Health: The Path to Happiness

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Happiest People Have THIS in Common

 

When it comes to happiness, there is one thing that fills us with joy

more than anything else: Love.

 

Having a romantic relationship makes both men and women happier, and the

stronger the relationship's commitment, the greater the happiness and

sense of well-being of its partners, according to a new study from

Cornell University and Pennsylvania State University that was published

in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.

 

Interestingly, both husbands and wives have a far greater sense of

well-being, compared to singles or cohabitators, even if the marriage is

not a particularly happy one. Why? They likely benefit from the

marriage's stability, commitment and social status. " Even when

controlling for relationship happiness, being married is associated with

higher self-esteem, greater life satisfaction, greater happiness and

less distress, whereas people who are not in stable romantic

relationships tend to report lower self-esteem, less life satisfaction,

less happiness and more distress, " study leader Claire Kamp Dush said in

a news release announcing the study findings.

 

The study found that people who cohabit are next on the scale of

happiness, followed by those in steady relationships and then those in

casual relationships. Those without partners report the lowest levels of

well-being. " Some commitment appears to be good, but more commitment

appears to be even better, " Kamp Dush said. " In general, people appear

to feel better about themselves and their lives when they move into a

more committed relationship. "

 

But which comes first, the chicken or the egg? That is, are happier

individuals more likely to enter into committed relationships or do

committed relationships actually improve well-being? " Those most likely

to move into more committed relationships were actually those who

reported lower levels of well-being when first surveyed, " Kamp Dush

said. " Therefore, if they were using committed relationships as a

strategy to improve their well-being, it appeared to work. "

 

Kamp Dush and co-author Paul Amato of Penn State came to these

conclusions by analyzing data from the study of Marital Instability Over

the Life Course that included telephone interviews with 691 individuals

in 1992 and 1997. Well-being was assessed with measures of self-esteem,

life satisfaction, general happiness and distress symptoms.

 

Studying romantic relationships--which range from casual dating to

marriage--is important, Kamp Dush noted, because such relationships have

the potential to affect people's mental health, physical health,

sexuality and financial status.

 

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Do These 10 Things for True Happiness

 

What does it take to be truly happy and have feelings of joy permeate

your everyday life? The answer is that it takes a lot less than you

might think.

 

Six British experts from a variety of disciplines--a psychologist, a

psychotherapist, two workplace specialists, a social entrepreneur and an

economist--worked together in an unusual three-month experiment to help

the people living in the English town of Slough find happiness. What

they found were 10 simple steps we can all take to make our lives happy,

reports the BBC News.

 

The team determined that the " seeds of happiness " are in this 10-point

plan. Do all of these regularly and you'll soon be smiling.

 

1. Plant something and nurture it.

 

2. Count your blessings--at least five--at the end of each day.

 

3. Take time to talk. Have an hour-long conversation with a loved one

each week.

 

4. Phone a friend with whom you have not spoken for a while and arrange

to meet up.

 

5. Give yourself a treat every day and take the time to really enjoy it.

 

6. Have a good laugh at least once a day.

 

7. Get physical. Exercise for half an hour three times a week.

 

8. Smile at and/or say hello to a stranger at least once each day.

 

9. Cut your TV viewing by half.

 

10. Spread kindness. Do a good turn for someone every day.

 

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Want to Feel Happy Right Now? Do This!

 

It doesn't matter if it's rock or classical, listening to music will

give your soul a quick jolt of happiness.

 

That's the word from researchers at Pennsylvania State University in

Altoona who have shown that when we hear music we like, bad moods are

banished and good moods are enhanced.

 

What music does: It makes listeners more optimistic, joyful, friendly,

relaxed, and calm, and helps vanish feelings of pessimism and sadness.

 

What music doesn't do: It won't ease feelings of fear, sadness, hate, or

aggression, and it does nothing to increase feelings of love.

 

Led by psychology professor Valerie N. Stratton and music professor

Annette H. Zalanowski, the study required 47 college students to keep

music-listening diaries for two weeks. They were instructed to report

their moods before and after each musical episode. " Not only did our

sample of students report more positive emotions after listening to

music, but their already positive emotions were intensified by listening

to music, " Stratton explained in a news release announcing the study

findings.

 

It made no difference what type of music the students chose--rock, pop,

soft rock, easy listening, oldies, classical, or New Age. In addition,

it didn't matter where they listened to the music or what they were

doing while it was playing, be it studying, driving, dressing, or

socializing.

 

The study findings were published in the Psychology and Education: An

Interdisciplinary Journal.

 

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