What is happiness? Buddha said ‘learn to let go & that is happiness’. Socrates told us, ‘the secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less’. In philosophy happiness is about the quality of life, flourishing and in psychology, happiness is about the mental or emotional state of well-being.
If we look back at the time, we can see since industrialization mankind started giving more attention to material comforts and happiness associated with it. We are now almost trapped in a false feeling of happiness which we get out of material luxury and consumer mentality. Nations also adopted a system to measure their development or economic health based on GDP (gross domestic product) per capita. But since then we started suffering from side effects of the industrial revolution be its adverse impacts on our environment, human physical and mental health or health and existence of our society, in recent years researchers, economists, and thinkers around the world started shifting their focus from GDP to human well-being and happiness.
No surprise why everyone mentions the tiny nation Bhutan when it comes to the topic of happiness. Bhutan is the only nation in the world that measures prosperity based on citizen’s gross national happiness (GNP), not GDP.
But if you still think you can really buy happiness with money, then read below what one of the longest human research says
WHAT MAKES PEOPLE REALLY HAPPY?
Researchers including economists, psychiatrists, social scientists, mental health scientists around the world have been working to find the answer to this question, what makes people happy? The longest human study which is done by Harvard University started in 1938 and still ongoing have found out that social connection, quality of relationships over quantity, and close relationship with family members is a proven way of the path to happiness not financial status or fame of a person. In this study the Harvard scientist now the 4th generation of them have been scientifically checking the mental and physical health of 268 people from different walks of life and through their different stages of life.
Here is the Ted talk by the 4th director of the study, Robert Waldinger
Another research by the University of Nottingham in England after studying 91 studies with more than 18,000 participants has found out the key to happiness is giving back to society and gratitude; again not how much money or fame a person has earned in his life.
To see the real example, in 2017, the World Happiness Report declared Norway as the happiest country in the world. Researchers attribute Norway’s top rank in the happiest country to a Norwegian word is dugnad and it means to do community work. This community work of cleaning up, maintaining public areas is optional in Norway and has roots in Norway’s values for generosity and collective care. Community work participation strengthens bonds and maintains a nation; everyone benefits from a well-cared-for community.
The famous neurologist, psychiatrist & also a Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl’s research which focuses on the meaning of life also relates to happiness. In his own words, ‘Don’t aim at success. The more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue. Happiness is a byproduct of meaning fulfillment which could be a dedication to cause greater than yourself or a person other than yourself.’
While this great Austrian psychiatrist promoted the meaning of life in the 20th century, in the East an age-old Japanese concept of Ikigai tells the same story. Ikigai means ‘a reason for being’. According to Japanese culture, everyone has Ikigai. This concept now became popular and is considered around the world the Japanese secret of a long & happy life.
So to get happiness it’s important to invest our time and efforts to develop close relationships with people in our life, focus on giving back, helping others, and realize the purpose of our life. But what about simple things that make you happy? We all know ‘Joy of simple things’ give you happiness. But it’s important how sustainable is your happiness!
SUSTAINABILITY & HAPPINESS
Now when we are talking about sustainable happiness, it’s not just related to the environment. Many people relate the word sustainability to either environment or social justice; but sustainability is only achievable when there is the balanced weight given to the environment, people (wellbeing, social justice, etc), and economic feasibility. Now how come happiness and sustainability could ever be related to each other?
Imagine that you bought a fluffy blanket for winter. Lying down on the bed on a cold winter morning on weekend snuggled up in your fluffy blanket makes you feel good about life. That is your moment of happiness but to turn it into ‘sustainable happiness’, you selected a blanket that is non-toxic and made of natural material and therefore not going to affect your health or environment adversely. You also made sure that it’s ethically sourced and no craftsman or factory workers have sacrificed their basic rights to give you comfort. So by thinking mindfully about sustainability you can extend your momentary happiness to a more satisfying state of mind, you can even reach peace.
To understand it better, here is Dr. Catherine O’Brien’s definition of Sustainable Happiness “happiness that contributes to individual, community and/or global well-being without exploiting other people, the environment or future generations”
According to the Huffington Post, The World Happiness Institute research shows that people who practice sustainability are actually happier than those who don’t. On the flip side of that, studies show that happier people go out of their way to take care of their environment. In other words, happy people take care of themselves, others, and their planet. Sustainability and happiness are interconnected. Happiness Research Institute shows, that when we start appreciating and doing our best to experience sustainable happiness, that extends out into the world and touches everyone and everything we encounter.
To see the relationship between happiness and sustainability, we cannot miss mentioning Statistician Nic Marks who is well-known for his work on the Happy Planet Index, which measures the progress of nations within the limits of the planet’s resources. In short, how efficiently we achieve the well-being of citizens from the planet’s resource use. Happy Planet Index is calculated based on happy life years (happiness adjusted life expectancy in the nation) and the nation’s ecological footprint (gha per capita). In 2016, out of 143 countries, Costa Rica topped Happy Planet Index. The nation is a world leader when it comes to environmental protection. 99% of the country’s electricity comes from the Renewable energy source. And Costa Rica abolished its army in 1949 and has since reallocated army funds to be spent on education, health, and pensions. This clearly shows how sustainability helps to achieve happiness even at bigger levels. In Nic Marks words, happiness does not cost the earth
Now when we talk about the sustainable development of a nation where development is done considering triple bottom line which includes social, environment, and economy which in itself help the people of the nation to connect with society, be more socially ethical along with conserving the environment which leads to wellbeing and happiness of the people. Interestingly Bhutan, popular for it’s Gross National Happiness Index is also the only country which is carbon-negative, it means thanks to their development policies this country’s forests absorb more carbon dioxide than the country generates it. Bhutan is a great example of the relationship between the happiness of people in a country and the sustainable development of a nation.
