Scenario: "Dude, we'll be happy when we finally get: . Yay!"
And then when you get that son-of-a-!@#$%, what happens?
- Your happiness level returns to where it were before.
- "Does life suck this much?" you ask yourself.
- "That is, whatever I achieve, my happiness level will always return to normal?!" you scream.
- You betcha -- that is, if you think: ___ will make you happy.
"So how can I be truly happy?!"
Do what the richest two folks in the world do: Start giving.
What Altruism Does To You
During gift-giving season, what makes you happier?
- a) Searching, buying, giving gifts to family/friends.
- b) Receiving your gifts.
Unless you're some psychotic gold-digging bastard, your brain subconsciously felt when you received your gifts:
"Good gosh mutha-!@#$%^! I was so much happier when I gave those gifts. Ahh!"
Why does that happen? According to researchers:
What Makes People Seriously Happy
- [The care-and-connection part of the brain] is a very different part of the brain than is active with romantic love.
- These brain studies show this profound state of joy and delight that comes from giving to others.
- It doesn't come from any dry action -- where the act is out of duty in the narrowest sense, like writing a check for a good cause.
- It comes from working to cultivate a generous quality -- from interacting with people.
- There is the smile, the tone in the voice, the touch on the shoulder. We're talking about altruistic love.
And, the nice side-effect to giving:
You Start Living Longer, Too
According to the researchers:
Numbers of children, education, class, and work status did not affect longevity...52% of those who did not volunteer had experienced a major illness -- compared with 36% who did volunteer.
It's like your body telling you it wants to live longer because life is pretty gosh-dang-fun.
So whenever you're feeling down-and-out, and you're looking for a quick-and-sustaining-happy-high:
Give something.
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Grammie
Posted @ 06:35 AM on March 09, 2007
How true! When I say I work with the elderly in nursing homes, people automatically assume it must be depressing work. That couldn't be further from the truth. There's nothing like the "reward" you get when you take the time to give a lonely old lady a hug, or listen to a elderly gentleman tell you about his days on the farm so many years ago. They have such an appreciation. You can see it in their glistening eyes and in their big smiles. It truly makes you feel worthwhile and happy. There's nothing depressing about it! Try giving some time to an elderly person you know. You'll see what I mean. Thanks for a very thoughtful article, Andrew.