We know that happiness is good for our health and well-being. In most ways, it is what keeps us motivated. And as life goes on we tend to search and find more reasons to be happy. But where exactly does our share of happiness come from?

Are we born with it?

Is it possible that happiness lies on every cell of your body? Well it is, and you can blame your neurotransmitters for that. Neurotransmitters are brain chemicals that pass information from a neuron to a cell. Simply put, it is your brain telling the rest of your body to be happy under certain circumstances. According to studies, high concentrations of norepinephrine – a type of neurotransmitter – leads to feelings of elation and euphoria. Studies also show that high levels of some neurotransmitters – specifically norepinephrine – can increase happiness while low levels of neropinephrine have been linked to feelings of depression.

The human brain has also been found to have a “reward system” which is a collection of brain structures that attempts to regulate and control behavior by inducing pleasurable effects. The “reward system” is actually a part of the brain’s limbic system which influences how we respond to the world around us. The limbic system is involved in many of our emotions and motivations, particularly those related to survival, such as fear and anger. The limbic system also regulates feelings of pleasure related to our survival, such as those experienced from eating and sex. The feelings of pleasure, which scientists call reward, are very powerful. If something is pleasurable or rewarding, you want to do it again. The feeling of pleasure then increases the levels of neurotransmitter neropinephrine and causes us to feel happy.

The functions of rewards are basically directed into the modification of behavior and positive emotions. Primary rewards include things that are necessary for survival such as food, water, shelter, and even sex. On the other hand, the value of the secondary rewards originates from the primary. These are money, music, pleasant touches, etc. Such rewards are physical and sensory however, their effects on us are entirely psychological. The more we feed our reward systems, the more we feel pleasure and obtain happiness.

Or is it learned?

In every mistake, hardship, or situation we face, there is always a tendency for us to gain something. But do you know that happiness is one of those things you can actually learn? When we have a problem, it is natural for our brains to work on coping with it and eventually, solving it. As a matter of fact, studies have shown that the applications of coping strategies or learned behaviors can improve a person’s mood. Successfully coping with a challenge increases the amount of norepinephrine released in the brain therefore causing happiness.

For instance, aerobic exercise – which is used as a coping strategy by many persons – can actually stimulate the output of norepinephrine by as much as four and one half times normal. Studies have compared athletes’ “runner’s high” to drugs wherein there is a “tolerance” effect and that a person’s body gets used to a certain level of the drug. In this case, norepinephrine serves as the drug and that the more a person tolerates in achieving happiness, his body works on increasing the said neurotransmitter.

Or maybe it’s in our consciousness…

Different situations in our lives can lead us into learning coping strategies and this can actually bring us happiness. Let’s say that we have found a solution that helped us solve a problem. We tend to keep this particular situation in mind so that the next time we face the same problem, we would know what to do. That’s when happiness comes into cognition.

Studies show that when people use coping strategies successfully, it can lead to feelings of pride and self-efficacy. These studies show that when people are experiencing feelings of pride and self-efficacy their bodies are also releasing a number of chemicals. Among the chemicals released is the neurotransmitter norepinephrine, which produces feelings of happiness.

In the long run, we tend to keep the coping strategies we learned because we know that they worked for us and actually produced happiness. It eventually becomes part of our consciousness and once you search for the same solution, your brain automatically ticks into these information.

Everyday Life

Sure, we are always in the look-out for reasons and ways to be happy. However, we still stumble on a few rocky situations from time to time, robbing us of our happiness. But life does not stop there. Since we have already experienced and enjoyed being happy, problems should serve as the reason to move on and find happiness again. This is where hope and optimism come in. These two, like happiness, are great motivators for us to be healthier physically, mentally, and emotionally.

When we are deprived of happiness, there’s always this tendency for us to lure into a depressed state which is not bad after all. What’s important is that we try to find sense in the situation we are in and then work on finding solutions. Hope is what drives us to work hard to improve ourselves and produce good results. Optimism, on the other hand, causes us to look on the bright side of things and influences us to do our best so that we can expect good outcome.

Happiness, hope, and optimism are three different things but share a common denominator. They are all great motivators for us to enjoy life, endure our hardships, find solutions, and then enjoy again. In fact, being happy, hopeful, and optimistic does not stop within ourselves. In one way or another, we are able to share them to the people close to us by being with them, giving them advice, or by simply being a friend. If we impart these motivations to other people, then it’s a step to making the world a better place to live in, since we encourage them to find their own share of happiness.

Sources: www.mentalhelp.net, www.bipolar.about.com, www.bettyphillipspsychology.com, www.addictionscience.net, www.cancerweb.ncl.ac.uk, www.foxnews.com

With the advent of technology and widespread use of the internet. Information in now in our fingertips. No more queing in the library to borrow books to read, we just need to sit back and relax in front of our computers or even mobile phones and get the information, on demand.

It is certainly beneficial and very useful for us who live in a fast paced, result-oriented world. Things we can’t do five years ago is now a matter of minutes to finish.  But as with all good things come the opposite effect. Technology brought us to think factually. It is something that we live in a world that needs constant confirmation in science. We learned not to listen to our hearts. We lost our instinct.

