One of the most important conclusions drawn from the study about adult development is that people feel truly happy when they have quality human relationships.
5 min read “The purpose of our lives is to be happy.” — Dalai Lama. Yes, we think so. You can learn more about the study and our research at www.robertwaldinger.com and www.adultdevelopmentstudy.org . Let’s talk about some of the findings. Scientists have also discovered that most people don't do a good job of predicting what will make them happy. Quality relationships make us the happiest. Those ties protect people from life’s discontents, help to delay mental and physical decline, and are better predictors of long and happy lives than social class, IQ, or even genes. But, looking deeper, happy people tend to enjoy benefits that unhappy people don’t, and, thanks to research from the field of positive psychology , we know more about some of these subtle differences.
Research has found that there are several things that make people happy. Getting married did not change people’s happiness. This should apply particularly in positive situations, in which people have every reason to be happy. The initial change from the status quo produces short-term happiness or unhappiness, but as that becomes the day-to-day norm, happiness seems to level out [source: Wargo]. The findings suggest that good deeds do in fact make people feel good—even when performed over as little as 10 days—and there may be particular benefits to varying our acts of kindness, as novelty seems linked to happiness as well. This line goes flat around $50,000, showing that beyond this point income had no relationship with day-to-day happiness. So what does make us happy? We all want to be happier in our lives, and there has been a ton of research into what makes us happy, and I’d like to share some of that research with you today. Virtually all people want to be happy people, which is good, because happy people are better off, for reasons both obvious and subtle. If you want to know what makes people happy, then trust in this study from the University of Bristol from 2008. Our online class The Science of Happiness looks at the mental habits that research has identified as being harmful: perfectionism, maximizing—this idea that I have to get everything possible out of a given moment or I’m dissatisfied.
Prev NEXT . The left shows the fraction of people who said “yes”. In Study 1, female participants who valued happiness more (vs. less) reported lower happiness when under conditions of low, but not high, life stress. Harvard Spent 80 Years Studying Happiness, and We Now Know the 1 Key Habit That Makes People Happier. Let’s look into this further… And we present practical things people can do that research shows help people feel happy. In Study 1, female participants who valued happiness more (vs. less) reported lower happiness when under conditions of low, but not high, life stress. Put very simply, the science of happiness looks at “what makes happy people happy” (Pursuit of Happiness, 2018). If sometimes you don’t feel like smiling, you can fake it until you make it! Our online class The Science of Happiness looks at the mental habits that research has identified as being harmful: perfectionism, maximizing—this idea that I have to get everything possible out of … The World Happiness Report Explains What Makes People Happy What are the secrets from the happiest people on Earth? 4. Can people learn to find the balance that makes them happy? (The Problem: Most People Never Even Try) If you're not happy… This question takes us to the heart of Buddhist economics—to our true self. One of the most important conclusions drawn from the study about adult development is that people feel truly happy when they have quality human relationships.