04-02-2014, 11:26 PM
Watched a great documentary recently on the study of happiness.
For years doctors have studied and treated depression, but not untill recently has the study of what makes people happier than others been deeply looked into.
Study showed about 50% of happiness is genetic. The other 50% generally has to do with your daily choices, IE; being active etc..
Studies showed that a guy in India who walks barefoot to work, lives in a hut with his wife and four children, ranked as happy and satisfied with life as the average middle class american, which isnt really surprising to me, but the question is.. Why ?
Why is that guy with no shoes as happy as a guy with new nikes ?
Its really simple...
If you were in a forest in winter time with no clothing or shelter and hungry, you wouldnt be very happy. That goes without saying. And if someone found you and gave you things like, a warm fire, clothing, a warm bowl of soup, you would be much happier than before. Thats a truth. The lie we've created for ourselves is that, since these things make us more happy then not having them, people think having MORE will make them MORE happy. Truth is, the guy who makes 30 Million dollars a year, isnt any happier than a guy who makes 30 thousand.
Once we meet our hierarchy of needs, (food clothing shelter companionship community) there is not too much that truly makes us happy.
When I think of Puna, I think of having just these simple things and getting back to the essentials of what makes people happy.
Aloha.
For years doctors have studied and treated depression, but not untill recently has the study of what makes people happier than others been deeply looked into.
Study showed about 50% of happiness is genetic. The other 50% generally has to do with your daily choices, IE; being active etc..
Studies showed that a guy in India who walks barefoot to work, lives in a hut with his wife and four children, ranked as happy and satisfied with life as the average middle class american, which isnt really surprising to me, but the question is.. Why ?
Why is that guy with no shoes as happy as a guy with new nikes ?
Its really simple...
If you were in a forest in winter time with no clothing or shelter and hungry, you wouldnt be very happy. That goes without saying. And if someone found you and gave you things like, a warm fire, clothing, a warm bowl of soup, you would be much happier than before. Thats a truth. The lie we've created for ourselves is that, since these things make us more happy then not having them, people think having MORE will make them MORE happy. Truth is, the guy who makes 30 Million dollars a year, isnt any happier than a guy who makes 30 thousand.
Once we meet our hierarchy of needs, (food clothing shelter companionship community) there is not too much that truly makes us happy.
When I think of Puna, I think of having just these simple things and getting back to the essentials of what makes people happy.
Aloha.