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

Richer people have bigger houses. Magazines featuring celebrities in their cribs were all the rage for their design and contemporary themes. Pair it with their smiling, happy faces, it seem like a larger house gives blissfulness to the homeowner.But it is, in fact, the opposite.

According to Harvard professor Dan Gilbert, buying a house makes us not happier because with a bigger house comes a high maintenance costs and higher mortgage payments every month. Moreover, having a larger house requires time spent on redesigning, customizing and adjusting it to fit the homeowners’ preference rather than enjoying the house.

A smaller house may actually be enjoyed much more, as it is much easier to maintain and a smaller space means a much more intimate relationship with the house mates.

But why do people think that a bigger house makes them happier?

It is all about status, Gilbert says. A bigger house increases our status and we may feel a boost of happiness from people admiring the big house But this happiness is just temporary. After the “infatuation” period, there comes the unavoidable consequences of the financial cost for maintenance and the physical effort that comes with it.

The best way to do? Gilbert says we need to change our perception of happiness that a bigger house doesn’t lead to an increased happiness.

“Being happy is about changing the way we look at things (framing a loss as a gain) but also how we go about doing things to improve our life (actually simplifying our life).” Well-being coach Maddy Swinnen advises.

Do you know that we spend more money when we are sad?

In a research funded by the National Science Foundation, the research team, composed of behavioral scientists found out that people who feel sad and “self-focused” tend to spend more than the happy or emotionally neutral people, even when buying the same item.

Cynthia E. Cryder, a doctoral student at Carnegie Mellon University and the study’s lead author said “The tendency is to focus on oneself when sad drives this effect. More research is needed to determine whether participants are deliberately trying to improve their sense of self by acquiring goods,” added Jennifer Lerner, the report’s co-author.

In their experiments, researchers showed the test participants video clips either from a sad part in the movie “The Champ” or a neutral scene about coral reef from a National Geographic documentary.

After seeing the films, the researchers let the participants shop for ordinary items like water bottles at various prices. Interestingly, those who watched the sad film, paid up to 300 percent more for the same item than those who saw the coral reef documentary.

The researchers suggest that sadness tends stimulate people to “devalue” both themselves and their belongings, leading in efforts to “buy happiness.”

Source: NSF.gov

Imagine a scene in a playground with a child walking with helium balloons tied in his wrist, the other hand pulling the string of a toy car while at the same time holding the lollipop he is happily licking. He is having a great time with all those things but what if suddenly, all of it was gone? Can he still enjoy his time in the playground? I guess not.

This is what’s happening to America right now: Children who do not know the meaning of being sad as all they knew was happiness.

Being sad is a natural part of growing up, sadly, many parents are protecting their children from it. According to Aaron Cooper, PhD who wrote a book on the dangers when parents make happiness the most important thing to their children,

“Without plenty of practice coping with ordinary sadness, upset, disappointment, and hurt, kids don’t develop resilience… And without resilience, they’re vulnerable to all kinds of problems.”

This may be the reason why the use of antidepressants among the youth are on the rise because they do not know hope to cope up with sadness.

Sadly, most parents don’t realize this and end up “being ragged or going into debt just to make their children happy.” Even without the smile on the children’s faces they can still “function adequately” “but many parents are looking for that smile.”

(Read Prweb, image courtesy of limbte)