Have more fun. Have more happiness!

Have more fun. Have more happiness!

by Jon Savitt via Thought Catalog

Ah, the good ole days. The light-up shoes, the Lunchables, the ability to judge if someone was cool or not based on how they wore their backpack. It was a much simpler time. It was a time filled with predetermined play-dates and hours upon hours of Nickelodeon. So. Much. Nickelodeon. Literally, all the Nickelodeon. There was no fear of securing your next paycheck, no stress regarding the traffic during your daily commute, and certainly no time wasted debating whether or not to superficially swipe right or left. But, hey, time stops for no one. Eventually, adult life takes its course. Its laundry-filled, grocery shopping, alarm-setting course.

And that’s not a bad thing. Perhaps surprising at first as the real world can be a Stanley Milgram type of shock – but that’s not bad. In some ways that’s exciting, even needed, dare I say. Growing up encourages greater independence, resilience, responsibility, and an illogical urge to watch documentaries (It’s like I turned twenty-one and had a sudden craving for history). Yes, being an adult certainly has its perks.

Spontaneous traveling, no curfews, reckless spending, 401k’s, alcohol, unwarranted authority, alcohol, freedom, choosing your friends, alcohol, being invited to weddings, voting, various phases (such as, but not limited to, the following your dream phase, the enjoying single life phase, the looking for a relationship phase, the just got broken up with and enjoying single life (again) phase, the I’m deleting my social media accounts phase, the trying to act younger than you are phase, etc.), alcohol…And the list goes on.

If there’s a lot to love about life, then why are so many unhappy?

Well, please take a step back because I’m about to drop some knowledge.

A longitudinal Harvard study conducted by my boy George Vaillant began to shed light on this question. The study, which took place over a timeline of 75 years (good god), involved surveying and interviewing 268 Harvard students (classes 1939-1944) in regard to their mental and physical health, financial situations, career enjoyment, and marital happiness. This study uncovered two key findings…

…keep reading the full & original article HERE