A Harvard study reveals 6 basic points to be happy
There are many investigations that have been carried out 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 figure out what makes people happy, because unfortunately, not everyone is.
Each of us lives life in different ways and this has positive or negative consequences on our emotional state. Happy people have their way of thinking and acting, their own attitude towards life and others, and towards 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 research conducted by the Harvard University that it has lasted neither more nor less than 75 years, and that it has pretended to know what the key to happiness is. So keep reading, because this interests you.
The Harvard University Longitudinal Study of 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 lives of the participants and obtained data from different variables, such as your level of intelligence, your income, your alcohol consumption or your relationships interpersonal.
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 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 leave.
After the study that cost 20 million dollars and lasted 75 years, the psychiatrist concludes: “Happiness is love. Full stop ”. So, after this statement, one thing must 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, as much research affirms that friendship and family are extremely important to our well-being and happiness. In fact, there is scientific evidence that affirms that good relationships with co-workers have 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 satisfaction in life, but a strong connection to the work we do makes us more happy ”.
3. Do not abuse alcohol
Like any drug alcohol can cause serious health problems for the person who consumes it. Not only that. but, in addition, it is 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 and tobacco use are one of the biggest causes of death.
Drugs have many negative effects for humans. Do you want to know what happens when we consume them? Well click on this link.
4. Money doesn't make you happier
The results of this long-standing research show that money does not bring happiness. Therefore, it is wrong to think that we must work to get 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 doesn't make you happier, it changes you as a person. Changes you for the worse. Money corrupts people, they are easy to bribe. For this reason, it is important to know the results of another study carried out in Spain, specifically by a group of researchers from the Jaume I University of Castellón, in which it is concluded that rejecting a bribe produces more stress than accept 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. Now, to think that the more money we have the happier we will be is a 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 says that "money moves the world" is even more true after knowing the results of a study from the University of North Carolina (United States) that concludes that people change their behavior if there is money involved. In fact, the group of subjects in his experiment was able to increase their scores on a verbal test when money was involved. In other words, “pasta” makes us smarter ”.
You can learn more about these investigations in our post: Science claims 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 the 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 doesn't necessarily make you happier.
6. You can find happiness at any time in your life, so it is 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, begin to value the little things of the day to day.
This shows that you can learn to be happy. In other words, it is possible to do things to be happier. If you are not, you should still rethink your way of thinking and your daily habits. Maybe you do something wrong.