Day Eleven - Being Better
If you were in trouble, do you have relatives or friends you can count on to help you whether you need them or not?
Today's challenge is to understand and explore life satisfaction, aka happiness. Contrary to popular belief, money does not make us happy, assuming material needs are met, and even lottery winners do not experience greater day to day happiness.2 So what does make people happier?
The Annual World Happiness Report sheds some light on what it takes to be happy, including: living in a happy environment, socially connected, financially stable, generally healthy, amongst other elements. One factor common to both the World Happiness Report and the Harvard study is the strength of your relationships. The Happiness report asks, "If you were in trouble, do you have relatives or friends you can count on to help you whether you need them or not." And they've found that the quality of your relationships is the most important single predictor of your happiness and health. Havard's 80-year study into adult development also confirms the link between relationships and life-satisfaction.3
So how happy are you right now? You can find out using the Cantril Ladder Survey, which invites you to imagine a ladder, with steps numbered from zero at the bottom to 10 at the top. The top of the ladder represents the best possible life for you, and the bottom of the ladder represents the worst possible life for you. On which step of the ladder would you say you feel you stand at this time?
No matter where you stand on the ladder today, remember that small intentional choices make a big difference over time, especially when it comes to well-being and happiness.
Reference
Question from the World Happiness Report.
Lottery winners: The myths and the reality
Harvard Study of Adult Development Harvard Study
Further reading
Read: World happiness report 2020 report
Learn: Free science of wellbeing course – Yale University - www.coursera.org
Listen: Laurie Santos happiness lab podcast
** Disclaimer – Part of the Build Your Ideal Day Program – 30 Day challenge by Duncan Young. All content and media on the Build Your Ideal Day Website is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health or personal advice.
