A couple of weeks ago I stumbled across an article referencing a recent study published in the Social Psychological & Personality Science Journal that revisited the association between income and happiness. The researchers from The University of British Columbia and Michigan State University found that “higher income is associated with experiencing less daily sadness, but has no bearing on daily happiness.”
Earlier this year near the end of Life Skills class, I asked my Grade 8 students, “Would it be helpful if I did some research on drugs and addiction and shared it next class to continue our conversation?” They indicated they were interested so I set off to find some information to share with them for next class. Beyond the science of addiction, my research led me to the science and neurobiology of pleasure.
Further inquiry led me to a Ted Talk by Martin Seligman, current Psychology professor at University of Pennsylvania and former president of the American Psychological Association. According to Seligman, positive life events (promotions, graduations, raises, weddings, good grades, strong test performances, etc) do lead to an increase in happiness, but this bump is short lived, usually lasting only two to three weeks. On the other hand, helping others, feeling productive, and expressing one’s gratitude leads to a much deeper and longer-lasting impact on one’s happiness.
It’s no wonder our community service initiatives have had such an impact on our students. During last year’s middle school trip to the Dominican Republic, students had a unique opportunity to spend a day visiting and practicing with a Kansas City Royals baseball academy. However, any student mention of trip highlights will likely exclude their time at the baseball camp, but will surely mention their experiences painting an orphanage, preparing and serving lunch at a neighborhood feeding-center, and staffing a medical clinic in a Haitian batey.
As parents we often believe that good grades and test scores leads to success in life. What do we do when the research shows that these indicators are not strong predictors of happiness or fulfillment? Moving forward, we are challenged to reconsider the childhood ingredients of a fulfilling life and to make sure we are providing our kids sufficient servings of service, gratitude, and appreciation.