photo by Pink Sherbet Photography
Imagine two scenarios: In the first, you win the lottery. In the second, you’re in an accident that leaves you paralyzed. Which one would make you happier? It seems like an obvious choice but it turns out that isn’t the case. Six months after either winning the lottery or being paralyzed, people experiencing those events had happiness levels who were roughly the same as before they happened according to a study.
That’s because we each have a happiness “set point” we tend to return to over time. That means “good” things that happen don’t make us as ecstatic as we believe they will. And “bad” things aren’t actually as devastating as we imagine. It’s not life’s events but rather our own choices and responses that impact our happiness most.
Here’s what that means:
– Don’t delay being joyful today for some event in the future that may or may not happen. Even if you get what you want, it’s not going to make you live happily ever after.
– Don’t let fear of what might happen diminish your happiness today. Even if what you worry about does occur, it probably won’t be as detrimental long-term as you think.
We can only live in the here and now. We can only find happiness in this moment.
“This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it” {Ps. 118:24}.
We have a human tendency to also think, “If I’m happy now then it will be harder on me if something bad happens in the future. So I’ll just stay in survival mode.” But research has shown the opposite is true: Those who are already happy handle hard times better when they arrive. Increasing your happiness before something difficult happens actually makes you more likely to bounce back and thrive through whatever may come.
So go ahead and learn to be happier…you never know when you may really need it.
Because happiness can be an act of worship
XOXO
Holley Gerth
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