Happiness From the Inside Out – Bonus Post

Today is Thanksgiving Day for Americans, many of whom use the excuse of a celebration based on a traditional story of questionable veracity to:

take a break from work

overindulge in certain foods

watch aggressive men play a game called “football” (though the foot is seldom used) and

show fleeting gratitude for their material possessions.

This holiday is a sad commentary on the lack of happiness in the United States.

Along these lines, this blogger would like to list a few interesting, general factoids from the book, “Happiness From the Inside Out” by Robert Mack, published in 2009.

“The second reason people try to buy happiness with success is that they actually mistake success for happiness. They think success and happiness are the same thing, or least should be the same thing.  But happiness is more than success.”

A woman’s, but not a man’s happiness level rises with the birth of a child.

Both parents experience lower happiness levels with the birth of children after the first one.

Parents feel least happy through the kids’ teenage years, and their mood improves significantly only when the kids move out.

In a widely publicized, competitive environment like the Olympics, second-place finishers tend to be harder on themselves than third-place finishers. The silver medal winners compare themselves to the gold medal winners, so they feel more anguish at losing than the bronze medal winners, who compare themselves to all other competitors.

The third-tier athletes are happier– more grateful for what they have; they put things in perspective. Enough said.