Happiness - Page 27 of 27

Happiness is Right Outside

Activities in the open air have the strongest restorative effects on our mental states.

Just having a break from work is not enough suggests new research, it is activities in the open air which have the strongest restorative effects on our mental states.

Everyone gets down sometimes – it’s only natural. It would be more unusual never to be depressed. The idea that depression is an on-off condition with a purely chemical foundation is a myth no psychologist would endorse. The causes of depression can be many and widespread. But one cause many of us have to cope with is work.

One of the main weapons against stress building up from work is going on vacation. Holidays are a firmly established way of allowing the mind and body to recuperate. In new research, however, published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, Hartig, Catalano and Ong (2007) find that all holidays are not created equal.

Continue reading “Happiness is Right Outside”

Creating a Happy Society

Prospect Magazine has a blue skies article on the intersection between the psychology of happiness and politics. It asks how the research about what makes us happy can inform the way we organise our society.

While most of the suggestions made in this article are sensible, the weak link is motivation. Do we really want to be happy, and if we do, is there any reason for the political machine to deliver the changes that are required? These are simple but fundamental questions.

Still, it does us all some good to dream about a utopia. Without a dream, how do we know what to aim for?
From Prospect Magazine

The new science of happiness

For the last century or more, psychology has focussed on mental illness. It’s challenge has been to help people with their problems, and to bring them back to ‘normality’ – whatever that is!

It wasn’t until the late-90s that psychologists studying the science of happiness started to hit the headlines. Time magazine describes some of their surprising findings. One of my favourites is the idea that pleasure is not actually an important component of happiness.

> From Time Magazine

Curb on the happy pills

It seems that the tide of opinion is beginning to turn against SSRI anti-depressants, the most well-known of which are Prozac and Seroxat. The UK Government announced today that doctors should, in most cases, prescribe them at their lowest doses.

This is one of the first official steps back that the government has been prepared to make on this difficult issue. Many argue that this is not enough, especially in the case of children where the evidence is questioning their suitability. Indeed, the prescription of all SSRI anti-depressants except Prozac to those under eighteen has already been banned.

The real cause of these problems is the number of people presenting at their GPs complaining of depression. Psychological interventions have been shown to be just as effective as anti-depressants, but without the side-effects. Unfortunately their cost has so far been prohibitive.

> From The Guardian

> USA Today reports that the latest American research indicates that even (the relatively safe) Prozac increases suicidal thoughts in some children.

> The New York Times picks up the new UK recommendations, noting that US health authorities have previously followed British guidelines.