The Science of Happiness: Wealth, Geography, Culture, and the Limits of Self-Help
Are rich people happier than other people?
A study conducted in the Netherlands said that there is a positive relationship between wealth and contentment in life, and this is not surprising. But, interestingly enough, the experience of happiness enjoyed by the wealthy may stem largely from how they spend their time and not on the things that they buy.
The rich are statistically the happiest person. Looking into the lives of the wealthy is a pleasure full of guilt. As writer Don Teh says in a report published by the American “Medium” website, we love to hate them, browse their Instagram accounts and read what they buy, what they do, and where they go. At the heart of this curiosity is the desire to find an answer to the question: Are they really happier than us?
Consider the lives of the wealthy In the study, published by the Journal of Social Psychology and Personality, researchers surveyed more than eight hundred millionaires in the Netherlands, along with a representative sample at the local level of about 1,200 people. They compared how the two teams spent their time working and in their daily activities, as well as general satisfaction with their lives.
There are fewer differences than expected. For example, when it comes to daily activities, both teams spent the same amount of time cooking and shopping. But the rich spent less time taking care of the children and more time doing housework.
Quality leisure times One of the major differences was the quality of the leisure times in which these groups participated. Although the rich were spending the same amount of time as anyone else in leisure times, they were using that time to do activities such as playing sports, hobbies, and volunteering, as opposed to negative activities such as watching TV, napping, and doing nothing for the other team.
Luxuries for everyone The groups also differed in the way they worked, whereas the wealthy worked the same amount as the general population, they enjoyed more independence in their jobs.
The lesson of this experience is that when financial restrictions are removed, people are attracted to active leisure activities and job independence.
Although money makes these two goals more achievable, low-income people can integrate them into their lives by starting a business project, spending time reading to disadvantaged children, or implementing a creative solution to a problem at work. These luxuries are not for the wealthy, so why not enjoy them now?
Collecting work or pleasure The author concluded by saying that those who “own everything” are not looking for a life without work and duties, but find ways to spend their time purposefully, whether at work or pleasure. They only do this in the most beautiful homes.
Scientifically, living near the sea preserves mental health
People who live near the coast are usually happier than those who live in landlocked cities, and this is the conclusion of a recent study by researchers from the University of Exeter and published in the magazine Health and Place in September 2019.
The study found that poor people living less than one kilometer from the sea are 40% less likely to have mental health disorders compared to those who earn the same amount of income and live 50 kilometers from the sea.
The research has linked people living around these aquatic environments with increased physical activity, reduced psychological distress, improved overall health, and well-being, as well as lower death rates.
This study comes within the framework of a growing group of research that indicates that blue areas – including coasts, rivers, and lakes – can be a protective area for mental health, but this study is the first of its kind in which the benefits of coastal life are shown at this detailed level According to the income.
Blue spaces The survey used data for 26,000 people surveyed, reporting that men and women reported their mental health, well-being, and income, as well as how close they were to the coast, and after taking into account relevant factors such as age, gender, smoking status, and BMI, those who lived at less than one kilometer were The sea is 22% less likely to have mental health disorder symptoms, such as anxiety and depression than those who live 50 km off the coast.
But the study found that the benefits of living through “blue areas” – as researchers call it – were more striking for low-income residents, as living near the sea could support better mental health in England’s poorer urban communities.
The report notes that one out of every six people in England suffers from a mental health disorder, as is almost the case for one in five Americans, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
Dr. Joe Garrett led the study, believing that the results can have important implications. “Our research indicates for the first time that people in poor homes living near the coast have fewer symptoms of mental health disorders, and this” preventive “region can play A beneficial role in helping to equate high and low-income people with mental health. "
Global happiness A report by the Lancet Global Mental Health and Sustainable Development Commission released last year warned that mental disorders are increasing in all countries of the world and that this will cost the global economy \$ 16 trillion in lost productivity by 2030 when an estimated 12 billion working days lose mental illness each year. In this regard, Dr. Matthew White, author of the study and Environmental Psychologist at the University of Exeter, wrote, “This type of blue health research is vital to persuade governments to protect, create and encourage the use of coastal areas.”
“We need to help policymakers understand how to maximize the benefits of luxury for blue places in towns and cities and ensure that access is fair and inclusive to all, while not harming fragile coastal environments,” he added.
The last UN report on global happiness ranked Finland the country that citizens say is the happiest, followed by Denmark, Norway, Iceland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, New Zealand, Canada, and Austria.
The report pointed out that all of these countries – with the exception of Switzerland and Austria – overlook the water.
Do emotions have the same meaning around the world
The debate between culture and biology – with regard to our emotions – has a prominent place in scientific and philosophical discoveries, there are those who suggest that some feelings have left an evolutionary imprint in the neural biological structure of the human race, while others see that far from being global, emotions are cultural structures that we learn their meanings Of social inferences.
