In Episode 48: Celebrity & Suicide we discuss reasons why celebrities may choose to end their lives by suicide. One might think that the happiness brought to celebs by fame and fortune would make them less likely to consider suicide. It turns out that success cannot prevent you from becoming suicidal. Being successful does not guarantee happiness.
For some time Yale University has offered a course called Psyc 157: Psychology and the Good Life. It essentially helps students learn about making themselves more happy. It has become one of the most popular courses ever offered at the university. Over 3 million people have taken an online version. This suggests that a lot of us would like to improve our happiness quotient.
Psychological research finds that happiness is more related to simple things than big achievements. After all:
- your new prestigious job may come to an end.
- that higher salary tends to bring only short-term satisfaction.
- your self-esteem is not permanently boosted by being with an attractive partner.
This kind of experience may offer a short-term improvement in your mood, but, like the milk in your fridge, the expiration date comes soon. But is happiness really what we should be chasing? What actually brings fulfillment?
Meaning
In her Ted Talk, writer Emily Esfahani Smith discusses what actually provides “meaning to one’s life.”
It turns out that meaning is more responsible for lasting happiness than success. So what provides meaning? Feeling like you serve something bigger than yourself is one fo the key components to a meaningful life. No matter what are job title or salary, if we feel like our contribution is important to a cause greater than our own, we are more likely to feel fulfilled. Additionally, striving to develop the very best within you is a critical to feeling like you are “meaningful.” When we feel engaged and challenged, we feel connected and vital. Meaning provides resiliency in tough times and anchors us to those we love. In terms of suicide prevention, the connectedness that focusing on meaning provides is much more important than success.
In Conclusion…
What makes us happy has little to do with outward signs of “success” such as status symbols, money, or celebrity. While such symbols may temporarily boost our satisfaction, they tend to fade or erode with time. Relationships, a focus on something greater than yourself, feeling grateful, and a positive view of others are more likely to make us happy. A disciplined approach to regularly engage in these practices will yield the “happiest” results.