The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.
Benjamin Franklin
The month of August has been declared Happiness Happens Month by the “Secret Society of Happy People” since 1999. The group defines its mission as “to help people recognize more happiness and encourage them to talk about it”.
The Society has three purposes for this month:
- Recognize and express happiness
- Listen to others talk about their happiness
- Don’t rain on other people’s parades
They also have some fun ideas to help celebrate. Here are a few:
- wear a pair of silver shades (because happy people always see the silver lining)
- laugh (laughter is still the best medicine)
- smile (and the world smiles with you)
- post on Twitter about what makes you happy, using the hashtag #HappinessHappensyou
The group has a Happiness Happens Month 31 Day Challenge on Facebook. So far, I have been challenged to walk barefoot in the grass, wave at strangers, do something spontaneous and sing out loud to name a few. Even if you haven’t started the month’s challenges, you can join in right where you are and always go back to the beginning next month. After all, once you hop on the happiness train, you are going to want to stay onboard!
Happiness protects your health
I have repeatedly mentioned that I often asked my sons to find a reason to smile and laugh on their way out the door when they were younger. I am glad I did, because even now if I say that, they giggle. Therefore, I have started the day in a happier way! According to studies being done, I was not only encouraging a good mood, but I was helping them remain healthy.
You have most likely heard that getting upset or angry can raise your blood pressure. In fact, in the worst-case scenario, those emotions can lead to a heart attack or stroke. But did you know that positive emotions can lower your blood pressure and risk for cardiovascular disease?
Dr. Barbara Fredrickson researched and found that when stressed people watched a film that left them feeling amused and content, that led to quicker recovery of heart function. She also noted that stressed subjects who smiled while watching a sad movie had a more rapid heart rate recovery. Her thesis is that positive emotions undo the effects of stress and, therefore, protect a person’s health.
There are even more health benefits to being happy. This infographic (created by happify) I found while surfing says it all in a neat package.
