The topic of happiness has become a focus of research globally. In one global survey by Gallup, Singaporeans ranked the least happy country in the world and the least emotional. In spite of living in a land of plenty, yet there is a quiet discontent and dissatisfaction among our people. It is not that we don’t have what it takes to be happy, it just that we have not programmed our mind to think happy. Research tells us that there are many things we can do to be happy. Most interestingly, many of the things which our Catholic faith teaches actually promote happiness if we realised the
meanings behind the actions.

Research into happiness has uncovered scientifically what makes people happy. In a nutshell, the key elements that promote happiness are

a) Realising your values and living your values
b) Doing meaningful work and contributing to a community
c) Maintaining social relationships and eating with people
d) Developing a deep sense of gratitude in daily living
e) Finding time daily to experience joy
f) Maintaining good mental health and physical health
g) Volunteering and giving to a cause you believe in.

What does the research tell us?

Money does not buy happiness beyond a certain level and this borne by research. Once most of your basic needs are met, more joy can be generated by doing things that inspire you than putting the extra time spent earning more money. Developing a sense of gratitude helps us realise how many good things we have. Our minds are generally programmed to look at what seems like greener pastures beyond and not what we have in the present. Holding grudges and anger generates negativity and forgiving generates peace and joy. Happiness depends on the phase of life. People are happiest in their 20s and after 50 years of age. In fact, based on surveys of over 300,000 people, levels of happiness at 60 years old are similar to that being a young adult. Social ties are important in maintaining happiness and performing meaningful work promotes satisfaction. Finding time to live and express your values contributes greatly to happiness. Lastly, knowing what you want in life will help move you towards a meaningful purpose driven life.

The quiet wisdom of the Catholic Church

Many of the practices and teachings of Jesus and the Church actually promotes peace, satisfaction and happiness. We are asked to give thanks (gratitude), practice charity, forgive, love and have faith that God will provide. We are asked to exist in a community of the faithful (social ties) and contribute to the needy (volunteering). Through prayer and thanksgiving, we acknowledge God in every moment through the existence of life, the cycles of sunrise and sunset and the opportunities that our profession gives us to help people when they are ill.

Promoting happiness in daily life

Start by writing your own eulogy letter. You will find that writing down how you want people to view your life’s work will guide you to make the choices and paths in the present. Remember 3 good things that happen to you daily. For myself, I remember by family and the invention of the air conditioner and one more depending on the day. This helps us to focus on the positive rather than the negative. Experiencing happy moments is a breeze with the internet and youtube provides ample media for us to see happy things. Remember to value your family and friends. Meet up with people who you care for and reconcile if you can with those who have hurt you in the past. Rediscover your values and hobbies and find time to do your hobbies and invest in your health through exercise and a sensible diet. When practiced daily, research has shown that within 8 weeks, levels of happiness and increase dramatically.

This short article is a whirlwind trip through the science of happiness. If you like to find out more about the science of happiness, you can read Flourish by Martin Seligman. To help rediscover your values, you may want to do the Values In Action Survey of Character Strengths at www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/Default.aspx .

~ By Dr Chrisopher Cheok ~

*Dr Christopher Cheok is a psychiatrist in a restructured hospital. Beyond his clinical work helping the mentally ill, his current interest is in promoting happiness and satisfaction through the principles of the science of positive psychology.