A new study has found that worrying too much about how happy you are can actually make you feel worse.
Research published by the American Psychological Association discovered that when people are overly concerned about their happiness, they experience more negative emotions and lower overall well-being.
Key Findings:
- Aspiring to Happiness: Seeing happiness as an important goal is okay and doesn’t harm your well-being.
- Concern About Happiness: Constantly judging your happiness levels can lead to disappointment and greater depressive symptoms.
Study Details:
The study involved over 1,800 participants from various backgrounds. It used surveys and daily diaries to track how people felt about their happiness. Participants were from different genders, ethnicities, ages, and geographic locations, ensuring a diverse sample.
Researchers separated the idea of valuing happiness into two concepts:
- Aspiring to Happiness: Viewing happiness as a crucial goal.
- Concern About Happiness: Judging how happy one feels regularly.
They found that aspiring to happiness was not harmful, but being concerned about happiness often led to negative emotions during positive events, making those moments less enjoyable and leading to lower well-being overall.
How the Study Was Conducted:
- Surveys: Participants answered questions about their feelings and happiness levels at different points in time.
- Daily Diaries: For eight days, some participants recorded their most positive daily events and how they felt about them.
- Longitudinal Approach: Some participants were followed up after six months to see how their feelings had changed.
The researchers used these methods to see if the participants’ concern about their happiness affected their overall well-being. They found that those who judged their happiness levels frequently experienced more negative emotions, even during positive events.
Why This Happens:
When you constantly judge your happiness, you might feel negative emotions even during good times. For example, if something great happens but you don’t feel as happy as you think you should, you might feel disappointed or worried. This habit of overthinking can reduce your overall well-being.
Expert Insight:
“There are plenty of societal pressures, at least within the United States, which encourage the fallacy that people must feel happy all of the time to achieve greater well-being. Overall, allowing yourself to experience your emotions, whether they are positive or negative, with an accepting attitude could be a useful tool for pursuing happiness and increasing well-being.”
– Lead researcher Felicia Zerwas, PhD.
Advice for a Happier Life:
Instead of focusing on how happy you should be, accept all your emotions. This can help you feel better in the long run. Here are some practical tips:
- Embrace All Emotions: Understand that it’s normal to feel a range of emotions. Feeling sad, angry, or stressed is a part of life, and accepting these feelings can help you manage them better.
- Avoid Constant Self-Evaluation: Don’t always check how happy you are; just live in the moment. Enjoy activities and experiences without constantly measuring your happiness.
- Focus on Meaningful Activities: Engage in activities that matter to you without worrying about the happiness they bring. Doing things you love for their own sake, not just for happiness, can lead to a more fulfilling life.
By following these tips, you can lead a happier and more fulfilling life without the pressure of always trying to feel happy. Remember, it’s okay not to feel happy all the time. Accepting this can actually make you happier in the long run.
Reference:
Felicia K. Zerwas, Brett Q. Ford, Oliver P. John, Iris B. Mauss. Unpacking the pursuit of happiness: Being concerned about happiness but not aspiring to happiness is linked with negative meta-emotions and worse well-being. Emotion, 2024; DOI: 10.1037/emo0001381
