Four Traits of Happy People
Ed McClanahan
In a recent poll by the Wall Street Journal, only 12% of respondents described themselves as being “very happy.” When staffers at the WSJ reached out to those “very happy” respondents to investigate the reasons for their satisfaction, these were the most common traits they found;
Marriage: 67% of the happiest people said that being married was very important to them, compared to only 43% of overall respondents.
Faith: Two-thirds of very happy people characterized themselves as moderately or very religious.
Seniors: People 60 and over accounted for 44% of the happiest group, but represented only 30% of total survey respondents.
Gym rats: Fitness was a common interest among very happy people.
What didn’t seem to matter to being very happy? Political party affiliation or political activism. Those who identified with either were seemingly more on the side of unhappy people!
It seems like a rhetorical question to ask someone if they’d like to be “very happy.” Well of course!! While this WSJ research doesn’t guarantee happiness if you have these things, it does identify them as important characteristics. One of them (your age) you have no control over, and most of us know some very happy people that have never been married. Yet we can definitely take some guidance from this research.
First of all, are you married? What steps are you taking to improve the quality of your marriage? How can you serve your spouse better? Jesus gave us a brilliant example by showing that he didn’t come to be served, but to serve others, and ultimately give his life for all of us (Matthew 20:28).
If faith is a strong characteristic of a very happy person, what are you doing to strengthen your own? Are you regularly reading God’s word? Have you found any rhythms for reading regular devotions from a trusted source? These are things that are destined to improve your faith, and will help motivate you to live the GO (God and others) lifestyle we talk about so much here at Evergreen. You’ll improve your ability to serve your Oikos by using these spiritual disciplines.
Have you avoided the gym like a virus? That’s plain silly if it’s true. Your overall health is a great influencer on your well-being. This research, and many others like it show that increased fitness levels are strongly correlated to weight control, reduced risk of heart disease and other illnesses, helping your body manage blood sugar and insulin levels, improving your mental health and mood, and assisting in keeping your thinking, learning, and judgment skills sharper as you age.
Could you have honestly answered this question from the WSJ and clicked “very happy” on your questionnaire? If not, how about trying to improve these areas where you can? Research says it’s an effective way to boost your score to “very happy.”