It’s interesting here to see the views of Matthieu Ricard, A Buddhist Monk & humanitarian. ‘The term, sustainable development, is a contradiction. Quantitative growth has proven not to be sustainable because infinite quantitative growth requires the even greater use of our finite ecosystem. A more balanced solution may be what I call sustainable harmony. In light of the current world situation, it seems wiser to pursue qualitative growth based on better living conditions rather than trying to achieve quantitative growth based on ever-increasing consumption. The respect for human values embodied in altruism contributes to a pragmatic method of how best to achieve sustainable harmony.’
Happy Place
During meditation, many yogis ask you to imagine your happy place. I am not discussing here the power of meditation or methods of meditation but apart from imagining your happy place, have you thought that we can even design and develop a happy place? This where sustainability principles come into the picture. It is possible to build happy homes, offices, communities, and even cities.
In sustainable designs, we professionals give importance to providing daylight and views to the outdoors for the wellbeing and happiness of occupants. Either we design a space that merges indoors with outdoors smoothly enhance the well-being of occupants or provide features like Urban farms, vertical gardens, rooftop gardens, indoor farms, water features, sunlight are the elements used to bring Nature to urban dwelling. These features give humans a connection to Nature in urban developments, this concept is called bio-phallic designs.
As an example of how sustainability is related to happiness, we can look at livable cities. When a livable city or community is designed by giving focus to walkability or sustainable public transport. Residents walk or cycle more or use public transport instead of using their cars. So they spend more outdoor time with more physical activity and end up getting socially connected with more residents and community while they walk or take public transport instead of commuting in their car alone. Physical activity helps in improving physical health and wellbeing on the other hand social connectivity leads to sharing, helping each other which contributes significantly to one’s happiness.
UAE’S HAPPINESS INITIATIVE
Locally speaking, happiness initiatives are in full swing in UAE. UAE is one of the first countries in the world which in recent times has considered the happiness factor in their governmental policies. UAE’s Minister of Happiness & Wellbeing is the first of this kind in the world appointed in February 2016. the UAE Government aims to make the country amongst the top five happiest countries in the world by 2021. H.H. Sheikh Mohamed Al Maktoum reviewed the first National program for happiness and positivity. Dubai is at the forefront of happiness initiative, as, under the Smart Dubai initiative, Dubai is aiming to become the smartest and happiest city in the world. Through Dubai’s Happiness Agenda, a significant focus is given to customer satisfaction and happiness when dealing with government services.
This year UAE is celebrating the second edition of Happiness Journey. Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi, Minister of State for Happiness and Wellbeing, explains ‘the Happiness Journey is a community initiative organized by the National Program for Happiness and Positivity targeting all segments of the society, providing information and experiences in a simple and practical manner that contributes to the government’s goal of establishing happiness and positivity as a lifestyle and cultural trait in the UAE.’
It’s not a surprise why UAE is ranked the happiest country in the Arab world in this year’s World Happiness Report 2018 where the focus is given to the happiness of not only citizens but also migrants.
HOW HAPPY ARE YOU?
You might have come across questionnaires and quiz in glossy magazines which tell you results in minutes if you are happy or not. But like many, I will highly recommend you to take this well-researched test developed by psychologists at Oxford if you are too keen to know where you stand when it comes to happiness,
HOW TO BOOST HAPPINESS?
Based on all the above-mentioned researchers about happiness and also teachings from different cultures we tried to summarize happiness tips. Right from Buddhist monk’s tried and tested ways of finding happiness which comes from within to the values from Japanese and Scandinavian cultures or from a popular book of Psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky ‘The how of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want‘ to statistician Nic Marks’s ‘Five Ways to Well-being’, here is our compilation of tips on how to boost your happiness.
- Keep aside your devices, screens, and connect with people. Invest your time in people that matter in your life, give a smile to strangers. Take a step to break the ice and initiate conversation.
- Be active. Leave your couch and exercise. Take the stairs and skip the elevator, walk, or cycle. Play with kids or pets. Your wellbeing is directly proportional to your activity level.
- Be Mindful. Be mindful of your body, mind, and your surroundings. Be mindful of others, this is crucial to understand the next steps listed below
- Give back. Be generous, help people around you. Practice kindness not just with people but with all living things. A random act of kindness on a regular basis goes a long way.
- Practice gratitude. It’s good for your health and spreads so much positivity. There are ways of practicing gratitude by keeping a gratitude journal.
- Money can make you happy if you spend it on the right things like investing in experiences or learning something new than buying some stuff.
- Connect with Nature. Open your windows, let the sun come in, remember vitamin Sun is essential for your wellbeing. Spend time outdoors. Grow something green.
- Get involved with the community of like-minded people to work towards a common goal.
You might like our article, Eco-therapy for a healthy body and mind where we have discussed most of the above-listed tips more in detail.
If you are passionate about sustainable harmony, Join our Tribe! Wish you sustainable happiness!