A big part of psychology focuses on the negative sides of behavior. Psychologists Martin Seligman and Mihaly Csikszentmihalhy wanted to change that, they raised the philosophy of positive psychology. Positive psychology concentrates on the positive side of the brain, focusing on positive experiences, positive characteristics and positive intuitions. All scientifically supported!
What is happiness
Happiness is a combination of overall satisfaction and feeling good on a daily basis. Even though most of us believe that happiness depends on circumstances, it only determines 10 percent of our happiness. Genetics are the most important factor, it determines your happiness for even 50 percent. However, that does not mean you have no influence in it, 40 percent of happiness is dependent of your thoughts, actions and behavior! Read more about it in this blog post.
What happiness is not
Being happy is more than just ‘feeling good’. You can be sad, and still be happy. And you can feel cheerful, without being happy. It is nice to feel good, but it will not give you enough satisfaction. You want to reach your goals and give meaning to your life too. Also, being happy does not mean that you should forget or ignore negative experiences, it means you realize that these experiences are there and give them a place in your heart too.
Happiness is a journey, not a destination.
Happy and healthy
Happiness is not only good for your mental health, it also works for your physical health. Research has shown that happy people suffer less from cardiovascular diseases (Applied Psychology: Health and Wellbeing, 2011). They also live longer, heal faster, have a better working immune system and a healthier diet. In addition it is healthier to be constantly happy on a moderate level than experiencing happy peaks (Emotion, 2012).
How happy are we?
The Netherlands does well in the international ranking of happiness! We are in sixth place of happiest countries of the world. No less than 88 percent of Dutch adults report to be happy. Health, work and relationships seem to be the determining factors (Volkskrant, 2017). Money and income seem less important. Norway can call themselves the happiest country in the world, in the past years Denmark used to be the happiest.
Niceday app
Describe your feelings and thoughts in the app. Analyze it after a week, to what extent does your thinking pattern influence your happiness?
