We all have a lot more happiness in our lives than we realize, such as the health we enjoy, family, friends, access to education and learning, and our basic freedoms. We take a lot for granted, but if we think for a moment, there are a lot of things that cause us happiness.
Well-balanced people know that they can't expect to be happy all the time, but they enjoy the happy times when they occur.
There are valuable payoffs in being happy. Research has shown that happy people live longer with quality of life, enjoy good relationships with their life partner, they tend to be more affluent and enjoy the respect and appreciation of others.
Money can't buy happiness, but it would appear that giving it away can. Research done by a team of of researchers from Harvard University Business School and the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, did a a number of studies on the level of happiness reported by people and how they spent their money.
One of the experiments was giving University of British Columbia students five or twenty dollars. Half of them were instructed to spend the money on themselves, while the other half were instructed to spend it on others.
What they found was that the students who had spent the money on others were significantly happier at the end of the day than those who spent the money on themselves.
When they consulted psychological literature on the subject, it suggested that doing good for others is associated with one's own happiness, therefor doing volunteer work and random acts of kindness can all promote happiness.
Another benefit is that happiness facilitates personal wellness, it will protect your body from stressors that can lead to serious body and heart illnesses.
Gerry Hopman is a Humorist, Motivational Speaker and Author. He believes that humor and laughter are essential to finding and maintaining balance in life and career.
To find out more about Gerry and the extraordinary powers of humor and laughter, visit his website at: http://www.humor-laughter.com
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
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