When people ask how you are, I mean people who are not necessary very close to you, but close enough to care, notice their reaction, when you answer.
My observation was :
* If I say "wonderful", the answer is usually, "great", and there is no other comment. Nobody wants to know what could be making me happy. That makes me sad!! :-)
* If I say "not too good", the answer is usually, "Oh dear, what's wrong?". This is very caring, and I appreciate it. However, maybe it would be a good idea for me to hear about their happiness instead of going through my own disasters agaaaiiinnn?
I discovered a program on the French TV (from early 2012, I think), which stopped after 3 shows. Cause: not enough audience. Topic of the program : "Little secrets of happiness". I was shocked, particularly because I would consider most of its content mandatory for public health. It should be paid for by social security / health insurance if you ask me. If only because they gave a lot of tips I have been giving to my clients for a while, so they can't be all wrong! If you feel like practicing your French, you can find it on youtube here.
In the same idea, we hear daily about clinical studies about a problem, such as stress, diseases etc... But how often do you hear a clinical study about a solution? There are studies about the positive impact of relaxation. That article form the University of Maryland Medical Center provides a good review of the impact of relaxation on our health.
But my preferred one is this one : "Dynamic spread of happiness in a large social network: longitudinal analysis over 20 years in the Framingham Heart Study". In plain English : "is Happiness contagious?"
And guess what the conclusion is: " People's happiness depends on the happiness of others with whom they are connected. This provides further justification for seeing happiness, like health, as a collective phenomenon."
This study involved 4739 individuals followed from 1983 to 2003. You'll find all the detail you want on the British Medical Journal (BMJ) website
Therefore, what about being selfishly happy? We can all do something for our direct neighbours: let's see the happiness in our lives! What made you happy so far today? Did you say "thank you" or felt gratitude for it? What about taking a minute to find out right now?