A Harvard study reveals 6 basic points to be happy
There are many investigations that have been carried out to know more about happiness . Even more in these times, in which there is a great obsession to be happy. Researchers have been trying for some time to discover what makes happy people different, because, unfortunately, not everyone is.
Each of us lives life in different ways and that has positive or negative consequences on the emotional state. Happy people have their way of thinking and acting, their own attitude towards life and others, and facing the events that occur around them, which helps them maintain a more lasting state of happiness.
In today's article, we are going to talk about an investigation carried out by the Harvard University that has lasted no more or less than 75 years, and that has sought to know what are the key to happiness. So keep reading, because this interests you.
The longitudinal study of Harvard University on happiness
Harvard is the best university in the world to study Psychology, and since 1938 has carried out a study on happiness that had 268 subjects. The results were published in a book by George Vaillant in 2012, a psychiatrist who led the research from 1972 to 2004. For decades, researchers evaluated different areas in the participants' lives and obtained data from different variables, such as, for example, level of intelligence, your income, your alcohol consumption or your interpersonal relationships.
In summary, These are the conclusions of this research and, therefore, the keys to happiness .
1. Value love above all
The study concludes that we should not underestimate the power of love because it is the key to happiness . Dr. George Vaillant affirms that there are two essential things to be happy: "One of them is love. The other is to find a way to face the situations that make love want to go. "
After the study that cost 20 million dollars and lasted 75 years, the psychiatrist concludes: "Happiness is love. End and end ". So, after this statement, one thing should be clear. You have to open your heart to be happy.
2. Meaningful relationships and connections matter a lot
This is not new to this study, Many researches affirm that friendship and family are extremely important for our well-being and our happiness . In fact, there is scientific evidence that the good relationship with co-workers has a positive effect when it comes to reducing stress, which is known as a protective factor.
Not only that, but Valian says "not only healthy relationships are a good indicator of satisfaction in life, but a strong connection with the work we do makes us happier."
3. Do not abuse alcohol
Like any drug, alcohol can cause serious health problems for the person who consumes it . Not only that. It is also capable of destroying lives. The study by Harvard University concludes that there is a strong correlation between alcohol abuse and depression and emotional problems. In fact, both alcohol consumption and smoking are one of the major causes of mortality.
The drugs produce many negative effects for the human being. Do you want to know what happens when we consume them? Well click on this link.
4. Money does not make you happier
The results of this long-term research show that money does not bring happiness . Therefore, it is wrong to think that we must work to obtain the maximum economic benefit.
As Vaillant himself explains, "the really important thing is to be happy in the work you do".
But money not only does not make you happier, it changes you as a person. It changes you to worse . Money corrupts people, who are easy to bribe. Therefore, it is important to know the results of another study carried out in Spain, specifically by a group of researchers from the Universitat Jaume I of Castellón, in which it is concluded that rejecting a bribe produces more stress than accepting it.
It is common for many people to think that money makes you happier . And of course, just as the world works, money is a basic necessity. Now, to think that the more money we have the happier we will be is the wrong idea. Money is capable of making us rethink our own principles, and every day we can read or hear news of people who become corrupt when they move large amounts of "green gold".
In addition, the popular phrase that "money moves the world" is even more true after knowing the results of a study by the University of North Carolina (United States) that concludes that people change their behavior if there is money through . In fact, the group of subjects in their experiment was able to increase their scores on a verbal test when there was money involved. In other words, "pasta" makes us smarter. "
You can know more about these investigations in our post: Science says that money is a drug and does not give happiness.
5. Being an optimist makes you happier as long as you are a conscientious person
According to this study, optimism makes us happier . The researchers conclude that "after observing the evolution of the subjects, we found that cheerful and optimistic children were happier and lived to an advanced age." But the same study also concludes that conscientious and responsible people showed higher levels of life satisfaction. So optimism alone does not necessarily make you happier.
6. You can find happiness at any time in your life, so it's never too late to change
Happiness has a lot to do with how we interpret the world and, therefore, with our way of thinking. There are people who can be very unhappy for years, and, as a result of a bad experience, start to value the little things of the day to day .
This shows that you can learn to be happy. Put another way, it is possible to do things to be happier. If you are not, you should rethink your way of thinking and your daily habits. Maybe you do something wrong.
