10 May Why happiness isn’t always good – or why it’s different for different people
Another research study that's achieved a lot of attention lately (in addition to the happiness gene study) is this one, referred to in a TIME magazine article as "Why happiness isn't always good: Asians vs Americans". It starts like this…
Among journalists — and less so among psychologists — the subset of mental-health research called “positive psychology” has become powerfully influential. Positive psychology, which was more or less founded by a University of Pennsylvania professor named Martin Seligman, focuses not on ordinary or pathological behavior — the two subjects that most psychologists study — but on how we can cultivate positive emotions to build resilience and well-being.
Many research psychologists, either out of academic rigor or academic jealousy, have questioned Seligman's work. And now a growing body of research challenges whether most humans even see “positive” emotions as better than ordinary ones — whether feeling happy actually leads, in the end, to a good life.
In a new paper in the journal Emotion, a team of psychologists at the University of Washington finds that not everyone sees positive emotions such as joviality and self-assurance as unequivocally good. Depending on your ethnic background, you may find such emotions suspicious and even dangerous…
…now if you're finding this interesting you can read the full and original article HERE
But the main reason I'm posting this research is not because I believe happiness is sometimes "not good" but rather, that it is important we recognise that happiness means different things to different people. And not just to Asians versus Americans, or even any one cultural group compated to another, but to any individual compared to any other individual.
So as I've asked before, what does happiness mean to you AND what does it mean to others (especially your loved ones)? Because there's a good chance it won't mean the same thing…