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Health Bulletin - January 2024

Science of Happiness

Dr Tarak Vasavada, MD

Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine

Visit me @HappyMindMD.com

The American Psychological Association defines happiness as “an emotion of joy, gladness, satisfaction, and well-being.” Experts say that people also use the term to describe a deeper sense of fulfillment, satisfaction, or contentment. Happiness makes for a long life and makes it worth living. In this article, I will discuss some attributes that make humans happy.

1.HOW CAN VOLUNTEERING BRING HAPPINESS IN OUR LIFE?

The United States ranks highest in volunteerism, with approximately 42% of respondents reporting participation in volunteer programs. The 2018 Volunteering in America report indicates that 77 million American adults, or 30% of the population, volunteered through various organizations during that year.

Numerous research studies document that active and engaged older people remain in better health. For example, a small 2004 experiment showed that low-income minority seniors volunteering in public elementary schools outscored their nonparticipating counterparts in physical strength and cognitive ability. Studies show that older adults who volunteer live longer and have better physical and mental health than counterparts who do not volunteer.

Benefits of Volunteering: 4 ways to feel Healthier and Happier

  • Volunteering connects you to others:
  • Loneliness is a killer, and we human beings love social life. Volunteering for a cause will connect you to like-minded people. It can develop good friendships with people who are in helping business. When you need help, they are good resources. Volunteering allows you to practice and build social skills since you regularly meet people with common interests. Once you have momentum, branching out and making more friends and contacts is more accessible. Volunteering as a couple or as a family also enhances the meaning of life. Volunteering improves your community, and living in a healthy and resourceful community makes you happy.

  • Volunteering is good for your mind and body:
  • Connecting and volunteering and seeing the meaning of your work will help your stress, anxiety, and depression. By measuring hormones and brain activity, researchers have discovered that being helpful to others delivers immense pleasure. Human beings are hard-wired to give to others. The more we offer, the happier we feel. Your role as a volunteer can also give you a sense of pride and identity, and it brings a positive view of your life and future. Volunteering helps you stay physically healthy. Studies have found that volunteers have a lower mortality rate than those who do not.

    Older volunteers tend to walk more, find it easier to cope with everyday tasks, and are less likely to develop high blood pressure. They live longer (It reduces mortality by 24%) and have less chance of developing cognitive problems. Volunteering can also lessen chronic pain symptoms and reduce the risk of heart disease.

  • Volunteering can advance your career:
  • Volunteering allows you to practice essential workplace skills, such as teamwork, communication, problem-solving, project planning, task management, and organization. Volunteering will enable you to try a new career without making a long-term commitment. Volunteer work exposes you to professional organizations or internships that could benefit your profession.

  • Volunteering brings fun and brings meaning to your life:
  • Volunteering is a fun and easy way to explore your interests and passions. Volunteer work can be meaningful and exciting and can be relaxing and energizing. It can be an escape from your day-to-day work routine, school, or family commitments.

2. HOW CAN OUR COMMUNITY AND NATION MAKE US HAPPY?

Some years back, the Bhutan Government developed the Gross National Happiness Index. It includes personal Happiness (Mental, physical, and material well-being, work-life balance, and social connections). Can our nation elevate our happiness? Let us look at the evidence.

  • Can I move to a city or a state that would make me happy?
  • Several US cities have a mission to make their residents happy and, in return, improve the economic conditions. Sharecare-Community Well-being Index of 2021 includes the well-being and social determinants of the health index. Hawaii scored the most, and so did some of the coastal states.

    What made some cities and states stand out? Notable was the sense of purpose at work and in the community. Those communities with a higher sense of purpose had a lower risk of preventable diseases like COPD, CAD, Depression, and CKD. Higher scores indicated that they had better transportation, jobs, healthcare resources, and economic situations.

    They also looked at the resignation rates. The Sharecare survey emphasized the importance of liking where you live, feeling safe, and having pride in your community for job retention.

  • How can my government make me happy?
  • Good governance is an essential aspect of happiness. Layard described the "Big Seven" factors that affect Happiness among adult populations in his book on Happiness. Personal freedom, stability and lack of violence, accountability, the effectiveness of government services, the absence of corruption, and the efficiency of the system of regulation.

    The Quality-of-Life survey also provides several items that asked respondents to assess the quality and type of environment they live in and questions about the conditions of, or maintenance of, their city's public realm. Some similar findings emerged. Better transportation, parks, libraries, access to shopping, and safety made people happier.

    National Happiness: According to the World Happiness Report, people's happiness is mainly influenced by strong economic growth, good health, trust in the system, generosity, social relationships, and freedom to choose how they live and work. Unsurprisingly, the UN Survey of Happiness ranks Baltic countries like Finland, Denmark, and others as very high on happiness. These countries have governments committed to governing in the public interest, ensuring their citizens have equality, security, good health, and high living standards. To achieve this, their governments resist the influence of large corporations, maintain a fair tax system, and carefully deter political corruption.

