Scientists in the US are claiming that, much like natural skills, some people are just innately happy, and those who are not can learn to be, writes Jennifer Miller.
Scientists examining photographs in a women's college annual recently, speculated as to which they thought were the happiest, by basing their guesses on a smile. The results matched their theories. Contacted at ages 27, 43 and 52, the women confirmed that a momentary snapshot of a bona fide smile could accurately predict their future level of authentic happiness.The scientists concluded that looks were not a factor.
The latest research on happiness suggests that much like being a talented guitarist or unparalleled cook, some skills just come naturally to some people, while others have to work at it. Just as body weight settles at a certain point, despite enduring efforts of stringent dieters, so to does each person's unique level of happiness, regardless of their health, wealth or attractiveness. The upside of this scientific finding is that similar to lowering a weight level through dedicated and steady effort, individual's can learn how to enjoy life more fully by relying on genetically inherent signature strengths.
For the last 50 years or so, the field of psychology has focused primarily on curing mental illness. At present, at least 14 major mental afflictions, including schizophrenia and manic depression, can be effectively controlled with medication and therapy. However, while relieving suffering has been a worthwhile priority, in his recent book, Authentic Happiness, American professor Dr Martin Seligman asserts that psychology has neglected happiness, strength and virtue.
As a basis for his work, Dr Seligman was particularly driven by three questions: why are people inherently endowed with positive feeling; who has an abundance of positive emotion; and how can people build more lasting positive emotion into their lives?
By answering these questions, he laid the groundwork for what is now known as positive psychology. Although not an entirely new concept, positive psychology has been in the research stages for the last 30 years and is only now developing a concrete method that counsellors and other mental health professionals can apply in their practices.
So what exactly is happiness? To some extent, it is related to our experiences. A student who has just received top marks on all his final exams, for example, will undoubtedly experience elation. Despite various vicissitudes that bring extreme highs or lows, however, people tend to return to a "happiness set-point".
Taking the definition a step further, Dr Seligman identifies the pleasant life, the good life and the meaningful life. Drinking champagne on a yacht docked in the Caribbean is the pleasant life, while relying on inherent signature strengths to produce happiness and gratification is the good life (for instance, when a person who loves learning finds great satisfaction through teaching). According to the doctor, this process imbues our lives with authenticity. The meaningful life goes a step beyond the good life, by becoming larger than the person, meaning people engage their strengths and virtues to produce some philanthropic good.
Today, optimism may be required for survival and therefore, has become an evolutional necessity. According to research conducted at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, optimists view setbacks as temporary surmountable challenges, while pessimists view them as irrevocable, widespread and personal. Studies showed that optimists were more productive at work, had more successful interpersonal relationships, made more money, and were more likely to be innovative and playful than pessimists.
Dr Seligman believes that happiness is a result of more then mere optimism. When the going gets rough, genuinely happy people draw on inherent strengths bestowed by evolution. When it came down to winning a mate or surviving an attack, our predecessors are the ones who rose to the occasion and passed on their genes as a result.
Out of thousands of possible character strengths, positive psychology chooses 24 traits based on three criteria: they had to be valued in almost every culture; they had to be valued in their own right and not as a means to an end; and they had to be adaptable. This would mean that punctuality, for example, would be ruled out, as it is not valued in every culture and it can be seen as a means to an end. From these standards, the group ended up with six core virtues: wisdom, courage, love, justice, temperance and spirituality. Each of the six were then broken up into various strengths. Love, for example, included kindness, generosity, nurturance and the ability to be loved as well as to love.
Chapters on practical application to areas like work and personal satisfaction, as well as self-assessment questionnaires are available within Authentic Happiness and at www.authentichappiness.com. Dr Seligman asserts that people should forget about areas they are weak in and focus on building their strengths.
A 24-week continuing education course in positive psychology is currently available for psychologists, counsellors, educators and other professionals both within the US and abroad. Information about the courses is available at www.authentichappiness.com
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The following is a culmination of tips pulled together from the Dalai Lama and other "happiness gurus" on how to keep a light-hearted bounce in your step:
Love yourself. Lose your self-limiting beliefs and focus on your good points.
Stay in the moment. Enjoy the present while you reach for the future.
Make connections with people. Communicate with others and become a good listener.
Take good care of yourself. Know when it is time to go home and put your feet up.
Accentuate the positive. When you feel your mood slipping, learn to recognise and tap into the sensation of happiness.
Be patient with yourself. Changing ingrained habits formed over years can take time.
Seek help if you need it. If what you are feeling is worse than the common or garden-variety blues, contact a health professional.
