Unlock Happiness: Debunking the Notion of Being Happy Every Day
Have you ever wondered why the joy of passing a difficult exam or getting that dream job you ever wanted or getting married to the love of your life isn’t a constant source of happiness? Why does such happiness fade with time? Why is it so hard to feel good every day?
One theory that sheds light on this is that the sole driving force behind our evolutionary process was never the magic potion of happiness. It is rather a blend of diverse emotions that enabled our ancestors survival, with happiness playing a role alongside others like fear and anxiety which significantly contributed to our overall well-being. If all of our ancestors got happy at the sight of a Lion at 100m rather than running for their life with fear, or if they were joyous to experience an Earthquake instead of finding a safe hide out, or if they ate any Fruit that they saw without being anxious about its safety, neither you nor I would be here today. Only the ones who got anxious, who was afraid and who was alert survived history and we are their descendants. Positive emotions like happiness, while it is super cool to experience, unfortunately did not significantly contribute to the survival of our species.
Even when happiness is not our brains primary objective (if you are wondering what it is then, it is to keep us safe), there is another theory that can help us understand our happiness metrics even better. It is called as hedonic treadmill and suggests that our happiness is relative and tends to stabilise around a baseline thoughout our lives. Suppose a 15 year old boy X is born poor and imagine that he won a lottery of 1 Million dollars. He will definitely be happy. Of course, such events could change his life drastically because he don’t have to worry about a hungry stomach anymore, or there’s no need to sleep in the cold at night anymore. But his mind cannot thrive solely on that happiness indefinitely, and will eventually readapt to his baseline happiness with time.
Hedonic treadmill is a concept in psychology and behavioral economics which suggests that we could be happier or un-happier with the life events (yea, the ups and downs) but, we always return to our stable baseline of happiness with time. This happiness threshold is different for different individuals.
So our happiness is like a pendulum. Then how is it possible to be happy every day? Wait! Is it even possible to be happy every day? To gain a deeper understanding of this, we need to recognise that we, as humans, have evolved emotional mechanisms that can lead to happiness in certain circumstances. While it is difficult to answer if we can be happy every day, there is a lot that we can actually do to feel good every day. Most effective ones being: having a regular exercise routine, stimulating your brain with knowledge and challenging tasks, eating a healthy and balanced diet, being socially connected, spending time with family & friends, practicing mindfulness and there are many more. It will work for some like teaching a cat to fetch, and for others like getting a penguin to hip-hop. But seem to work for many. Thanks to the happy chemicals in our brain!
Mindfulness techniques such as meditation, mindful journalling etc. helps in getting rid of unwanted and negative thoughts: which is a cherry on top to our happiness venture.
While it is important to note that happiness is a multifaceted and subjective emotion, what brings happiness can vary greatly among individuals and cultures. Factors such as genetics, upbringing, social environment, and personal circumstances all play a significant role in determining an individual’s happiness threshold. While we may have limited control over genetics and upbringing, there is much we can do to improve our well-being by nurturing a positive social environment and addressing our personal circumstances.
But still, if you happen to see a non Zoo Lion at a 100m distance, RUN!
Cheese! :D