Happiness is the stated desire of most people yet many miss out. Aristotle concluded that youth and modest life aspirations were key to happiness and little interest in exploring the validity of his claims was shown for another two millenniums. As late as 1996 researchers viewed happiness as a random result of genes and circumstances and not something to be cultivated. This changed in 1998 when Martin Seligman became chair of the American Psychological Society and chose to focus on life satisfaction rather than human dysfunction. The next 15 years saw a flood of research exploring ways people could enhance their happiness, but effect sizes were small, results transient and possible interventions numerous. The studies appeared to generate more questions than answers.
Clarity from an Unexpected Source
In 1938 a study of 268 young, fit Harvard Graduates were recruited to explore the habits of healthy and identifiably successful young men. They were studied every 10 years through a range of extensive medical and psychological assessments. In 1970 another 456 participants were added and this cohort, and while still primarily Anglo-American, came from disadvantaged backgrounds. With a new director, the emphasis changed from exploring qualities of the most privileged to seeking to understand how people change over time and ultimately what makes them happy and healthy. By the time the group were in their 70’s and 80’s the researchers had discovered that the best predictors of these men’s health was how happily married they were at 50.
The Next Iteration
Not everyone without a long-term satisfying relationship or male is unhappy, and these older studies are easy to critique. More recent research has taken the basic premise that happiness is relationship dependent and extended it. Work by Julia Rohrer of 2,000 Germans revealed that those who proposed social goals to enhance their happiness were more socially engaged and happier a year later. At the same time Nicholas Epley and Juliana Schroeder from the university of Chicago directed people to interact with strangers on public transport as a way of seeking brief connection and found they experienced a boost in mood. What has become clear is that even small and apparently superficial moments of connection boost happiness and the greatest impediment is the belief that others would be reluctant to engage.
bower(method) and identity
bower(method), the theoretical underpinning of all work done at Bower Place, proposes that the quality of peer and attachment relationship is central to identity. Working to bolster both relationships with family and attachment figures and friends and others with whom we interact, is central to change. This is especially so with people struggling with complex and challenging life circumstances and major mental health issues. Suggesting that a person who is highly anxious and depressed ‘make friends’ or resolve major family conflict is unlikely to be successful and may leave them and the therapist feeling even more hopeless. However, encouraging a person to engage with others while they wait in a queue, enquire after their neighbour’s wellbeing or chat with a person who serves them in a shop may be achievable. Connection does make us happier and there is evidence to prove it!
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