Spring 2007 Newsletter
By Dick Farenhorst

HAPPINESS

"I Know there is nothing better for people than to be happy and do good while they live"- Ecclesiastes

Did you know that the effects of tremendous positive or negative life events are often gone after six months. Research shows that lottery winners as well as those experiencing devastating spinal injuries, after six months, revert back to their original happiness level (Lykken, 2006).

As most of us are aware that happiness does not correlate to income or social economic status. Furthermore, when happiness becomes a goal it's completely elusive, but rather is, paradoxically, the result of inattention and becomes a bi-product when the focus is on such "old fashioned" things as character development and having good relationships with friends, family and a sense of meaning and the transcendent. While most social science research is tentative and contextualizing, one finding that can be stated unequivocally is that no one is happy without good relationships with friends and family members (Diener and Seligmen, 2006).

Paradoxically one can experience pain and happiness simultaneously. To be a Christian, living intimately with God can be one of the richest experiences humans can have, and yet involves also taking up one's cross. Happiness or fulfillment is not a superficial relief of disappointments or a quick mood alternating fix. It's not obtained (as we all know but still get seduced by) by getting that "you deserve it" - vacation, boat, car, etc. It's not obtained by achieving, mastering or even by relieving depression – as important as that is.

A new development in the field of psychology is the growth of "positive psychology" with it's focus on strengths versus eliminating weakness, on building healthy families versus healing dysfunctional ones. A central pillar of this new school is on developing character. Park and Peterson (2006) found that strengths that matter most in producing happiness were strengths of the heart such as kindness, love and gratitude as opposed to strengths of the mind such as prudence and perseverance. They suggest that research that shows that people that end each day by identifying three good things i.e. blessings that happen to them become less depressed and happier as a result and the effects last for months. Healthy families in turn are those where instances of celebration outnumber negative responses to events or people.

Asking God's spirit to transform our character no longer becomes a moralistic duty (another thing I should do), but instead is a pathway to happiness. It also doesn't mean we ignore our defects or weaknesses, but in turn helps us to deal with them better from a different emotional state, that is a place of happiness or fulfillment.