Nice to be reminded of the obvious.
On Jul 30, 10:08 am, ssp <[email protected]> wrote:
> very interesting article about
> happiness and exercise. Being
> new to biking, I found Dr. Graham's
> article in The Gam comments
> relevent. It is easy to
> "lose yourself in an activity one
> loves" ---and biking does it.
> Lost in 'the flow", see below.
>
> http://www.thegam.com/
> july 23rd edition
> (last weeks edition
> page 6)
>
> Prescription for Health
> Who’s happy anyway?
> Dr. James L. Graham
> There have been some interesting
> studies coming from the psychological
> community of late.
> Specifically, the profession is
> looking at what makes people
> happy as opposed to the
> usual study of what makes
> people unhappy. In the mid-
> ‘90s, the scientific journals
> published approximately
> 100 studies on sadness for
> every one study on happiness.
> Things have changed, however.
> Here’s what studies show make
> people happy. They spend less
> time alone. They embark on personal
> growth and intimacy. They
> also judge themselves by their
> own standards and not against
> what others are able to do or what
> they possess. University of Illinois
> psychologist Ed Diener has
> this to say, “Materialism is toxic
> for happiness.” Certainly, we all
> know people who seem to have
> every possession imaginable but
> are still miserable with their lives.
> Now, this is a little disheartening.
> University of Pennsylvania
> psychologist Martin E.
> P. Seligman says that happiness
> is about half genetic.
> He compares it to our
> weight. Essentially, we
> have a set point for our happiness,
> just as we do for weight.
> Some people are genetically heavier,
> just as some people are genetically
> happier.
> Many people believe that our
> physical health determines our degree
> of happiness. But, studies do
> not show this to be true. It is only
> when we lose our health that it has
> an effect on our happiness, or lack
> thereof. When we lose our health
> we become sad, unhappy, and depressed.
> ***People also become happier
> when they lose themselves in an
> activity they love, one that makes
> them forget themselves, lose track
> of time, and not worry.****Claremont
> Graduate University psychologist
> Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls this
> “flow.” This is similar to athletes
> who “get in the zone,” and play
> the game at a much higher level
> than others. Seligman states that
> eve ryone has “s ignature
> strengths.” Those who use these
> more often are happiest. Your
> strength may be sewing, doing
> crosswords, woodworking or fishing.
> One action step we can take
> now is to make a list of the things
> we really enjoy doing. Then we
> should try to do one of these each
> day, or as much as possible. We
> need to get in the flow and lose
> ourselves.
> Finally, psychologists have
> found that gratitude and forgiveness
> have a significant impact on
> our happiness. Sitting down and
> talking about, or listing, the things
> we are grateful for, makes us happier.
> And, forgiveness, as University
> of Michigan psychologist
> Christopher Peterson states, is the
> one trait that is most important and
> has the most profound effect on
> our level of happiness. Peterson
> goes on to say, “It’s [forgiveness]
> the queen of all virtues, and probably
> the hardest to come by.”
> Essentially, happiness is not related
> to possessions or material
> wealth. It is determined by what
> we do, being humble, not chasing
> the Joneses, and the ability to forgive.
> So, get started today. Enjoy
> this life the best you can. It doesn’t
> last long.
>
> If this is not the
> place to post this just say so
> and I will remove this post.
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