The pursuit of happiness may be an easier journey than we thought, according to a recent psychological study. Researchers have discovered that we can change our levels of happiness and general well-being based on our day-to-day behaviors.
It has long been believed — and empirically supported — that while our moods may fluctuate, every person has a preset level of average happiness to which they will always gravitate. Earlier this month, however, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published an article containing evidence that the opposite is true.
Researchers in Australia and Germany found that people can change their levels of happiness over an extended period of time based on certain behavioral choices.
Wendi Gardner, an associate professor of psychology at Northwestern, says the study is not surprising.
Fifty percent of our happiness is determined by genetics and 10 percent is determined by circumstances beyond our control, but Gardner says researchers may have been focusing too much on these aspects of happiness, and not enough on the 40 percent we control with our own behavior and choices.
“This entire set of research… really does show how much control we have over our own happiness,” she says.
The study shows that factors like social interaction, exercise and participation in meaningful activities, like religion or volunteering, contribute to general long-term happiness. Gardner says it is important to acknowledge the cumulative benefits of these positive habits.
“You really see the impact of those things accumulate over time for well-being,” she says. “Go jogging once, you’ll feel good afterwards. But go jogging several times a week for months at a time, [and] you really see this huge uptake in day-to-day moods.”
In addition to well-known suggestions like exercising and meaningful social engagement, Gardner suggests simple tasks for improving day-to-day happiness. For example, keeping a gratitude journal — writing down three things to be grateful for every day — makes us notice the little things in life that make us happy, and therefore puts us in a better mood.
“Life is pretty good, and we often just don’t notice,” she says. “Knowing that you’re going to have to list things you’re grateful for later in the evening makes you actually notice them when they’re happening, which means you’re getting that boost.”
Alex Wilson, a McCormick junior and president of the Happiness Club, says he agrees that the little things matter. The club’s mission is to spread happiness on campus with simple, fun activities, like blowing bubbles and giving away stickers and candy.
“I’ve had people walk by our events totally unhappy or stressed out about a test, and then we give them a piece of candy and they say, ‘Oh, that just made my day,’ and it actually makes them happier,” he says. “It happens fairly often, which is pretty cool.”
Wilson says the Happiness Club has gotten “really, really good feedback” about its events so far. The club’s events are not rooted in scientific proof of certain activities’ effectiveness on our happiness, Wilson says, but they make a difference anyway.
“We just kind of do fun things for the point of doing it, but I definitely think it has an effect,” he says. “After joining, I’ve focused my values around being a happy person and defined myself that way.”
Researchers use a standard tool called the Satisfaction With Life Scale to survey adults about their happiness. Participants answer a few questions about their general perception of their lives, and are then ranked on a scale from “extremely satisfied” to “extremely dissatisfied” with life. Participants who score at the “slightly satisfied” level or below are considered non-normatively unhappy.
“If you’re anything below extremely satisfied, you could benefit from some of these new habits,” Gardner says.
College-age students in particular may be able to benefit early on from these mood-boosting habits. Though there is no specific evidence proving our happiness levels start to solidify in college, many schools do take note of the student body’s general happiness and offer resources to help.
For example, a private school in England has offered its students “happiness classes” since 2006. The “well-being” courses at Wellington College focus on positive psychology and teach students how to cope with the stress and uncertainty that come with a collegiate lifestyle.
In addition, as part of its yearly review of the nation’s best colleges, the Princeton Review compiles a list of the 20 colleges where students are happiest and least happy, based on student responses to the question “Overall, how happy are you?”
The typical college student’s gripe, Gardner says, is a simple lack of time or motivation for the activities that can make us happier. She says college students at a challenging university like Northwestern fear they will have to forgo productivity in order to change their daily routines.
“Our culture tells us to focus on work and ambition and success, and those are not the things that make us happy,” she says. “People will often let their relationships languish while they pursue these bigger ambitions, and that is a recipe for disaster happiness-wise.”
Social connections are arguably the most important factor contributing to our general happiness, says Gardner. This can be an easy or difficult factor for college students to maintain, depending on their priorities.
For example, Wilson points out many students find joy in technologies like Facebook rather than engaging in real-life personal interactions. College students struggling to balance school, work and extracurricular activities may find it especially difficult to make time for positive activities.
But Gardner says those who have been “taught and groomed to be the future leaders of America” may benefit most, because positive habits will stick. She says routines formed in college, like exercising and volunteering, can carry throughout a person’s life and affect long-term happiness. As students grow into their adult lives, they will continue these routines, even if life gets busy.
“It’s important that students here, in a fairly intense and rigorous atmosphere, not be so tuned towards the future that you forget to enjoy the present moment,” she says. “Start good habits now, because it gets busier and busier.”
What’s more, these habits can also improve a person’s productivity and focus, shattering the illusion of exchanging study time for down time.
“You aren’t sacrificing success by staying connected to the people you love. You aren’t sacrificing success with your one-hour workout three days a week,” she says. “That’s not going to happen. It’s going to actually make you better — more productive, more focused and happier.”