Insights from Physician Heal Thyself on Finding Joy in a Complex World
This blog post is excerpted from my book
Physician Heal Thyself: Nearly Dead and the Journey Back to Health.
Happiness is a hot topic in journalism and everyday conversation. Finland has again been named the happiest country in the world for seven years running, according to the World Happiness Report. This report is published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford. The USA was ranked twenty-three in the same worldwide happiness report and has remained out of the top twenty happiness rankings for many years. How is it possible that the wealthiest and the most powerful country in the world is so challenged when it comes to happiness? The Finnish philosopher Frank Martela “attributes the happiness of the Finnish people to having a strong sense of community and relatedness, doing good deeds for other people, and finding a clear purpose for themselves.” In researching the chapter on happiness for my book, I came across a 2017 Harris poll survey that found that only thirty-three percent of Americans said that they were happy, thus adding more granularity to the worldwide study. America has an unhappiness problem, and the overarching questions are why and what can be done to improve the general state of unhappiness.
What are the causes of unhappiness? This is hard to answer. Researchers have shown that the elation of lottery winners and the sorrow of those who suffer tragic life events wanes over time and reverts to their baseline level of day-to-day happiness. Moment-to-moment happiness is largely determined by one’s outlook. Happiness has little to do with our absolute condition but is rather a function of how satisfied we are with what we have. Our feeling of contentment is strongly influenced by our tendency to compare. Constant comparison to those we perceive as having more breeds envy and unhappiness and can become a toxic habit. Interestingly, the opposite is true. If we compare ourselves to those who have less, this increases our feeling of satisfaction. There is scientific evidence that shifting one’s perspective or attitude by contemplating how things could be worse leads to a happier life. This is often easier said than accomplished. My experience while on a medical missionary trip to Saint Rock, Haiti, confirmed the truth of this observation. Although exhausted after a week of nonstop work caring for impoverished, desperately ill patients, I left Haiti with a sense of joy and accomplishment that I had rarely experienced. In order to be happy, your mental outlook is critical. If you harbor hate, jealousy, or anger, it corrodes all that is good in your life. Forgiveness and self-compassion are critically important in achieving happiness.
Over 2,300 years ago Aristotle wrote two books describing his theory of happiness. In the Nicomachean Ethics and in the Eudemian Ethics, he asks: What is the ultimate purpose of human existence? His answer is that happiness is the central purpose of human life. He speaks of the pursuit of happiness in two distinct ways. The first, called “eudaimonic,” he regards as preferable, the ultimate value of a life well lived to its fullest potential. This happiness depends on developing moral character and living a virtuous life. The second he calls “hedonic,” an in-the-moment, self-centered, pleasure-seeking life. A hedonic life is one without ethics or virtue.
In the book “The Art of Happiness” by Howard Cutler and the Dali Lama, they review the modern scientific basis of happiness and cross-reference it to the close to 3,000 years of Buddhist teaching on happiness. They, as did Aristotle describe happiness and pleasure as being two different things. In making difficult life choices it helps to reframe one’s options as to whether your decision will bring you happiness or pleasure. Purposely choosing happiness is an attitude of embracing life. Pleasure is fleeting.
So what can we do to improve our happiness? Research by Sonia Lyubomirsky identified three sources associated with happiness. Ten percent of happiness is associated with life circumstances, such as marriage, that have been shown to increase happiness and longevity. Approximately forty percent of happiness comes from intentional activities. Up to fifty percent of happiness appears to be inherited. Intentionally practicing skills and attitudes that can bring about feelings of happiness works. Happiness comes from being content with what you have and not dwelling on what you lost or never had. Affirming this daily is crucial to being happy. Glen Schiraldi in “The Resilience Workbook,” describes how the use of keeping gratitude journals, writing thank you notes, and verbally sharing happy experiences are simple, purposeful exercises that build gratitude. Just as healthy eating, regular exercise, and adequate sleep are vital habits for individual wellness, so is the regular practice of gratitude for personal happiness.
Happiness exercises, when practiced daily and intentionally, just as with a sport or musical instrument, lead to mastery.
Dr. Linda Wilson’s research suggested that altruism may be a part of our survival instinct. Once we conclude that the basic nature of humanity is to find happiness, we can accept that altruism, selfless giving to others, is associated with happiness and resilience. Furthermore, the practice of selfless giving has been shown to improve happiness more than any other activity. Additional observational proof comes from Dr. Vaillincourt’s thirty-plus year longitudinal study of Harvard College graduates that found that altruism was a crucial component of good mental health. Random acts of kindness are very powerful.
One day, my reading on happiness led me to an article on a happiness course offered at Yale. In 2018, Yale Psychology Professor Laurie Santos offered a new course. PSYC 157: Psychology and the Good Life. She was motivated to initiate this class out of concern for the level of stress and other mental health issues she witnessed as Head of Silliman Residential College at Yale. The course was designed to help students better cope. It set a record as the most popular course ever offered at Yale. The overwhelming demand suggests further evidence that there is a profound need for guidance on finding happiness and work-life balance.
One of the most memorable quotes that I came across in my research on happiness was from Albert Schweitzer: “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. The purpose of human life is to serve and to show compassion and the will to help others. I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be happy are those who have sought and found a way to serve.”
The acceptance of the belief that the purpose of life is to seek happiness is foundational and creates a common bond with all of humanity. The ability to shift perspective to place oneself in another’s shoes helps create empathy and allows us to better understand divergent views. Compassion is based on the belief that all human beings wish to avoid suffering and be happy. With this insight, we learn to discard the things that lead to suffering and accumulate the things that lead to happiness. We are all “our brother’s keeper.”
Warmly,
Dr. Michael
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