The 2016 World Happiness Report was released last month. This report is the result of surveys that rate the level of happiness of respondents in over 150 countries worldwide. The report attempts to measure “subjective well being,” among a country’s inhabitants. The survey began in 2012 and has been repeated about every 18 months, the 2016 update is the fourth edition.
According to the report, the happiest country in the world is Denmark. For anyone who follows this blog, that is not a surprise. Denmark’s government places a high priority on the health and well being of its citizens and that focus pays huge dividends. Long life expectancies, happiness at the job and support of families are important and the society invests in things that support these goals.
The US did move up the leader board this year, from the 15th to 13th place on the ratings, but we’ve yet to crack the top 10 happiest countries. You would think that the success and prosperity in our country would lead to more happy people, but somehow that is just not true. A new book by a University of Texas researcher Raj Raghunathan, asks the question, “If You’re So Smart, Why Aren’t You Happy?” The author poses that a lot of our unhappiness has to do with our need for control.
One of the benefits of implementing Positive Psychology principles into my life has been the shift in my perspective on control. People who live positively have learned to give up the idea of controlling others and we look internally to develop better control of our own thoughts, words and behavior.
In other words, happiness doesn’t result from controlling others or situations but by controlling how you react to things that happen. This all begins in your mind. People who think that people can make you mad, or that look at negative things that occur as personal attacks are not happy people.
Folks who approach life with a sense of gratitude are the happiest because they don’t take the things that happen to them as personally. They frame these things by looking at them from a thankful perspective. No matter what happens to you, there is always a way to be thankful.
In framing this around our jobs and livelihoods, all we have to do understand that not everything that initially appears bad turns out to be all bad. My son went to visit his girlfriend a few months ago. They had a great weekend but that Monday at her job she was laid off. He contacted me for some advice, asking how he could help her feel better.
I explained that her outlook was the most important thing right now, and the only thing she could control. I encouraged her to have a positive attitude and think thoughts and use words that validated her worth. I encouraged her to really believe that the Universe has so much more in store for her. I emphasized that whatever energy she sent out to the world was what she would receive in return. Less than one month later she had secured a better job, with a healthier work environment and more money!
There is a way to make our country a happier place and it starts with each of us as individuals. If we learn to control ourselves, starting with our thoughts and behavior our country can become a happier place, both individually and collectively by controlling ourselves rather than trying to control everyone else.
Do you think our perspective on control impacts our happiness?
