You can be too happy...
2008-01-29 08:01
New York - Moderately happy people are
wealthier - and maybe healthier - than extremely happy
individuals, according to a psychologist who has researched
happiness for more than two decades and his associates.
While people who are happy are certainly more healthy and
successful than those who are angry and depressed, Dr Ed
Diener of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign told Reuters Health, people who are moderately happy may achieve more than those who are extremely happy. They might also live longer.
"Our findings suggest that extremely high levels of
happiness might not be a desirable goal and that there is more
to psychological well-being than high-levels of happiness,"
Diener and his team report in the journal Perspectives on
Psychological Science.
The researchers looked at six different studies of
happiness and life outcomes to investigate the optimum level of
happiness. One study, the World Values Survey, which included
nearly 120 000 people from 96 countries, found that those who were moderately happy, rating their life satisfaction at 8 or 9 out of 10, made more money than those who rated their satisfaction level at 10. However, 10s and 9s were more likely to have stable intimate relationships.
Another study found that the happiest college students were
also the most social, but they had lower grade-point averages
than their slightly less happy peers.
In four studies that looked at individuals' well-being
several years after their happiness level was initially
assessed, the happiest people wound up with less education and
lower incomes than the moderately happy individuals.
Satisfied with their lot in life
While the current study didn't look at happiness and
health, Diener noted in an interview, other research has shown
that the happiest people may not live as long as moderately
happy individuals.
Extremely happy people may be less likely to follow-up on
health concerns, he suggested. It's also possible, he said,
that being in an "aroused", extremely happy state can take a
toll on one's cardiovascular system. People for whom extreme
happiness is a goal may also be thrill-seeking risk takers.
As far as achievement goes, Diener said, extremely happy
people may be more satisfied with their lot in life and less
likely to make efforts to change it by getting more education
or finding a new job.
"Maybe we're not built to be ecstatic all the time, maybe
we need some negative emotions," said Diener. But this isn't to
say, he added, that it's a good thing to be unhappy.
"If you're a 4 you probably ought to get help," he suggests. "If you're an 8...maybe that's good enough, you don't need to take Prozac."
- Reuters