Science is attacking itself!

There were numerous scientific studies that show not believing in scientific facts makes for better happiness!

Here are some examples that further illustrates why science do not mix with happiness:

Spirituality.

Believing in God is very different in the factual and truthful world of science. While science is very specific, religion is very vague and is open to interpretations. That’s why different kinds of religious denominations exists today. But even so, it is proven ’scientifically’ that having a faithful trust in the creator of heaven and earth is much happier than their religion less counterparts.

United Kingdom’s Royal Economic Society has done a research on this, they found out that Christians have significantly higher levels of happiness in the areas of life satisfaction and quality of living. Meanwhile, their faith serves as a cushion, absorbing the letdowns in life.

Let us consider the happiest country on earth, Israel. This predominantly Jewish country, sandwiched between Muslim nations has a different, positive way of thinking. Their religion made them optimistic as they do not believe they will die and suffer the eternal flames of hell.

Medicine.

The Buddhist believes that everything is controlled by the mind. Whatever sufferings we inflict in our lives is the effect of our actions, choices which are subliminally created by our minds.

Today, psychological assessment of patient is necessary when taking medicines. The reason? Many patients just wanted what they think will make them better without going through the facts. It may be the because of the influence that pharmaceutical drugs causes instant relief – because the doctors told them so.

Most of these patients – who wishes to get ‘cured’ instantly – just needed some advice that can make them feel better. Unfortunately, many of them do not believe as they prioritize the scientific facts than the doctors diagnosis.

Here comes the Placebo effect, a treatment for patients who does not really need medications. What this treatment does is by giving the patient what they want, albeit it really has no effect on them. For example, a person who believes he has migraine may want to take medications and will insist on a doctor to give him. The doctor – who knew that he is not really suffering from migraine – will give him fake medicines that looks like the real thing but without any effect whatsoever. The outcome? A better patient and a happier life.

Harvard Medical School professor Ted Kaptchuck has a word in this:

“Scientific perspective is so rational that it forgets that the passion and foibles of human beings are part of the dialogue and discourse of all ages. I don’t mean to say science is bad, but there’s a hubris there that science has all the answers and you’ve just got to get rid of all the superstitious stuff and then we’d have a great world.”

On the other hand, science is still important to us. We cannot discover the importance of happiness without the help of the largely organized and specific science.

Watching too many movies causes eye strain; eating too much induces indigestion and smiling too much causes lock-jaw. Basically, anything too much is not good, same goes for happiness.

In a study conducted by the University of Virginia, University of Illinois and Michigan State University, looked at data from the World Values Survey, a large-scale analysis of economic, social, political and religious influences around the world and analyzed the behaviors and attitudes of 193 students at Illinois.

Their findings revealed that those who reported to be very happy (people who report that they are 10s on a 10-point life satisfaction score) are some cases worse off than their less than jubilant counterparts.”The highest levels of income, education and political anticipation were reported not by the most satisfied individuals (10 on the 10-point scale),” the authors wrote, “but by moderately satisfied individuals (8 or 9 on the 10-point scale).”

“The 10s earned significantly less money than the eights and nines. Their educational achievements and political engagement were also significantly lower than their moderately happy and happy-but-not-blissful counterparts.”

Ed Diener, an Illinois psychology professor and one of the authors of the study said: “In the more social realms, however, the 10s were the most successful, engaging more often in volunteer activities and maintaining more stable relationships.” Altogether, “the evidence indicates that happiness is a worthy goal for those who lack it, but the endless pursuit of even more happiness for the already happy may be counterproductive.”

“If you’re worried about success in life, don’t be a 1, 2, 3 or 4 (on the 10-point scale),” Diener said. “If you are unhappy or only slightly happy, you may need to seek help or read those self-help books or do something to make yourself happier. But if you’re a 7 or 8, maybe you’re happy enough!”

Source: www.eurekalert.org

We know that happiness is good. But do we know that its’ good not just for the soul but for the body also? The National Academy of Sciences conducted a study among 200 adults to look at the link between happiness and a number of health markers. These markers included blood pressure, heart rate, levels of the stress hormone cortisol, and bloof fibrinogen levels. easurements were taken both under normal conditions and following a mental stress test. Under each condition, participants rated their happiness on a scale of 1 (low) to 5 (high).

The study revealed that not singleness, nor being married, nor being poor, nor being rich is what makes a difference in being happy. As a matter of fact, the participants who had the best results for various health markers were said to be the happiest.

“Our findings indicate that positive affective states are related to favourable profiles of functioning in several biological systems and may thereby be relevant to risk of development of physical illness,” the researchers concluded.

However, the researchers also said that since the study was conducted over a short period of time, more research has yet to be done and more data to be collected.

Being careful with physical health should not be that hard since being simply makes a good start.

