HappinessWhile I joined the sessions and celebrations this week, one word came to mind: happiness. But not happiness as a destination or even as a journey—happiness as a state of mind.
There’s a great Chinese proverb quoted in the book, “The Giving Way to Happiness: Stories and Science Behind the Life-Changing Power of Giving.” As the ancient saying goes, “If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody.”
Modern science underscores the idea that we all look for happiness around us, but the truth is, happiness is found in other people. More than 20 years ago, researcher Allan Luks introduced the world to the concept of a “helper’s high” after studying how people who had helped others through giving their time and/or by donating their money experienced a “euphoria” similar to that felt after completing a rigorous physical challenge. Then in 2008, Professor Elizabeth Dunn of the University of British Columbia conducted an experiment to prove that spending money on others causes greater happiness than spending money on ourselves. She gave participants in her study an envelope with either a $5 bill or a $20 bill and told them to spend the money by the end of the day. Some participants were instructed to spend the money on themselves, some were told to spend it on others, either by purchasing a gift or by making a charitable donation. Participants who spent the money on someone else reported greater levels of happiness than those who spent it on themselves.
