What's the Key Ingredient to Happiness?
Is it money, love or simply companionship? Read on for some recent findings about what it takes to attain true happiness.
Having a bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream might create a sense of happiness for about 10 minutes – while purchasing that shiny new car might leave you elated for an entire month! But what are the ingredients to long-lasting happiness?
Researcher John T. Cacioppo, from the University of Chicago, explored the subject of happiness in a recent study which he wrote about in the article, ‘
In Pursuit of Happiness.’ Recreating a prior population study done by CHASR (Chicago Health, Aging and Social Relations Study), Cacioppo and his team reinforced earlier findings which revealed a key ingredient to happiness: satisfying interpersonal relationships. Cacioppo explains: “People who had satisfying interpersonal relationships became happier over time whereas those who felt lonely or isolated, whether married or not, became less happy over time.”
The early study concluded as well that people with satisfying personal relationships were happiest overall.
The other area that directly relates to happiness is household income. In Cacioppo’s study, he found that quality of interpersonal relationships actually led to increases in household income. How does this work? “Happy people form good relationships in the workplace as elsewhere,” He writes, “and good relationships promote better job performance, positively influence the likelihood of receiving good performance reviews and promotions, and provide better networking opportunities that lead in financially productive directions.”
Essentially, fulfilling personal relationships have a huge impact on happiness, which can translate into a more positive and prosperous work life. “These results suggest that sacrificing quality relationships with spouse, family and colleagues in pursuit of higher raises may be counterproductive,” Cacioppo concluded. “When you are happy with your personal relationships, you perform better at work … taking time to develop and maintain meaningful and personally satisfying relationships may pay great dividends.”
What do you find brings you the most happiness in life?
Read on for similar articles in eHarmony Advice's Stages of Love Road Map!
33 comments on
“What's the Key Ingredient to Happiness?”
[SIZE=4][FONT=Comic Sans MS][B]I believe it is choice. We have to choose to be happy despite the circumstances, see God's will in the good and bad experiences and believe in His mercy and that with every suffering comes relief. I remember going on a class trip to the Holocaust museum and at the end we were given the opportunity to speak to two survivors (a man and a woman). I remember someone asking how they can seem to be such happy people despite all they had went through. I can't remember the answer they gave us but I do believe they lived their life according to this philosophy.
It's not an easy choice...so many people today choose anger and violence over lesser issues.Every day is a challenge and a choice for peace and happiness in our lives and those around us.My sincerest wish is that more of us make this a worthy goal in their lives.
[/B][/FONT][/SIZE]
- October 26, 2009 08:23 PM
:D True happiness can only come when we find spiritual fullfillment. We are first of all, spiritual beings. There are those of us who believe that when we are dead, that is the end. But most of us believe that we live on in a spiritual form of some sort. That we were spirit before we put on our flesh, and that we will continue to be spirit after our flesh is gone. So, nurturing our spirits is the key to happiness, for it exists outside of time and space for it is eternal, and as such, has a great capacity to hold goodness and to communicate goodness and joy back to us. How do we do that? The more you find to be thankful for, the more you magnify your spirit, and the more you spirit is magnified, the greater your capability to see beyond the here and now, beyond these sensual and earthly problems to a much greater, hidden peace within that transcends our own flesh due to its eternal nature, bringing us to a place of peace and understanding that only great studiers of philosophy and religion have reached. It is a great mystery, but a true one nonetheless, and can only be tested to be found to be true. So, to make it simple-be thankful, be thankful, and say it! Feel it within! Transcend earthly disappointments-have a thankfulness session each and everyday. You can say you thank God or you can just say you are thankful. Either way, your spirit will recognize your effort to connect with a greater truth. :)
- October 25, 2009 01:07 PM
What is wrong with scientists today - don't they ever research their topic before trying to answer it? Scientists discovered the key to happiness 40 years ago, and it was very simple....but now they've forgotten. I've seen this time after time - scientists "discovering" things that I read about in Popular Science 30, 40, or 50 years ago. What good does it do to answer important questions like this if nobody but me cares enough to pay attention?
- October 24, 2009 12:27 PM
Not an Advice member? Sign up to contribute to the discussion.
Create an account above to save and post your reply. This information is private: only your screen name will be visible to other Advice members.
Advice members, log in to post your reply.
eHarmony account holders: your signup information will not work in the Advice Community. You must create an Advice screen name by using the sign-up form to the right.
Print
Email
RSS
Recent comments on this article
Read all comments