Do people around the world deal with emotions in different ways, or do they all have the same meaning?
24 emotional words from a third of the world’s languages In a report published by the American Psychology Today magazine, Mariana Boghossian said that in a recent study published by “Science”, an international team of researchers examined 24 emotional words from about a third of the world’s languages.
By combining extensive linguistic databases with quantitative methods, researchers have created similar networks of cases in which the same word is used within a language to express multiple concepts, for example, “funny” in the English language can denote the meaning of humor or strangeness, Both.
The cultural difference in the meaning of emotions The results of this research highlight the biological and cultural processes that influence our way of thinking and experiencing emotions. In addition, the comprehensive difference between cultures in the meaning of emotions indicates that people in the world may treat emotions differently.
For example, the concept of love is more related to happiness in Indo-European languages, but it was more closely related to compassion in Austronesian languages (such as Southeast Asian languages). While the concept of anxiety was more related to fear in the Thai Kadai languages, it was often associated with grief in the Austrian language.
Similarity patterns of emotions also depend on the geographical proximity of languages, meaning that geographically convergent linguistic groups tend to group concepts of emotions in a similar fashion more than distant languages.
According to the researchers, this is due to the increased opportunities for communication between speakers of those languages, through trade, immigration or a common origin, which over time has affected the way they perceive their emotions.
A universal structure for the meaning of emotions The study also found common denominators in the way people sketched the meaning of emotions across languages. For example, positive, equal (pleasant) emotions in almost all languages belong to similar semantic groups.
“It seems that all people feel and express their positive emotions versus negative emotions, and emotions of excitement versus calm, given that equivalence and excitement highlight the biological systems that help maintain inner balance,” says lead author Joshua Conrad Jackson.
Indeed, the results of common humanity in any area of our existence are always inspiring, but what can we achieve with differences? What can we learn from the different ways in which people around the world convert these emotions into fully absorbed emotions?
Love is a positive emotion but. The cross-cultural diversity of emotional connotations should not be very surprising, given the rich nuances that we deal with on a daily basis in our languages, according to the author.
For example, regarding love, Jackson cautioned that “it may be a largely positive emotion in Western cultures, but it is used more negatively in Pacific Island languages. But even Indo-European speakers are able to perceive the fact that love can represent More negative feelings, such as compassion or infatuation.
In general, just as words in our languages cannot always depict the depth of our emotional experiences, translation dictionaries may not always paint a complete picture of emotions across linguistic boundaries.
In this regard, Jackson says, “While scientists continue to expose the mystery and magnificence of human emotions and find similarities and differences along the way, we must celebrate the human ability to experience such rich and complex mental perceptions.”
10 questions that lead you to success and happiness during 2020
With the year 2020 and the new decade drawing fast, many of us are taking advantage of the year-end period to reflect on where we are now and look forward to the things we hope to achieve in the future. This is the time to think about the good and bad things you did during this year, and whether you have achieved the goals you set for yourself.
Take a break from your busy life to focus on your strengths and weaknesses, and the lessons learned this year. The ideas you gain will help enhance your chances of success and happiness in the future.
Remember, the self-reflection you take now will guide you toward success next year and beyond. “The future is full of possibilities, opportunities, and new journeys,” said author Peter Economie in a report published in the American magazine “Ink.” Here are ten personal questions that help you prepare for and achieve your goals in 2020:
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How did your life change or remain the same as last year? It is necessary to ask whether the past year was full of events, and what were the reasons behind this. It is also necessary to determine how far your decisions have made changes in your life, and whether you intend to make these decisions in the future.
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What are you most proud of? Do not forget to praise yourself for any good work you have done. You deserve thanks for all this hard work and perseverance. Indeed, our recognition of our successes reminds us of what we are capable of at any moment.
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What were the most pressing things? You should try to figure out ways to relieve these pressures for the New Year.
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What are the five words that describe this year and what do you want to describe 2020? It is necessary to take some time to visualize how this year has passed and how you want it to pass next year.
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What negative habits do you want to get rid of? We all have negative habits, and we have the power to stop doing them. Determine if you are very passive or indulge in fast food often. Think of a way to change your bad habits and convert them into good habits.
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Have you missed some opportunities? If so, you have to outline steps you can take now to prevent miss any further opportunity in 2020.
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What have you started and haven’t finished with yet? Think about whether you will reconsider the things you haven’t completed this year and want to complete the new year. If this helps your success and happiness in the future, you should do it.
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What brings joy to your life? Commit to doing more things that bring you happiness, and reduce the joys of your life.
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What are you most grateful for? Despite the challenges we face, we can always find something we are grateful for. Determine what blessings you enjoyed this year, and how you will remain grateful to them for the new year.
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What is the one thing that you want others to remember when you are dead? We are so busy with our daily life that we forget to think about our heritage. With this question, think about leaving a good picture of you, and think about how you can take the steps necessary to achieve this image next year.