Why Does Happiness Matter?
The article Why Does Happiness Matter? by Mark Williamson discusses whether or not the ability to create happiness is important in life. When people were asked whether or not they believe happiness matters, they surprisingly acted in many different ways. Some people suggest that there are far more significant things to worry about, but others see happiness as extremely important and something that every human being ultimately wants in life. To explore this difficult question, Mark Williamson starts by looking at what happiness actually means to people.
Many people feel that happy people are somehow more likely to be lazy or ineffective. When in fact research shows the opposite is true: happiness doesn’t just feel good, it actually leads to a wide range of benefits for our performance, health, relationships and more. There have been experiments to test this theory. For example, a California hospital discovered that doctors who are happy have been found to make faster and more accurate diagnoses, even when this happiness was induced simply by giving them the small gift of a sugary sweet. Another example of how being happy creates more success is in schools. In education, schools that focus on children’s social and emotional wellbeing experience significant gains in academic attainment as well as improvements in student behavior. Happiness has also been linked to better decision-making and improved creativity. Therefore, rather than success being the key to happiness, research shows that happiness could in fact be the key to success.
Having the ability to create happiness does not only help people function better, happiness also brings substantial benefits for society as a whole. There have been over 160 studies that give clear evidence supporting the fact that that happier people have better overall health and live longer than their less happy peers. They are also around half as likely to catch the cold virus and have a 50% lower risk of experiencing a major cardiovascular event such as a heart attack or stroke. Happier people are also less likely to engage in risky behavior. For example, happier people are more likely to wear seat belts and less likely to be involved in car accidents. They are even more financially responsible, having the tendency to save more and have more control over their spending. Also, people who are happier are more likely to make a positive contribution to society. In particular, they are more likely to vote, do voluntary work and participate in public activities. They also have a greater respect for law and offer more help to others. Those who are able to create their own happiness and be in a happy state of mind, are proven to be well rounded and better people than those who are not able to create happiness.
There is also evidence that determined that happiness is contagious, therefore happier people can help others around them to become happier too. Mark Williamson says, “an extensive study in the British Medical Journal followed people over 20 years and found that their happiness affected others in their networks across three degrees of separation” (Williamson, 2014). This means that our happiness has a measurable impact on the mood of our friend’s friend’s friend and having the ability to create one's own happiness is a very important skill that provides many benefits. Those who pursue happiness, and spend their lives searching for something to make them happy, rather than simply being happy with what they have, are proven to live more stressful lives and not be as happy as those who create their own happiness.
By creating their own happiness, people are able to not only improve their life but the lives of others as well. Happiness is about helping people to live better lives and creating a society that is more productive, healthy and cohesive. Aristotle once said, “Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.” Of course it is important to remember that being happy is not some magical cure because happy people still get sick and lose loved ones, and not all happy people are efficient, creative or generous. But, happiness does provide many advantages to a person’s life and happiness is what we want the most for the people we love the most. Therefore, the ability to create happiness is one of the most important skill a person can have.
Many people feel that happy people are somehow more likely to be lazy or ineffective. When in fact research shows the opposite is true: happiness doesn’t just feel good, it actually leads to a wide range of benefits for our performance, health, relationships and more. There have been experiments to test this theory. For example, a California hospital discovered that doctors who are happy have been found to make faster and more accurate diagnoses, even when this happiness was induced simply by giving them the small gift of a sugary sweet. Another example of how being happy creates more success is in schools. In education, schools that focus on children’s social and emotional wellbeing experience significant gains in academic attainment as well as improvements in student behavior. Happiness has also been linked to better decision-making and improved creativity. Therefore, rather than success being the key to happiness, research shows that happiness could in fact be the key to success.
Having the ability to create happiness does not only help people function better, happiness also brings substantial benefits for society as a whole. There have been over 160 studies that give clear evidence supporting the fact that that happier people have better overall health and live longer than their less happy peers. They are also around half as likely to catch the cold virus and have a 50% lower risk of experiencing a major cardiovascular event such as a heart attack or stroke. Happier people are also less likely to engage in risky behavior. For example, happier people are more likely to wear seat belts and less likely to be involved in car accidents. They are even more financially responsible, having the tendency to save more and have more control over their spending. Also, people who are happier are more likely to make a positive contribution to society. In particular, they are more likely to vote, do voluntary work and participate in public activities. They also have a greater respect for law and offer more help to others. Those who are able to create their own happiness and be in a happy state of mind, are proven to be well rounded and better people than those who are not able to create happiness.
There is also evidence that determined that happiness is contagious, therefore happier people can help others around them to become happier too. Mark Williamson says, “an extensive study in the British Medical Journal followed people over 20 years and found that their happiness affected others in their networks across three degrees of separation” (Williamson, 2014). This means that our happiness has a measurable impact on the mood of our friend’s friend’s friend and having the ability to create one's own happiness is a very important skill that provides many benefits. Those who pursue happiness, and spend their lives searching for something to make them happy, rather than simply being happy with what they have, are proven to live more stressful lives and not be as happy as those who create their own happiness.
By creating their own happiness, people are able to not only improve their life but the lives of others as well. Happiness is about helping people to live better lives and creating a society that is more productive, healthy and cohesive. Aristotle once said, “Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.” Of course it is important to remember that being happy is not some magical cure because happy people still get sick and lose loved ones, and not all happy people are efficient, creative or generous. But, happiness does provide many advantages to a person’s life and happiness is what we want the most for the people we love the most. Therefore, the ability to create happiness is one of the most important skill a person can have.