What makes us happy and satisfied? A long-term study comes to clear results.
What actually is “happiness”? A question that people have been asking themselves for thousands of years and on which there are already a wide variety of studies. The Duden describes it as a “pleasant and joyful state of mind in which one finds oneself when one comes into possession or enjoys something one has wished for”.
It should be clear to many that there is no guarantee of happiness, it is not for nothing that there is a saying: “Be careful what you wish for.” We think we know what we need – some of us spend our lives working towards it, neglecting other things like our families or even ourselves. And when we finally have what we were convinced we absolutely needed , we realize that what we had was enough and may now be lost forever. Well, or it turns out we really always needed it and now we have it and we’re some of the happiest people alive – who can tell beforehand?
In order to be able to give at least a certain assessment, science has been dealing with the topic for some time. The Harvard University For example, has been working on a long-term happiness study for more than 85 years, with the development of hundreds of adults being followed. The aim of the study is to find out which lifestyle choices make people permanently happy. “Make it” has summarized seven behaviors that, according to the Harvard study, should guarantee a happy and healthy life. We present some of them in detail.
Behaviors that guarantee a healthy, happy life
Admittedly, very few of the lifestyles listed below are surprisingly healthy – but that doesn’t mean that everyone takes it to heart. So it never hurts to remind yourself of the importance of the behaviors listed below for a healthy and happy life. You’re welcome!
Keep your hands off the cigarette
The Federal Ministry of Health describes it as the “biggest avoidable health risk in Germany”: smoking. 120,000 people die every year as a result of tobacco consumption. In comparison: According to figures from “extra” most people in Germany died in 2021 as a result of cardiovascular disease (around 340,000).
So it’s hardly surprising that, according to the study, giving up a cigarette leads to a healthy life – after all, smoking can lead to diseases of the lungs, the cardiovascular system, tooth damage, diabetes and a whole range of cancers. Nobody really needs that in life.
The bottle of wine doesn’t have to be either
Let’s come to the second legal and rather unhealthy drug of the German population: alcohol. There are countless studies on how much or how little is still within a healthy range.
In January 2023 wrote the World Health Organization to this: “When it comes to alcohol consumption, there is no amount that is harmless to health.” From the International Cancer Research Center Alcohol was classified as a Group 1 carcinogen several decades ago. What other substances are in this group? Among other things, asbestos and benzene, heavy metals and particulate matter. Bottom up!
Exercise every day and maintain a healthy weight
Just 15 minutes a day reduce mortality considerably, writes the medical journal, referring to one study from Taiwan, which came to this conclusion. True to the popular motto “a lot helps a lot”, it is of course possible and healthy to increase this minimum amount of exercise.
The World Health Organization recommends weekly exercise of at least 150 minutes (e.g. moderate walking), which is about 21 minutes a day, or 75 minutes (e.g. brisk jogging), which is about 10 minutes a day.
This almost automatically (for some people, at least) ticks off another item on the list of behaviors that promise a happy life: maintaining a healthy weight. This is not about changing beauty norms, but really about what is healthy for you and your body – It is best to discuss this with medical staff because it is a very individual matter.
Work on a healthy coping strategy
“Life is one of the hardest” – that’s more than just a saying. Some conflicts, changes or drastic experiences can shake us to the core. It can help to learn early on how to deal with these unavoidable challenges in life in a healthy way. Psychology differentiates between two strategies:
- Adaptive Coping: This form of coping is about actively solving the problem in the long term, for example by getting help, adjusting our expectations, or actively dealing with stress.
- Maladaptive coping: This is primarily about avoiding the actual problem, for example by taking substances, avoiding conflicts/people, harming ourselves or procrastinating.
According to the Harvard Happiness Study, those who follow an adaptive coping strategy to deal with life’s challenges and setbacks, big and small, are more likely to lead a contented life.
Sources used: cnbc.com, pll.harvard.edu, adultdevelopmentstudy.org, bundesgesundheitsministerium.de, duden.de, de.statista.com, tk.de, who.int, krebsgesellschaft.de, aerzteblatt.de, thelancet.com , mentalhealthathome.org