Harvard study reveals 6 basic points to be happy
Is there a foolproof recipe for happiness? It seems there is.
A lot of research has been conducted to learn more about happiness.. Even more so in these times, in which there is a great obsession to be happy. Researchers have long been trying to discover what makes happy people different, because, unfortunately, not everyone is happy.
Each of us lives life in different ways and that has positive or negative consequences on the emotional state. Happy people have their own way of thinking and acting, their own attitude towards life and others, and towards the events that happen around them, which helps them to maintain a more lasting state of happiness.
In today's article, we are going to talk about a research carried out by the Harvard University that has lasted no more and no less than 75 years, and that has tried to find out what are the keys to happiness. So read on, because this is of interest to you.
Harvard University's longitudinal study on happiness
Harvard is the best university in the world to study psychology, and since 1938 it has conducted a study on happiness that included 268 subjects. The results were published in a book George Vaillant in 2012, a psychiatrist who led the research from 1972 to 2004. For decades, the researchers evaluated different areas in the lives of the participants and obtained data on different variables, such as, for example, their level of intelligence, their income, their alcohol consumption or their interpersonal relationships.
In summary, these are the conclusions of this research and, therefore, the keys to happiness.
1. Value love above all else.
The study concludes that we should not underestimate the power of love because it is the key to happiness.. Dr. George Vaillant states that two things are essential to be happy: "One is love. The other is finding a way to deal with the situations that make love want to go away".
After the study that cost 20 million dollars and lasted 75 years, the psychiatrist concludes: "Happiness is love. Period." 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 from this study, as many Many researches affirm that friendship and family are extremely important for our well-being and happiness.. In fact, there is scientific evidence that a good relationship with co-workers has a positive effect on reducing stress, which is known as a protective factor.
Not only that, but Valian says "not only are healthy relationships a good indicator of life satisfaction, but a strong connection to the work we do makes us happier".
3. Don't abuse alcohol
Like any drug, alcohol can cause serious health problems for the person who consumes it.. Not only that, but it is also capable of destroying lives. The Harvard University study 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.
Drugs produce many negative effects on human beings. Do you want to know what happens when we consume them? Then click on this link.
4. Money does not make you happier
The results of this long-lived research show that money does not make you happy.. Therefore, it is wrong to think that we should work to get the maximum economic benefit.
As Vaillant himself explains, "what is really important is to be happy in the work you do".
But not only does money not make you happier, it changes you as a person. It changes you for the worse. Money corrupts people, who are easy to bribe. That is why 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, which concludes 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, the way the world works, money is a basic need. However, to think that the more money we have the happier we will be is a misconception. 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".
Moreover, the popular phrase that "money moves the world" is even more true after learning the results of a study by the University of North Carolina (USA) that concludes that people change their behavior if money is involved.. In fact, the group of subjects in their experiment were able to increase their scores on a verbal test when money was involved. In other words, "money makes us smarter".
You can learn more about this research in our post: Science affirms that money is a drug and does not bring happiness.
5. Being optimistic 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 consequence of a bad experience, begin to appreciate the little things of everyday life..
This shows that it is possible to learn to be happy. In other words, it is possible to do things to be happier. If you are not, you may need to rethink your way of thinking and your daily habits. Maybe you're doing something wrong.
(Updated at Apr 12 / 2024)