Posted on April 29, 2016
My day job — at least for the moment — takes place in a building in downtown Washington, DC. And like most commercial buildings it has an elevator, and the elevator has a little flat screen television that flashes business news snippets every fifteen or twenty seconds. It’s amazing the stuff you can learn from that little TV in the time it takes to ride the elevator to and from the office.
Yesterday, as I was frantically musing about what to write for this Friday blog, something flashed on that TV. The flashes are so quick you don’t always get all of the message, but in this case the words “happiness” and “Harvard” registered. Happiness, is a key word in my life right at the moment. I’m a happy person, but I could be happier. So I’ve been on a pursuit of happiness recently.
So, when I arrived at my floor, I rushed to my office, turned on the computer, and opened my internet browser and searched the words “Harvard and happiness.” Here, for you this Friday, are the interesting results:
Harvard Study Reveals the Secret of Happiness. Apparently some Harvard researchers have been following the graduating class of 1980 and asking them about happiness throughout their lives. The most recent results indicate that to be happy you should:
So, basically, this reinforces my thought that happiness is something you actively pursue. It ain’t just gonna come knocking at your door. You have to work for it. Which, segues into the second link I found in my Google search:
Harvard has a new Center for Health and Happiness. It’s part of the University’s Public Health School, and they are studying happiness as a factor in preventing diseases. Apparently, living a purposeful life is really, really important to longevity and health.
So, once again, happiness is something you do, not something you just fall into.
