麻豆视频

Many of the world鈥檚 leading happiness researchers say they consciously spend more time with loved ones after seeing the evidence, according to a new paper.

鈥淗appiness emerges from a symphony of factors, but if I had to pinpoint one secret to happiness, relationships with other people might be it,鈥� says Lara Aknin, a professor of social psychology at 麻豆视频. 

Earlier this year, Aknin took part in a Zoom call with 12 other international leaders in well-being science. On the agenda? What their collective 600 years of happiness research and their own lived experiences reveals about living a good life and the future of the field they helped to create. Their reflections were captured in published in the Journal of Happiness Studies.

鈥淗aving relationships is one of the most reliable predictors of happiness that has emerged from a robust body of evidence spanning the social sciences,鈥� says Aknin, who co-authored the paper with Harvard University鈥檚 S盲de Stenlund and Kelsey O鈥機onnor, a senior researcher at Luxembourg鈥檚 National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies.

"We know that having just one person you can count on is extremely consequential. Having more relationships and more communities that you feel a part of compounds that sense of well-being.鈥�

Researchers also talked about well-being as a journey, says Aknin. Generally happy people aren鈥檛 constantly happy, nor is happiness reserved only for people with ideal lives, perfect circumstances, or a natural sense of optimism. Instead, it can be developed through conscious choices, self-awareness and adaptation, even when life gets hard, she says. 

Some of the leading models on happiness suggest that roughly 10 per cent of one鈥檚 happiness is attributable to  one鈥檚 life circumstances 鈥� things that are big and relatively difficult to change, like where you live, your age, your employment status or your relationship status. But as much as 40 per cent of one鈥檚 happiness is related to 鈥渧olitional activities鈥� or how you choose to spend your time.

鈥淭hat leaves a lot of opportunity for people who may be more innately pessimistic to start practising research-backed strategies like meditation or gratitude that might help them see the world in a more positive way,鈥� she says. 

Today鈥檚 field of well-being science was 鈥渏ust a twinkle in the pioneers鈥� eyes鈥� when the field first found its footing back in the 1970s, says Aknin, who also co-edits the annual World Happiness Report. As a growing number of scholars take well-being research in their own direction, 鈥渢here is a sense among pioneers that the field has become fractured."  

But there was also a united aim to make sure this work can be practically applied, rigorously tested and used to better people's lives.

鈥淲ith many large and threatening realities taking place in the world right now, I sometimes worry that the pursuit of happiness can seem trite. But one reason I remain committed to the scientific study of happiness is that happiness in and of itself predicts a number of valuable outcomes, including the motivation to help other people,鈥� she explains.

鈥淲hen people feel they are doing well, they have the ability, the capability, and the motivation to engage in world affairs鈥攖o take care of the people they love and take care of their communities.鈥� 

When we invest in other people, she says, they pass it along and give it back to us.  

鈥淕enerosity is not zero-sum.鈥