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You can spread happiness
simply by being happy. Yes, just by feeling happy, you may be
bringing happiness not only to your near and dear ones, but also
to those you don’t even know.
A study published in the
British Medical Journal used data from the Framingham Heart
study to recreate a network of 4739 individuals. According to
the study, happiness spreads through social networks of family
members, friends and neighbours.
The study found that you are 15 per cent more likely to be happy
if someone you directly know is happy, 10 per cent, if the
friend of a friend is happy, and six per cent if a friend of a
friend of a friend is happy. In other words, Happiness is
contagious. It’s like a chain reaction, which spreads quickly
and is self-sustaining.
In another fascinating
study of 2000 people conducted in Australia, researchers that
volunteers are significantly happier with their work, work
hours, community connectedness and spirituality than any other
group.
I am not surprised. I think
we get happiness in the process of giving. And volunteering is
one of the best ways to give. When we volunteer for a cause, we
give our time, we give our attention to it-indeed, we give a
part of ourselves to it. Perhaps, that’s why volunteering is
much more fulfilling than, say. Donating money.
Both the studies I refer to
corroborate the idea of the Complete Wellbeing Happiness
Movement. At the core of the Movement is the contagiousness of
Happiness. The movement is also based on the principal that we
get happiness by spreading happiness.
Think about it. When are you happiest? When you have made
someone happy. Isn’t it?
Now imagine a world where
every individual is busy making others happy. Not only are you
getting happiness by making others happy, others are making you
happy too.
In our modern,
over-communicated, stress-ridden world, somehow happiness has
acquired a bad name. Somehow, we have come to believe that
happiness is rare and difficult and that sadness, fear, anxiety
and despair are the way of life. But nothing could be farther
from the truth-Happiness is easy, natural and voluntary.
Happiness is about giving rather than getting. Happiness bring
complete well being.
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