Happiness is a choice. No matter the situation we are in, at any given time, we have the liberty to make a conscious choice on how we want to feel. Psychiatrists have found that while around 50% of our ability to be happy lies in our genes, another 40% is determined by our thoughts, beliefs, behaviors and actions. And that’s a lot. It means that we are creators of our own luck. Ultimately, your thinking can determine your path and ability to achieve happiness. How often do you find yourself thinking that another person needs to make you happy? Or that you aren’t happy because of you couldn’t get a raise? Or you simply can not find that inner happy feeling that you used to have at other moments in your life? The half is always half full or empty, a cheesy statement which bears so much truth. Are you aware of how you look at the things in your life? Are you mainly concentrating on the things you don’t have? Or are you someone who welcomes any challenge in life? We can rise above any circumstances, make the best out of them and be active players in the quest for happiness. …show more content…
This is what a 75 year long study from Harvard University found out. Started in 1978, it is the longest psychiatric research done on human development which followed the lives of male Harvard alumni throughout their lives into old age. The study found out three main reasons behind our happiness and well-being: - We live longer when we have more interactions with family, friends and community. - The quality of our relationships is crucial. We should maintain positive and caring relationships rather than stay in toxic, high-conflicted ones. - Good relationships protect not only our soul, but our body and brain. We feel safer when being in a securely attached