EWT News Can we make ourselves happier? By Pascale Harter BBC News Can we make ourselves happier? According to studies from all over the globe collated by the World Happiness Database in Rotterdam, we can. But the path to happiness may not be where we are looking for it. Professor Ruut Veenhoven, Director of the Database and Emeritus professor of social conditions for human happiness at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam, says his own study found a slight negative correlation between the number of times people in a study spontaneously mentioned "goals" and their happiness. "Though it is generally assumed that you need goals to lead a happy life, evidence is mixed. The reason seems to be that unhappy people are more aware of their goals, because they seek to change their life for the better." But perhaps the most intriguing finding from an array of studies on file at the database is the lack of correlation between seeing meaning in life and being happy. "Surprisingly I found no correlation," says Professor Veenhoven. Studies suggest leading an active life is the strongest correlate with happiness. "In order to have a happy life, a rewarding life, you need to be active. So involvement is more important to happiness than meaning in the sense of the why, why we are here." But the best news on file at the World Happiness Database is that we can make ourselves happier, and not just through external changes like having more money. "Research has shown that we can make ourselves happier because happiness does change over time," says Professor Veenhoven, "and these changes are not just a matter of better circumstances but of better dealing with life. Elderly people tend to be wiser, and for that reason, happier." Top 10 happiest countries Countries ranked in order of "satisfaction with life", according to the World Database of Happiness: Costa Rica Denmark Iceland Switzerland Norway Finland Mexico Sweden Canada Panama find out more. bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23097143
Posted on: Mon, 01 Jul 2013 11:12:02 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015