Are Americans happy?

February 3, 2013

Happiness is?

Are you happy? Do you think most Americans are? Is happiness a gift? Can it be acquired when you don't have it? We all know the Declaration of Independence contains the famous promises of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Since happiness is a feeling, how do we know when we or others have enough of it? Can someone else give you happiness?

A compelling 2011 documentary, appropriately called “Happy,” by Oscar-nominated Director Roko Belic, examines the topic in detail via experts' opinions and revealing human story vignettes.

A narrator begins by asking a few twenty-something Americans what they want out of life. They all said they wanted to be happy, and identified acquiring money as the key. Does that sound familiar?

The story switches to the slums of Calcutta at a tiny home with plastic sheeting for a roof, and no doors or windows. A very thin man in his thirties arises from bed, already dressed in soiled thin cotton pants and a red and white t-shirt he will wear to work that day. He slips on flip-flops and goes outside to wash himself from a bucket of water. He then returns to his home to have a bite to eat before getting on an old bicycle. As he peddles off to work, having shown no prior emotion, his preteen son calls out ,“baba, baba”. The man turns and they wave to each other with shared smiles of love and affection.

The man is next shown pulling a rickshaw on a trash-littered, crowded, muddy street. His face shows the strain of his efforts as he struggles to transport a large man and his young child, but he endures his labor silently.

The video then moves to end of the day as the tired rickshaw puller returns home. His expression shows his weariness, but his face lights up with pleasure as his son runs out to greet him with a joyful smile, while again calling out “baba, baba”. The man says, “when I hear my son call out baba...I am filled with joy”. He looks at his home with pride and says, because we have no windows we have a nice breeze, and the plastic sheeting over the roof keeps us dry when it rains...except when Monsoons come. He then points to his many, also smiling, neighbors sitting in front of similar slum homes, and says, “I have good neighbors and we look out for each other”. He concludes: “I am not poor, I am rich”! From the looks on their faces...it would be difficult to argue otherwise.

Happiness experts say genetics determine about half of an individual's propensity to be happy, 40% results from intentional behavior (I interpreted this to mean working at having a positive attitude actually results in happiness), and only 10% results from social circumstances. They added evidence shows those who endeavor to put forth a positive and happy attitude are indeed both happier and more successful in life. Studies also prove those who describe themselves as wealth-driven are less happy than those driven to do good deeds for purely intrinsic reasons. They pose this question: if only 10% of our propensity for happiness is determined by our social circumstance, why do so many work so hard pursuing materialism and perceived improved circumstances?

They also said many studies show moving from absolute poverty to approximately $50,000 in income definitely increases happiness. However, as incomes went to even the highest levels, happiness levels don't increase much at all. In fact, steadily increasing one's income often results in increased unhappiness as the achiever realizes repeatedly they are not really happier.

According to these experts, the main happiness ingredients are:

1. Maintaining close family and friend connections. 2. Appreciating nature. 3. Valuing small pleasures. 4. Striving to master new skills for the pure sake of mastery. 5. Helping the needy.

The narrator then visits a large extended Cajun family living in the swamps of Louisiana. These folks, live very close together, willingly help each other, and share meals often. Watching them interact, you had to conclude they were either great actors...or genuinely happy with their lives. Even with little in the way of material wealth, simply being together seemed to bring them much happiness.

The experts said people living in developed nations today have much more material wealth compared to generations past, but most measures of happiness have not improved. Maybe this is why we often hear older folks wishing for the good old days??

I wish all of us could take the many lessons from this documentary to heart and stop looking for personal happiness in material things. It reminds me of looking for love in all the wrong places. This documentary can be found on DVD and Netflix. I highly recommend it for you and your younger family members. Might even make a nice gift??

In previous articles I have often written of my concerns our future generations will likely have to learn to do with much less material wealth. This documentary has helped me see a potential bright side to that future; perhaps our descendants will find focusing less on material wealth will actually make them happier.

These are my opinions. What do you think?

Mike Tower