9 Ways Happiness Leads to Success
[Image credit: premasagar]
The psychological literature clearly shows there is a strong relationship between success and happiness. For example, people who have a comfortable income, or high status in society are usually happiest. But which one comes first, happiness or success? There's almost an unwritten assumption that it is primarily success that leads to happiness. This is tacitly backed up by psychological research which tends to talk about how success affects happiness.
Of course it's not an either/or situation. The two are probably interrelated in all sorts of complicated ways. But to only talk about how success leads to happiness is ignoring half the story. So says psychologist Professor Sonja Lyubomirsky and colleagues who have pointed out there is plenty of evidence that happiness can, in fact, lead to success (Lyubomirsky, King & Diener, 2005).
The best evidence that happiness causes success comes from experimental studies. These usually work by inducing participants into positive and negative moods and then comparing their behaviour in particular situations like social interactions or health behaviours.
These studies have produced a raft of fascinating results, finding that people in a positive mood are more likely to:
- Talk to others. In one experiment men in a positive mood were more likely to talk to a woman and to make self-disclosures, which are important in social relations.
- Be interested in leisure activities. People in a good mood want to throw a party, go on vacation or go out for a meal.
- Enjoy those social interactions and leisure activities more.
- Resolve conflicts effectively. Studies have found people in a good mood are more likely to try and collaborate rather than avoid conflict and compete when they are put in a positive mood.
- Help others. When in a good mood, people are more likely to display what psychologists call 'prosocial behaviour' - helping others and being generous with both time and money.
- Feel healthier. Experimental evidence shows that people in a good mood experience less pain and perceive themselves to be more healthy.
- Be more creative. People in a positive mood are more likely to think with originality and flexibility - perhaps through encouraging playfulness.
- Perform complex tasks better. Somewhat controversial this one but some evidence supports it although it probably depends on the nature of the task.
- Attribute success to their own skills. Good moods improve people's self-efficacy (our confidence in our own abilities).
The strength of this evidence is that it is based on experimental studies with control groups which provide some of the most persuasive data in science. On the other hand it's important to note that positive affect isn't the only factor that's involved in success - there are plenty others. Still, this is an impressive list.
Making room for happiness
How we think about happiness and success has profound implications for how we run our lives. If we think that success mainly leads to happiness then we are more motivated to focus on success to the exclusion of happiness right now, assuming that happiness will naturally flow from success when we obtain it.
If the psychological research is right, though, the strategy would still be to pursue success, but not, crucially, to the exclusion of happiness. Feeling better in the moment is not only more pleasant but is also likely to open our minds to opportunities at work, play and in our personal relationships. It's recognising and taking these opportunities that will lead us to success.
» Discover more articles in this series on the new science of happiness.
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References
Lyubomirsky, S., King, L. & Diener, E. (2005) The benefits of frequent positive affect: Does happiness lead to success? Psychological Bulletin, 131, 803-855.
Labels: Happiness, Positive Psychology
6 comments
As a high school psychology and sociology teacher, the greatest challenge for me is illustrating the mind-body connection and emphasizing its importance in our daily lives; more simply, how we think about ourselves and the world sincerely impacts our behaviors and inner wellbeing, and vice versa, how we treat our body truly influences our frame of mind. I have recently noticed the mind-body connection becoming ever more popular for discussion, as illustrated in the yoga, pilates, meditation and dieting craze seen today. One specific topic which I reference in the classroom, either directly or indirectly is the relationship between success and happiness – a mind-body connection which needs no further introduction. I inquire: can our state of mind lead us to a “successful” life or is success what induces happiness?
Even as a relatively new educator, it’s hard to overlook the discourse on the themes of success and happiness. Highlighting the “crazy” notion to my students that happiness may in-fact lead to success typically produces an expression of amazement. Maybe if the quest for happiness was pressed into the minds of young children as much as the chase for monetary success, the endless cycle of joy and discontent in life would fade – and the feeling of genuine happiness would perpetuate instead of coming and going. It’s not my intention to spark a new debate or examination, but maybe we also wouldn’t see such an exponential increase in the use of anti-depressants and stimulants amongst today’s youth.
It seems that there will always be disputed testimony, conflicting research and heated debates of which one comes first, success or happiness, but there is no doubt in my mind that happiness is the forerunner to leading a “successful” and accomplished life – a belief of which I pass onto my students who are eager to take on the world.
It's important to notice, that people who are on good mood are likely to aim higher on whatever they are doing. If they'r successfull this increases their happiness, if they'r not, it decreases they'r happiness. So if you'r happy to begin with, you'r more likely to success, because you aim higher and thus put more effort to what you'r doing. As a general life instruction, i think it's always good to aim high, because in many cases failure is the best teacher and it's learning that ultimately brings success.
" That’s a great list of advice. About leisure activities, it really helps to incorporate it into your life. So have fun it helps beat the stress. Do you know about the Young Entrepreneur Society from the www.YoungEntrepreneurSociety.com? Interesting stuff in the site."
Hi i am student who finished Degree in Psychology and doing my masters.
" I agree that happiness leads to success"
"Acccording to me happiness is one of the important factor of life, so we should do things which makes us happy as well as others"
" the best way to be happy is take small part of success in a big way,so that wat ever you do good in your life if it is big or small makes you happy"
Hope everybody agrees with my statement.
I would like to propose that "happiness" is a major componant of a successful life. The source of the happiness, be it contentment with your circumstance, serenity in your mind, sense of accomplishment with a task, sense of gratitude, recieving positive feed back from others, or whatever stimuli that feeds your positive self esteem. In my life I have consistently taken full responsibility for my actions and consequences therof.
It takes a positive attitude and intention to "see" the "happiness" in your life. So, if you are a healthy, stable, rational being on the path to self actualization, the happiness you feel today is your success, now and in the future. Just a thought.
well said nevadabead