iPhones Don’t Make You Happier?
Posted on 09. Oct, 2009 by Ruda in Emotions
Photo by Hamed Masoumi
According to research by economists and psychologists, the level of happiness in the population has not changed in almost a century. In spite of advances in medicine and technology, we are not happier than our ancestors. Characteristics such as age, gender, income level, and health, do not account for a lot of the variance in happiness between people. This kind of evidence inevitably leads to the question of why this things that have seemingly improved our lives so much, have not really increased how happy we feel. It’s important to note first that happiness in these studies was determined by the responses of the subjects themselves.
The first thought I have is that if all these improvements going on externally are not impacting our perceived happiness, then maybe the next step is to go inward. People tend to rate their happiness based on how much they have externally, so they are in a constant state of wanting more. I think it is this condition that has persisted over the century studied. I’ve felt this desire in myself as well. As soon as a desired improvement, the next step externally, is achieved, we immediately think of something else we have to have. There are always going to be a million things we don’t have, and this is why this type of thinking will never lead us to feeling happier. In fact, it is this greed itself that prevents the subjects in these studies from rating themselves the maximum level of “happiness”. If we always think we have to have more, then even when asked if we are happy, we’ll think “well I could be happier.” This is why income level was not a good predictor. The billionaires and the unemployed all want more.
The second thought is that most people’s definition of happiness tends to coincide more with pleasure than contentment or peace. True happiness either is or is not, there is no “happier”. So if we are to seek this peace within ourselves, then it is not going to come in the form of a new phone or a more convenient washing machine. We must go within and sort out the conflicts within ourselves if we want satisfaction. But none of this can even begin to happen if we first don’t realize our blind rush for “more”. It’s not going to happen if we don’t realize that we are seeking pleasure, not peace.
Hello! I suppose you couldn't resist trying to catch a glimpse of the person writing all this nonsense. If you want to learn more about me, check out the "About Me" page. Self-explanatory I guess.
Pat Weston
Oct 15th, 2009
My hours at my job have just been cut to 1 day per week due to the economy. I realize that this does not alter my happiness level. I am at peace and happy never the less.
Perhaps it is an opportunity to do something that I would not be able to do if I were working more days. I am excited to find what that might be.
Ruda
Oct 15th, 2009
It’s great that you haven’t let it alter your state of mind. if it’s a job that you were not passionate about, then there’s no reason to let it make you unhappy because it was simply something you did for money and you can do plenty of other things for that.
If it was a job doing something you were passionate about, then there’s no reason you can’t do it without getting paid for it, so it still shouldn’t affect you negatively. You already seem to have a great perspective on it by thinking of possible opportunities. Thank You for taking the time to share a comment, i hope to hear from you again.
Ruda
Carol Cannon
Oct 23rd, 2009
It has taken me a year to learn to live on my part-time income without quite a bit of mind-altering anxiety while depleting my savings. It has resulted in my learning to trust that things always do work out but finding enthusiasm and motivation to be more financially responsible to my self and future has been harder and harder to summon. Simultaneously, it has allowed me to go deeper with my self examination and understanding and take myself as an artist more seriously, so ultimately it has been “good fortune”.
Ruda
Oct 24th, 2009
Carol,
It’s great that you were able to progress further in your self-examination as a result of what some would call an anxious situation. It really shows how conflict is often the catalyst for more personal growth, we should embrace the challenge and see it as a way to find out more about ourselves and the world around us.
Ruda