Life with Chronic Conditions: The Happiness Chase

Since it’s still January and people are still fiddling around with “resolutions,” I thought I’d mention the resolve people have of “being happier” in 2023. There are lots of articles being written on this topic at the moment. 

 

In 2012 I wrote a blog post “Contentment is Happiness” which was inspired by our Founding Fathers and the Declaration of Independence. I still agree with what I wrote 10 years ago and why I wrote it. Just what do happiness,  contentment and chronic disease have in common? Contentment is the important balance point on the happiness scale (if such a scale exists), where euphoria is at one end and depression at the other.  This is a very achievable goal regardless of whether you are dealing with health issues or not. Further, because continual stress, anxiety and sadness have a devastating impact on immune function, it is important for people with chronic disease to achieve a level of contentment, as it can improve health and well-being. 

 

One of the reason why happiness is front and center on a lot of media platforms, beyond it being January and resolution time, there is a new book out, written by Robert Waldinger, MD and Marc Shulz PHD, entitled The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness.  This is based on the findings on the Harvard Study of Adult Development,  which is the longest in depth longitudinal study on human life ever done. Waldinger is the director of the Harvard study and Schulz is the associate director.  

The number one finding from the Harvard study is that good relationships lead to health and happiness, not wealth, fame, or IQ.

 

Schultz presents five key insights from the book/Harvard study, which he discusses in the Next Big Idea Podcast 

1. Relationships keep us happier and healthier across our lifespan, and loneliness erodes our health.

2.  Relationships don’t just take care of themselves, they require active maintenance and renewal.

3. Relationships of all kinds matter, but all relationships come with challenges.

4. Our attention is our most precious resource.

5. It’s never too late to improve your connections with others.

 

To learn more about the Harvard study, watch Waldinger’s TED Talk. He also has a podcast 

 Bottom line is if you are wanting “happiness” as part of your 2023 resolutions, focus on your relationships first and foremost as studies consistently show it’s the relationships, in or not in our life, that make the difference about contentment/happiness.