FYI: Research on How to Feel and Be Happy

Last updated on: April 10, 2009 at 10:56 am by Natasha Helfer

FYI: Research on How to Feel and Be Happy 2009-04-10T10:56:00-05:00 Natasha Helfer

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The following excerpts are taken from How to Hold on to Feeling & Being Happy: Quick Mood Fixes vs. Sustained Relational Giving- by Reinhild Draeger–Muenke, PsyD; Haim Horowitz, MA; and Ofra Shaham, PhD. Article found in Family Therapy Magazine (November-December 2006 issue).

“It appears that current culture eagerly promotes activities and material acquisitions as a way to create immediate excitement and joy, which may mistakenly be taken for happiness, but tends to fade as soon as the initial stimulation wanes. (We need to instead) examine the essence and the lasting effects of fair and meaningful giving to those who are part of our lives, in order to gain a sense of personal worth – the underpinning of all personal and lasting happiness.”

“To be complete, liberty indeed has to come with responsibility, Without responsibility, there is no meaningful liberty. Without constructive consideration of “the other” and his or her needs, such personal and disconnected freedom easily can turn into selfish, fleeting pleasures (such as gambling, excessive shopping, or substance use) – a transient mindset of happiness.”

“It is a well-known phenomenon that the individual suffers greatly when isolated from meaningful relationships. As we learned from studies of physically well-nurtured but relationally deprived children, continuous and emotionally responsive care is crucial to even basic human survival. Without it, emotional and physical death follows. Such need for meaningful relationships prevails across the lifespan and greatly determines a person’s state of emotional wellness and happiness.”

“Finding the balance between taking care of oneself, and at the same time being mindful of the needs of the “other,” has remained an essential, ongoing, and urgent directive, a central issue for all humans at all stages of life.”

“Over giving parents live in perplexity why their supposedly happy and satisfied offspring may instead become sullen, directionless, defiant and destructive in their ever increasing demands for more material “goodies.” Parents over focused on success or material gains risk missing opportunities to engage their children in age- and developmentally-appropriate giving back – for example, asking the children to adhere to properly enforced behavioral boundaries and household rules, hindering their child’s relational and intrapsychic development.”

“Relational giving include… emotionally, physically, and materially assisting a family member, friend or neighbor, or volunteering in …places of need.
These …support the notion that giving in order to bestow benefit to to others returns benefit to the giver, generating a state of true happiness. The contextual understanding of happiness emphasizes the relational nature of lasting happiness. It is independent of short-term, opportunistic, external, or predominantly self-indulgent reinforcers, and comes from a deep understanding of what is fair and just in responding to the need of an “other,” while being mindful of one’s own needs. even in seemingly dysfunctional situations where unhappiness prevails, the destructive cycle can be broken with a genuine response to another’s need.”

Uncategorized

Previous Post

April 9, 2009

What about a discussion relevent to singles - 30 and up?

Next Post

April 14, 2009 Further Comments on "How would you define Pornography?"

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Abortion Abuse Addiction Adolescents Anger Anxiety BDSM Bipolar Disorder Body Image Boundaries Children Circumcision Civil Rights Consent COVID19-Coronavirus Death Depression Divorce Domestic Violence Emotional Abuse Erectile Dysfunction Faith Crisis/Faith Transition Gender Identity Gender Roles Gospel Teachings Grief Homosexuality Infidelity LGBTQ LGBTQ+ Male Issues Marriage Masturbation Menopause Mental Health Mindfulness Miscarriage Missions Mixed-Faith Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Parenting Perfectionism Physical Abuse Physical Health Pornography Premature Ejaculation PTSD Race Relations Relationships Rest Righteousness Self Care Self Injury Self-Esteem Sexual Abuse Sexual Disorders Sexual Education Sexuality Single Adults Social Media Spirituality Suicide Survey Temple Issues Transgender Health Trauma Uncategorized Violence Women's Issues Word of Wisdom

Select a Month September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 December 2018 November 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 March 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 July 2015 February 2015 January 2015 November 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 April 2014 February 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 May 2012 April 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

How many chapters are in Isaiah?

Select your answer to see how you score.

72 50 66 40