For years, the pacemaker was synonymous with the heart. But new technologies are now pushing the positive effects created by the small electronic into the brain.Researchers from the Cleveland Clinic of the Harvard School and Brown Medical school created a brain pacemaker to treat depression and Obsessive-compulsive disorder, commonly known as OCD.

They already implanted the brain pacemaker into 17 people suffering from depression and on 26 patient with OCD. They tracked the depressed for a year and with OCD for three years and found substantial improvements in mood, social and occupational functioning.

Now, there’s no more reason to be unhappy!

Source: www.reuters.com

It seems the world’s most powerful country is getting a bit melancholic.

Data generated from more than 100,000 people who were interviewed by the Gallup-Healthways for their well-being index revealed that 47 percent of Americans are struggling to be healthy and be happy while the four percent are already suffering. Meanwhile, 49 percent are flying high and seems to be with no problems.

Those who are on the 49 percent: the happy and thriving, had higher incomes, healthier and more educated in contrast with the other half who are suffering have problems regarding food, shelter or health.

The researchers are hoping that the survey will – when broken down by occupation – help employers create a happier working environment and healthier employees.

Source: www.freep.com

Who ever thought that mopping the floor or washing the dishes promote happiness?A new study from the University College London, reports that doing just 20 minutes of housework a week can make a substantial effect on a person’s level of happiness.

The researchers surveyed close to 20,000 Scottish people in the amount of their physical activity and their happiness levels. They found that those who engage in physical activities like exercising, playing sports or even cleaning the house are likely to be happier than their 3,200 member counterpart who reported to be depressed and suffering from anxiety.

A 20 minute of housework or physical activity reduces chances of depression by 20 percent and the percentage increases as the activity gets more intense.

Isn’t it nice, doing two things at a time?

Source: newscientist.com, image courtesy of Daniel Morris.

Watching a marathon of comedy shows on T.V. may not lead you to happiness, it can even impair.

It is after a team of five university professors evaluated the emotions of people during certain activities. They found out that while the standard of living has risen over the last 40 years, happiness isn’t.

One of the reasons: watching television is always done in isolation. People nowadays does not have enough human interaction. What people need is an active, recreating lifestyle filled with human warmth. “Make the effort to go out and engage with your family or friends or exercise or read. It would make your life better,” University of California – San Diego professor David Schkade said.

Here’s a simple yet profound quote from the Dalai Lama: “We can live without religion and meditation, but we cannot survive without human affection. “

Hollywood dictates that for every nice looking woman, there is a nice looking man. They would end up together and live happily ever after. Is this also applicable in real life? Apparently no. A new study released by the University of Tennessee suggest a different view about love and marriages.

The research, published in the Journal of Family Psychology studied 82 newlywed couples about their satisfaction as husbands and wives. The result was surprising: when the husband is, let’s say, less handsome, the happier their relationship.

Professor Jim McNulty offers an explanation, “Men who were more attractive than their partner demonstrated a tendency to offer less emotional and practical support to their wives.”

“Attractive men have available to them more short-term mating opportunities. This may make them less satisfied and less committed to the marital relationship.”

Economics may play a role here as both the male and female get what they want from a relationship and equity is gained. In general, men focuses on looks than women do. On the other hand, women value stability, loyalty and emotional attachment from a relationship

“The truth is that less attractive people are more successful at building long-term relationships, and happier in their relationships, than attractive people,” psychotherapist Dr. Tina B. Tessina said. “Attractiveness implies an unusual degree of attention to hair, grooming, makeup, fitness, etc. which also implies a higher than average degree of narcissism. All of us have some degree of narcissistic tendencies, but as the degree of narcissism rises, the ability to empathize, connect, give and cooperate goes down. Thus, attractive people have great self-enhancement skills (as well as good genes for facial and body symmetry) but not such great intimacy, faithfulness and partnership skills. No matter what the study says, I think the attractive women in those relationships are probably not great to live with. The men are just willing to give more and be in a thankless relationship because they’ve got such a hot babe.”

Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

Ironic it may seem but our grandparents are happier than youngsters like us. This is according to a study conducted for more than 30 years by the University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center.

From 1972 to 2004, the researchers annually interview 1,500 to 3,000 people asking them questions answerable by very happy, pretty happy, or not too happy. They found 33 percent of Americans being very happy at age 88, vs. 24 percent of those age 18 to their early 20s. While women are happier than men and white people are happier than black people. Interestingly, more than half of the people over 80 said they were happy.

“With age comes happiness. That is, overall levels of happiness increase with age, net of other factors,” University of Chicago sociologist Yang Yang said “People tended to be happier during economic good times,”Yang said. “But those born into the crowded and competitive ‘Baby Boom’ generation from 1946 to 1964 were the least happy – probably because some did not get what they wanted out of life,” he said.

“A man’s age is something impressive, it sums up his life: maturity reached slowly and against many obstacles, illnesses cured, griefs and despairs overcome, and unconscious risks taken; maturity formed through so many desires, hopes, regrets, forgotten things, loves. A man’s age represents a fine cargo of experiences and memories.” Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Wartime Writings 1939-1944.

Source: www.reuters.com

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