Discovering the Secret of Happiness

24 CommentsTuesday • February 3, 2009 • by michelle

While flipping through the latest issue of Psychologies, I came across a little blurb entitled “La felicità è contagiosa.”

Happiness is contagious.

The piece quotes a study published in the British Medical Journal, which found that the secret to happiness is to be around calm people who are satisfied with their lives.

I think we all kind of knew this, right?

I know I don’t like to be around negative nellies too much, because I find that unhappiness is also quite contagious.

But the article goes on to say that while “happy” areas in our brain are stimulated by being around happiness, this connection only happens in person and not via telefone or the Internet.

Accordingly, the author concludes, all you need to do to be happy is to shut off your computer, get out of the house, and talk to people (apparently preferably happy ones).

I’ll agree that there certainly is something extra-special about in-person contact, but I’m not sure that I don’t get at least similar happy feelings talking on the phone or via Internet with loved ones who also happen to be happy. Or maybe my brain is just different than those in the study?

What do you think?

Do online and telephone friendships
with positive people help make you happy?