The definition of happiness differs from person to person. Merriam-Webster defines it as "a state of well-being and contentment." But, isn't contentment just another way of saying happy?
Americans spend millions each year on a quest to discover happiness. Corporations in turn spend millions and millions trying to convince people they're not happy enough—that they deserve more. Dare we ask, how happy is too happy? Or, how does one justify finding happiness in a pill bottle that is compounded by our neighbors in our un-happy society?
Our Western society's definition of happiness (which is still somewhat unclear) puts us in a dangerous position—especially our adolescents—for addictions.
Teens are hormonal tornados. Stress, pressures, conflicts, challenges, experiences, self awareness … all these ingredients, topped with rapidly changing hormones, help to create the perfect storm in a teenager's world. Although we may remember those days as the time of our lives—joyous and carefree—about half of today's teens would disagree. In fact, ninth graders (average age 15) report 50% less time feeling "very happy" compared to fifth graders (average age 11). Likewise, they experience fewer moments of feeling "great" or "proud" of themselves.
Mental growth in this stage is rapid. It's in our adolescence that the childhood innocence sails on, leaving us with both a feeling of loss and a newly discovered sense of adventure. It's here in our teen years we realize image matters, friends matter, our school resume matters—everything matters! It's also here that we learn to take risks. A teen can be made to feel anxious about their appearance with little effort, yet it's a challenge to get through to them about the possibilities of their actions resulting in death or physical harm. And, because of their youthful courage, the risks that they're accepting under the canopy of their newly discovered adventurous side can be very dangerous.
Teens don't process the notion of consequences well. Just as they struggle to grasp the risks of physical danger and the possibly of death, they don't realize emotional repercussions either. They understand that the wrong hairstyle will cause them embarrassment, but they don't see how risky choices such as binge drinking or experimenting with drugs can cause sadness, depression, anxiety, etc.
One in three adolescents are depressed at any given time (or 10-15%), according to teendepression.org. And, how do we treat depression? The majority of Americans believe that in order to cure a nasty case of the blues, you have to be prescribed the latest miracle drug.
One of the biggest concerns revolving around that logic, however, is 30% of teens with depression also develop substance abuse problems and addictions.
Defining addiction is an easier task then defining happiness. Merriam-Webster defines addiction as, "compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance (as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal; broadly : persistent compulsive use of a substance known by the user to be harmful."
However, addiction is more than substance dependency. Addicts are also those who struggle with process addictions such as food, sex, gambling, self-harming behaviors, workaholism. Behaviors produce the same "feel-good" chemicals in the brain that drugs do; dopamine; serotonin; endogenous opiods; enorepinephrine. And, like most drugs, over time we need more and more to sustain our rush of "happiness."
There are other ways to search for happiness. Yes, the above-mentioned actions and substances release "happy" chemicals into our systems, and we can easily become addicted and dependent upon. But, those are not the only lifestyle choices that release such a euphoric chemical combination.
Eastern societies have long believed that the answer to happiness lies within our choices to follow a "healthy path." Part of following a healthy path is defined by self-awareness. Yet, unlike the teenage worry about "image", Eastern cultures define this as being in tune with your body.
As hemisphere lines continue to blur, a growing popularity in America for meditation practices, yoga, and organic diets continues to spread.
The UW-Madison Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience shows that meditation is linked to significant activity in the left prefrontal cortex—areas of the brain linked to positive emotion. Indeed, some experienced meditators show the most powerful gamma waves ever documented in a human being.
What does all this mean? Is there a secret short-cut that we can all take each morning as we set out to find happiness? That answer remains as foggy to me as does the definition of happiness. However, I believe that as we set out to find happiness each day, we should consider all our options and evaluate all our choices. Our teens may seem unreceptive to our advice, but they do observe our actions. By sampling a little from various cultures, maybe our search for happiness won't be as much of a struggle—for us and for our teens.
Dr. Martin Seligman is Chairman of the University of Pennsylvania Positive Psychology Center and founder of Positive Psychology, a new branch of psychology which focuses on the empirical study of such things as positive emotions, strengths-based character, and healthy institutions. His research has demonstrated that it is possible to be happier—to feel more satisfied, to be more engaged with life, find more meaning, have higher hopes, and probably even laugh and smile more, regardless of one’s circumstances. Positive psychology interventions can also lastingly decrease depression symptoms. Read more here.
