to help support the hypothesis that "positive emotions make people think faster and more creatively". To that end psychologists have been working to classify strengths and virtues, although the article doesn't explain why these are the foundation of positive emotions.

"Psychologists...discovered six core virtues recognised in all cultures: wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance and transcendence. They have subdivided these into 24 strengths, including humour and honesty."

One of the things I notice about the list above, they're all hard; hard to strive for, hard to do consistently, hard to commit to when you're an imaginative person. So my hypothesis is that happiness requires self control, great.

"There is a wealth of evidence to show that negative thinking is deeply ingrained in the human psyche. Experiments show that we remember failures more vividly than successes."

"The pre-frontal cortex, which registers happiness, is the part used for higher thinking, an area that evolved later in human history." The same part of the brain that is instantly affected by the first glass of wine, isn't that interesting?

Two weeks ago, the Times had another article on the subject: "The secrets of happiness" read the whole thing here.

The author reports on a University of Chicago research project amongst 10,000 people:

"They were happiest when in a state of concentration...intense concentration...the essential ingredient for concentration is that it involves a challenge that matches one's ability."

"Paradoxically, the feeling of happiness is only realised after the event. To acknowledge it at the time would only serve as a distraction. Out of all the moments pinpointed by people...their best are with hindsight...happiness is realised in its aftermath."

One week ago, the Times had an article about a research project involving 20,000, titled "Be happy: take some risks", read the whole thing here.

"People who take lots of risks are much more satisfied with their lives...this happy band is also more like to emigrate, move job, go freelance and (oops) get traffic tickets and to smoke." Check. Except the smoking, it's nicotine patches only for me, and only when celebrating!

I have two nephews, one has blue eyes, the other's are gray. When my blue eyed nephew was little, just four, he got me to chalk up a hopscotch board on his driveway. I started at one, got to nine and stopped but he said "keep going". I kept going and going, right over into the neighbour's driveway, until I got to 22 and I said "that's it! why do you want so many numbers?" His eyes sparkled as he said "makes it harder". I think that might be the secret, when things are hard, if we achieve what we've set out to do, thinking back on it makes us happy. I'm just saying...