Barbara: I watched the film,
Happy, last week. It’s a compelling doc by Roko Belic that features interviews of "regular joes" and happiness
experts, searching around the world for untapped secrets to
happiness. I definitely recommend seeing it yourself (yes, it will make you
happy), but I also thought I’d share a quick list of points I gleaned while
watching.
1. Our individual happiness
scale is based 50% on our genetic predisposition, 10% (only!) on our
circumstances, and 40% (a lot!) on WHAT WE DO.
2. We can make ourselves
happier by switching things up. Seeing new things in our immediate surroundings
or exploring the greater world will generate feelings of happiness.
3. Most of us are wired to
aim for happiness, but those lovely dopamine receptors do begin to die off
after the teen years. The experts recommend: use it or lose it!
4. Any adrenaline rush—like
during exercise—keeps these dopamine receptors in fighting shape.
5. Helping people makes us happy.
6. Being (and acting as) part
of a larger community makes us happy.
8. Having not enough money to
survive does adversely affect our
happiness, but having more and more of it—ie, enough to survive upwards to gazillions—doesn’t at all.
7. Explore and give reign to
your creative side in order to feel “you are being yourself”, but also make
sure you do the kind of work you need to do to feel “useful”.
8. The number one, most
consistent factor for the happiest people around the world, from every kind of
background, class, race, and social system? A circle of family and friends. You
don’t have to love them all or agree with them all the time, but you do want to recognize and nurture the
circle. In fact, I don’t remember there being any mention in the film of
needing to have that one special someone in order to be happy, but there were many many examples of the excellent benefits
of the circle.
Hello, cherished friends! You
make me happy.
Deb: I found this so fascinating. Only 10% on circumstances reminds
us of the old adage “money can’t buy happiness.” I am one of those people who
is wired for happiness, thank God, and it has never changed for me. Sure, I get
unhappy but my body always wants to BE happy. As I went down the list I was
happy to be able to tick each and every thing off my own list. Wow, I am
feeling lucky today!
