Live Healthy Live Well

It seems “Happy, Happy, Happy” is sweeping the nation with nearly twelve million viewers of the popular reality television show, Duck Dynasty. Happy, Happy, Happy is the motto of Phil Robertson, one of its cast members. No, I’m not advocating you watch more television; or even take up duck hunting; however, there is something to be said for Phil’s “happy, happy, happy” approach to life. Perhaps you know people who are always happy.

Which poses the question . . . are you born with a happy attitude set-point, is happiness a learned behavior, or a product of our environment/upbringing, and/or a combination of all of these?

Research has shown that our talent for happiness is, to a large degree, determined by our genes. Psychology professor David T. Lykken, author of Happiness: The Nature and Nurture of Joy and Contentment, says that “trying to be happier is like trying to be taller.” We each have a “happiness set-point” he argues, and we move away from it only slightly.

In short, we may be born with a happiness “set-point,” as Lykken calls it, but we are not stuck there. Happiness depends on how we manage our emotions and our relationships with others.

There are two types of people in the world; those who choose to be happy, and those who choose to be unhappy. Happy people are happy because they make themselves happy. They maintain a positive outlook on life and remain at peace with themselves. Unhappy people believe they need to obtain certain material items or levels of achievement to be happy. A few notable differences between happy and unhappy people are as follows:

1. Happy people make an effort to surround themselves with positivity; they do not enjoy being around people that send out negative vibrations and who deflate their mood. Happy people make a conscious effort to engage with other happy people so they can have healthy and positive friendships and relationships.
2. Happy people do not waste their days being jealous of other people. Happy people have no need to desire everything that someone else has. They are purely content with their own life and who they are.
3. Happy people take time for themselves. It is imperative for a happy life. Happy people make sure they put aside 10 to 20 minutes each day for personal time because they know how important it is for stress reduction and general well-being.
4. Happy people don’t sweat the small stuff. They believe they can overcome most obstacles that life presents and they do not put themselves through any unwanted stress over issues that can be solved.
5. Forgiveness is a fact of life. Happy people find it easy to forgive and move on. They realize the damage of holding on to anger and how it can affect general health and quality of life.

Happy people like Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty do many things differently and they make sure they do everything wholeheartedly and with great effort. They are passionate people who usually have a big smile on their face and live their lives to the fullest every day.

Choose to be happy. Push the “delete” button on negative thoughts and “evict” those individuals or thoughts you have allowed to live “rent free” in your head/life to keep yourself positive. You will have less stress and enjoy life more.

References:

Jett, Pamela (2012). National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences Annual Meeting, Columbus, Ohio, Keynote Speaker

Lykken, David T.(1999). Happiness: The Nature and Nurture of Joy and Contentment by St. Martin’s Press, New York, New York

Valeo, Tom. Choosing to be Happy – Strategies for Happiness: 7 Steps to Becoming A Happier Person, Web MD

Written by: Cynthia R. Shuster, Extension Educator, Family & Consumer Sciences, Perry County, Buckeye Hills EERA.

Reviewed by: Elizabeth Smith, M.S., RDN., L.D. NE Regional Program Specialist, SNAP-Ed, Ohio State University Extension.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Lindimore, Ohio State University Extension Office Associate, Morgan County, Buckeye Hills EERA.