Measure Happiness
Try These Tests YourselfHow do scientists measure happiness? There are lots of tools out there, but they all take 3 basic approaches. Try these happiness tests yourself to explore what makes you happier. Scientists have a challenge measuring happiness because, to some extent, happiness is like beauty- it is in the eye of the beholder. Feelings like happiness are subjective and we can never really know if other people experience happiness the way we do. Dr. Daniel Gilbert, a happiness researcher in positive psychology and the author of the book Stumbling on Happiness, acknowledges this. He explains that individual responses vary, but large numbers of people tend to respond in similar ways. So, if a person thinks she is happy, she probably is. This leads to the first approach to happiness tests: 1. Ask People How Happy They AreThere are lots of tools that use this approach the measure happiness. One of the most common is the life satisfaction survey. This is a short series of questions that ask people to rate their satisfaction with life on a scale of 1 to 7 or 1 to 10. Much of the information in the Ways to Happiness was gathered using this approach. This approach can also be used to test many other characteristics of happiness. You can try a simple example by writing a number on a piece of paper from 1 to 10 to represent your level of happiness at that moment. Then engage in an activity or think about something else for a while before asking yourself the same question. If you answered differently after the activity, then you have just measured a change in your happiness level based on what you did in between. On his website Authentichappiness.com , Dr Martin Seligman , one of the founders of the positive psychology movement, has several free happiness tests. You can even track differences in your scores over time and your results become part of his research. 2. Observe Happy PeopleSome of the early happiness research is based on a study that followed women from the 1960 Mills College year book. The researchers studied the pictures and picked out the women who had “genuine” smiles that involved the muscles around their eyes as well as their mouths, then followed all the women through their lives. The women with the genuine smiles were more likely to be happily married, they lived longer, and they consistently reported themselves as happier than the women who didn’t smile. This is just one of many examples where researchers use direct observation to measure happiness levels. This works because much of our body language is unconscious and connected to our thoughts. For example, the muscles around the eyes are very difficult to control voluntarily, but crinkle automatically when a person is genuinely happy. You might observe this approach to measure happiness yourself if you happen to see a picture or video of yourself during a happy period. Or, you might use this approach to judge someone else’s happiness. When people walk with a bounce in their step and a smile on their face we observe that they are happy. 3. Measure PhysiologyScientists have observed common physical side effects of happiness. From brain waves, to hormone levels, to heart rate and blood pressure, happiness carries markers in the body. One simple tool that uses this approach is a mood ring. The rings change color with the temperature of your fingers. Warmer hands track to a happier and more relaxed mood. Some companies also make biodots- little stickers you can put on your body to change color with skin temperature. There are many forms of biofeedback machines from simple mood rings to machines costing $1000’s and only available through therapists.
The
Dalai Lama counsels
that the way to build a happy life is to notice what makes you happy and what doesn’t and then do more of the happy things and less of the unhappy things. So go ahead, measure your happiness and explore the best ways for you to go be happy. Get Happy Life Tips Delivered to Your Email Box Weekly!Happiness is a feeling that comes on us spontaneously when we think certain thoughts or experience certain things. The more we practice happy thoughts and habits, the happier we will be overall. These weekly tips provide a happiness quote and a quick tip you can use right away to be happier now!. Sign up Today
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