The results of an extremely interesting study were published recently. The basic gist of it was that “happiness comes from individual choices about how you live, rather than genetic or childhood influences.”
It was a 25 year psychological study, involving more than 60,000 people, that has “contradicted previous theories that long term happiness mainly depends upon genetic factors and personality traits formed in childhood.” Talk about dishing the common nature versus nurture argument.
Co-author Bruce Headey, associate professor at the University of Melbourne’s Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research stated that Australian research had shown similar results. What gets me is why a study of this magnitude and duration and results isn’t more widely publicised and debated, particularly as there is a significant number of Australians struggling with a range of mental and emotional health issues.
The results of the study strongly suggest that if you want to be satisfied with your life, you must spend time with your friends and your family.
The great irony of this outcome is, is that if you are doing it tough, a great many of us struggle to be around those that are closest to us, let alone the general public. Further, after a time, some of those closest to us, begin to struggle with our company – a double edged sword. Finally, when you’re under the pump, it’s difficult to come up with the right choices as to get yourself on the road to recovery – many of us find ourselves caught in an almost inescapable vicious circle.
I guess the state of happiness is like the vast majority of worthwhile things in life, it’s work in progress – we need to consciously work at our relationship with ourself, with others and with the world in general – little and often, as Uncle Kev would say, as to develop, maintain and strengthen our inner contentment.
