If you want to be happy, you have to be happy on purpose. When you wake up, you can’t just wait to see what kind of day you’ll have you have to decide what kind of day you’ll have. This quote, by Joel Osteen, has shaped my perspective for the past few years. Popularized by singer songwriter, Lauren Sanderson, I began to appreciate the abbreviated form, You Have to be Happy on Purpose. This quote impacts daily life as a reminder to live purposefully and not passively. To be Happy on Purpose, you must recognize the importance of purposeful action in combating dissatisfaction and everyday trivialities. This meaning can be intimidating to the ear at first, but its meaning is not always clear at first glance. The quote is strewn upon many of
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When implementing this, it is necessary to remember that choosing to be happy is not the same as forcing happiness. Many people adopt “fake it till you make it” and while it may work to some extent it does not equate to choosing happiness. As opposite as it sounds to be happy by being sad, by suppressing negative feelings extensively and “faking it till you make it” will ultimately do more harm than good. In a fMRI study by Alex Korb, people who were given pictures with negative facial expressions. Their amygdala produced that negative emotion, however, when they described the emotion their ventrolateral prefrontal cortex reduced its impact. In other words, when you explain how you feel in even a few words you can reduce its affect. Additionally, the number and kind of choices you’re making to be happy matter. Many people believe that they will have an epiphany or a magical turning point within their lives that will dramatically change who they are and ultimately make them happier, whether it is a religious experience, concert, or camp. However, this is the inverse of what scientifically will make you happier long term. A psychologist, Ed Diener, has a study that shows that frequency outweighs intensity in regard to long term happiness. Someone who has a couple wonderfully amazing experiences will not be as happy as someone who has a dozen mildly pleasing things each day. But what does this mean? It means that if you make the conscious decisions required to be happy on purpose, you can’t seek out happiness in great magnitude; you should listen to that Taylor Swift song just one more time, watch one more episode, wear your favorite outfit, take the time to treat yourself in little ways every day. Science supports the notion of happy on purpose and it shows how it is necessary to recognize emotions and choose happy actions every
When implementing this, it is necessary to remember that choosing to be happy is not the same as forcing happiness. Many people adopt “fake it till you make it” and while it may work to some extent it does not equate to choosing happiness. As opposite as it sounds to be happy by being sad, by suppressing negative feelings extensively and “faking it till you make it” will ultimately do more harm than good. In a fMRI study by Alex Korb, people who were given pictures with negative facial expressions. Their amygdala produced that negative emotion, however, when they described the emotion their ventrolateral prefrontal cortex reduced its impact. In other words, when you explain how you feel in even a few words you can reduce its affect. Additionally, the number and kind of choices you’re making to be happy matter. Many people believe that they will have an epiphany or a magical turning point within their lives that will dramatically change who they are and ultimately make them happier, whether it is a religious experience, concert, or camp. However, this is the inverse of what scientifically will make you happier long term. A psychologist, Ed Diener, has a study that shows that frequency outweighs intensity in regard to long term happiness. Someone who has a couple wonderfully amazing experiences will not be as happy as someone who has a dozen mildly pleasing things each day. But what does this mean? It means that if you make the conscious decisions required to be happy on purpose, you can’t seek out happiness in great magnitude; you should listen to that Taylor Swift song just one more time, watch one more episode, wear your favorite outfit, take the time to treat yourself in little ways every day. Science supports the notion of happy on purpose and it shows how it is necessary to recognize emotions and choose happy actions every