  • Should I focus on Collective or Individual Happiness?
  • Research on happiness has predominantly focused on individual happiness. However, philosophers have long been interested in the idea of societal happiness. Aristotle postulated that the happiness of citizens is maximized when virtuous rulers consider the well-being of ordinary citizens. For many developed countries, collective happiness is a crucial factor, as they tend to be less individualistic societies.

  • How can my community make me happy?
  • Suppose you are looking for a community where you can freely express your personal and cultural identity. In that case, we must find one with good governance that offers safety, resources, accessible transportation, and economic growth. The community should also have parks, shopping options, and activities.

3. HOW CAN RELIGION MAKE US HAPPY?

  • Does Religion Make You Healthy?
  • Religious involvement and spirituality are associated with better health outcomes, including greater longevity, coping skills, and health-related quality of life (even during terminal illness) and less anxiety, depression, and suicide. Religion and spirituality are among the most important cultural factors that give structure and meaning to human values, behaviors, and experiences. Over the years, Gallup surveys of the general population have consistently found that more than 92% of people believe in God or higher power.

  • What are the reasons that religion brings good health?
  • Some research suggests that being religious promotes healthy behavior if practiced for centuries. Organized religious people have strong social support and belong to a like-minded community. Religious and spiritual practices like prayers and meditation generate positive emotions like hope, gratitude, contentment, and forgiveness and lessen anguish and anger.

  • Does religion make you Happy?
  • One study points to the fact that participating in religious organizations brought more happiness than volunteering, taking educational classes, or being part of a political or community organization. Pew Research study stated that actively religious people are likelier to be “very happy.” In a review paper, Koenig reported several high-quality studies proving that religion and spirituality improve Well-being, Happiness, Meaning and purpose, Hope, Optimism, and gratitude.

  • What are some arguments against it?
  • Studies also point to the fact that the protective social qualities of religion work best in societies where religion is widely practiced. In a reasonably religious country like the U.S., being in the minority is potentially stressful. Religious belief may give you false hope and prevent you from seeking prevention.

    Abuse and restrictions will steal the happiness of those who are being affected. Most of the Nordic countries rank high in happiness while low in religiosity.

    In essence, most studies point to the advantages of religion. However, some religious countries have the most miserable people, and some non-religious countries (Russia, Belarus) have high unhappiness. There is a high correlation between religion and happiness in nations with low economic development. In developed countries, happiness is more correlated with subjective freedom.

4. HOW CAN WELL-WISHERS (FRIENDS) BRING HAPPINESS?

British Anthropologist Dunbar made a famous prediction that humans could have no more than about 150 people in their social sphere. He says individuals generally have up to five people in the closest layer. The next closest layer contains an additional 10. Studies after study have shown the benefits of friendship. The 2005 Australian Longitudinal Study of Aging found that close relationships with children and other relatives had minimal impact on how long you live. Still, people with the most friends tended to outlive those with the fewest by 22 percent. In fact, according to the researchers, the health risk of not having few friends was like smoking 15 cigarettes a day, and more dangerous than being obese or not exercising in terms of decreasing your lifespan.

The town of Framingham, Massachusetts, was the focus of a multi-generational study on happiness known as the Framingham Heart Study. They found three key things when they looked at social connections. Happiness is contagious (sadness is not), and happy friends and close neighbors make others happy. Mutual friends (your friends who list you as their friends) who live close by increase your happiness by 1.5 times. Distant friends are fine, but the closer your friends are to where you live, the better. So, invest in them.

In a meta-analysis of 148 studies, researchers found a 50% increased likelihood of survival for participants with stronger social relationships. It did not matter whether participants were living alone or with others.

How does friendship help us?

Social support helps by stimulating good physiological sequelae (e.g., reduced blood pressure, heart rate, and stress hormones) that benefit health and avoid risky behaviors. Social relationships may directly encourage or indirectly model healthy behaviors. If your friends like to hike or play pickle-ball, you are more likely to do the same by joining them. Being part of a social network can give individuals meaningful roles that boost self-esteem and give purpose to their lives. A 2008 study involving 34 students found that people tended to be more optimistic about climbing when standing at the base of a mountain with a close friend by their side. Other group subjects who were alone and staring at the peak for future climbing were less optimistic.

Of course, friendship has its disadvantages. Wrong friends make you make bad health and financial decisions. Being a friend and caregiver to someone suffering physically or mentally for a long time can affect your health. Unfortunately, friendship losses are expected. The research found that up to 70% of close friendships and 52% of our social networks dissolve after seven years! They also found that our social context (e.g., school, university, jobs, neighborhoods) is a significant factor in determining our friendships, so when this changes, do our companies. It can be devastating If your close friend cuts off ties with you. Some people say it is as bad as divorce.

So, continue to make sincere friends, cultivate that relationship, and prepare to reap the benefits. Harvard happiness expert Daniel Gilbert identified friends as one of our most significant sources of joy.

Here is my gift to you, my friend!! If someone must put a number to the value of the friendship, they say seeing friends and family as often as possible is worth an extra $97,265 annually.

Coordinated by Dr Sujeeth R. Punnam, MD, FACC

Chair, ATA Health Committee

Coordinated by Dr Sujeeth R. Punnam, MD, FACC
Chair, ATA Health Committee

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