The Beatles. Anne Frank. Buddha. Helen Keller. Nathaniel Hawthorne. Susan B. Anthony. Thomas Jefferson. Whether they sang about it, wrote novels about it or spoke about it, all of these people had their own ideas of just what it was that makes people happy.
Although they all may be right, it’s time to get down to the facts and find out what really makes a person light up.
“We all live with the objective of being happy; our lives are all different and yet the same.” — Anne Frank (1929-1945)
Scientifically speaking, we are all wired mostly the same way; but as with anything, we are all different and there are things aside from our chemistry that can affect us for better or worse.
According to a study done by the British Medical Journal, the company we choose to keep can overwhelmingly determine our level of happiness.
In a study the BMJ published last December, it was determined that the state of those around us is key to our own well-being and a happy mental state. Not only your immediate friends influence your happiness, it extends from one friend to another, with up to three degrees of separation.
While the study said happy people tend to attract each other, many people find that unhappy people have just as much of an effect on their mood.
Psychology sophomore Kayla Keane said she counts such qualities among those that can turn her mood around for the worse.
“People having a bad attitude towards me, or being rude,” Keane said. “That’ll put me in a bad mood.”
Social ties are not all that are to be held responsible.
Chemically, scientists are conducting research in the area, but it is difficult to nail down a cement statement.
“There are definitely some suggestions in defining what makes a person happy,” associate psychology professor Richard Lucas said. “But a lot more needs to be done before we biologically define what makes you happy.”
Lucas said while there are clues based off of certain personality characteristics, it is difficult to really know from person to person a definitive answer, since most studies do not attempt to take on the whole concept of happiness.
“A lot of stable personality characteristics have to do with happiness,” Lucas said. “(The studies) tend to be a little more specific than that though, and people draw conclusions.”
“Happiness belongs to the self-sufficient.” — Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)
Getting to know what makes yourself happiest is key to living a happy life and while this may seem simple, some say it may be more difficult than it appears.
Gretchen Rubin, author and creator of happiness-project.com, said this simple question may be one of the hardest to answer.
“How do you even go about thinking whether or not you’re happy?” Rubin said, “It’s kind of an overwhelming question.”
Rubin began The Happiness Project as a way to test the tips and tricks she believes are ways to truly achieve a happier life.
Rubin said becoming happier means you have to get to know yourself to take steps to find out what you do and do not enjoy in your day-to-day routine.
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The end result may be something you weren’t expecting.
“I was surprised by novelty and challenge,” she said. “I never thought I was the kind of person that was made happy by novelty and challenge, but then I was. You just have to know what is the right kind of novelty and challenge for you.”
Not everyone finds ways to enrich their lives the same way, Rubin said, and personalizing your path to happiness is key.
“Not everybody needs to learn Chinese or train for the Ironman (Triathlon),” Rubin said. “That wouldn’t have been the kind of thing that would have been good for me.”
Understanding the core ways in which your body works also is vital to one day being your happiest you. Taking notice of the simpler things can make the bigger things seem more manageable.
“I pay a lot more attention to things that I think are easy to overlook because they are so foundational,” Rubin said. “Like getting enough sleep. I really, really believe that that’s very, very important. More so than people think.”
Rubin also suggests simple things like not letting yourself get too hungry and trying to go to bed as soon as you begin to feel tired.
“Everything just kind of adds up to where you just have to think about how it is you’re going to live your life, and take steps so you don’t have a cascade of small steps that bring you down,” she said.
“Sanity and happiness are an impossible combination.” — Mark Twain (1835-1910)
Sometimes it is necessary to look to your surroundings and relationships to truly be happy.
This may be as easy as being in an environment you enjoy.
“I like the atmosphere here (at MSU). I like all the people, and I think they’re very welcoming,” psychology freshman Kate Bode said. “This campus makes me happy.”
No matter what people have said made their lives more enjoyable, almost everyone said it is the people they consider themselves closest to that make their days the brightest. Whether this is a friend, a family member or a love interest, Rubin said it’s really up to you to decide which one is necessary in your life — for you.
Not everyone agrees that social relationships take the lead in terms of happiness, however.
“I think in some ways, psychologists like the idea that it’s all about relationships and nothing to do with money, but it’s been oversold a bit,” Lucas said.
Lucas does go on to clarify its prominence in people’s lives.
“I think it’s probably one of the most important factors we have personal control over,” Lucas said. “But still oversold.”
For more information on leading a happier life or finding some tips on becoming happier, visit The Happiness Project blog and Web site at www.happiness-project.com.
