Kids are materialistic. They love ice-cream, toys and anything fancy. Once they didn’t get what they want, they will scowl. Tell them you’ll buy candies, their small faces eventually gleams with delight.
In a study published in the January issue of Health Psychology, it states childhood personality predicts adult behavior. Does this mean adults are materialistic? Not at all. Family and good health still makes people happy according to the study conducted by Economist Richard Easterlin of the University of California.
The power of friendship
Are you the type of individual whom people constantly approach? Being approachable is fun but use it to your advantage and gain more friends. A statistic from the University of Chicago National Opinion Research Center (UC-NORC) reported:
“…those with five or more close friends are 50% more likely to describe themselves as ‘very happy’ than those with smaller social circles.”
“By far the greatest predictor of happiness… is intimate relationships,” Sonja Lyubomirsky, a researcher at the University of California-Riverside said. “It’s definitely not money.”
Say “I do” to be happy
Another way to be happy? Get Married. Even though Hollywood is full of failed marriages, a study also from UC-NORC states that 40% of married American adults see themselves as “very happy,” versus 26% of those who are single.
According to Claire Kamp Dush, being married is connected with less distress, higher self-esteem, greater life satisfaction and greater happiness.
“whereas people who are not in stable romantic relationships tend to report lower self-esteem, less life satisfaction, less happiness and more distress,” the postdoctoral fellow at the Institute for Social Sciences at Cornell University added.
Man’s best friend
Surely, one of the happiest recollections of your youth is having a pet. If not, it’s now time to have one although it may cost a little fortune. In an article published at Reader’s Digest magazine, researchers evaluated the heart health of 240 couples, half of whom owned a pet. Couples with pets significantly had lower heart rates and blood pressure levels than the couples who did not have pets.The pets even influenced the promotion of easing stress than other methods. Fantastic!
One can be happy without even dashing a penny. This may sound overused so let’s modify it a little: the best things in life are free; and make us happy!
(Image courtesy of kalandrakas)
