Doing good works makes you happy

Michael Steger, a psychologist at Louisville State University in Kentucky, USA, always wonders, what makes people happy - looking for fun or good work?

To find out, he and his colleagues asked a group of 65 students to fill out an online survey each day for three consecutive weeks, and record the number of times they participated in the mood of enjoyment (search behavior). fun, contentment) or when doing meaningful activities, such as helping others, listening to friends' annoyances, or discussing someone else's purpose of life.

The survey asked volunteers about whether they felt they had achieved the purpose of life every day and that they felt happy or sad. The group of students must also answer two sets of questions at the beginning and end of the study to see how they value their lives in the most general way.

Scientists find people who are more involved in meaningful activities, they will be happier and see life with purpose. On the contrary, the acts of seeking happiness do not make people happy.

The experiment was repeated with another group of students, this time lasting 4 weeks. Psychologists get the same results.

"Many times we think that happiness comes from you getting everything for yourself," said Richard Ryan, a psychologist at the University of Rochester, who is not involved in the investigation. But "it turns out that in a paradoxical way, giving away as much as you get more."

To make sure that the relationship between happiness and good deeds is not the opposite - meaning happiness motivates people to do good, the team learns what comes first. They found that volunteers actually became happier after doing good work, which proves happiness is the result of helping others.

T. An