Meditation, exercise and being in nature are generally advised as the best techniques that will increase our feeling of happiness. Elizabeth Dunn, a professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia investigated whether there is actually any evidence to support these widely popularized strategies.
One of the reasons why happiness is difficult to change is that it is influenced by many factors – from the general conditions in which we live to small things like a parking ticket or a coffee someone buys us.
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The feeling of happiness, which has always been a topic discussed by philosophers, has become the subject of numerous researches by psychologists in recent years. As the field developed, so did the methods for studying happiness. Early on, research mostly used surveys to determine what correlates with happiness—for example, how happiness correlates with income.
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But over time, experimental studies have emerged that look at how actions, such as donating money to charity, affect feelings of satisfaction. However, over time, scientists have discovered that it is difficult to replicate the results obtained in this way.
“Happiness research reached its peak at a time when scientists were making bold conclusions based on very small samples and using practices that we now know can lead to results that cannot be replicated,” Professor Dunn explains in an interview with Guardian.
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Reviewing the extensive literature in collaboration with postdoctoral fellow Denegan Folk, Dan found surprisingly little hard evidence for many of the commonly recommended strategies for increasing happiness.
For example:
Exercise
There are many studies that claim exercise increases happiness, but few take a rigorous enough approach. This does not mean that exercise is not useful, but that better research is needed.
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Meditation
Of the nearly 200 experiments analyzed, only eight had a large enough sample to be considered reliable.
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Stay in nature
Evidence for a link between time spent in nature and increased happiness is also weak.
On the other hand, strategies such as expressing gratitude and spending money on others were found to be strongly supported. For example, experiments have shown that giving money to poor or close people can significantly increase the feeling of satisfaction.
Small but significant effects
Although strategies such as practicing gratitude or temporarily adopting extraverted behavior can have a positive effect, these effects are usually small. Prof. Dan points out that happiness is influenced by so many different factors that it is difficult to achieve drastic changes.
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“Happiness is like a big assessment of our life as a whole. One thing won’t make a huge difference, but many small steps can help raise the level of happiness,” explains Danova.
Although major external events, such as war or political turmoil, significantly affect happiness, small everyday choices also play a role.
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Conclusion? Don’t expect a magic recipe for happiness, but focus on the many small steps that can improve the quality of your life.
Source: www.sitoireseto.com
