Many people will be familiar with Pharrell Williams’ catchy 2014 hit, Happy, including its chorus line of “clap along if you feel like a room without a roof”. Yet given many people are struggling to even put a roof over their heads amid the housing crisis here, the soaring price of food and petrol and power are also putting the pinch on household budget basics, and we are experiencing a mental health crisis coming out of Covid, the survey findings don’t feel like anything to sing about at all.
Of course, in some ways, the survey is an arbitrary measure. It only has meaning if you equate happiness with money. The old adage is health, wealth and happiness, after all.
There can be little argument that having money makes certain aspects of life easier. Not having to worry about how you are going to pay the bills certainly removes stress and pressure, which may add up to relief, but does it equate to happiness in itself? Does being able to buy a nice home/bigger home/new home, flash new car, expensive belongings, or have overseas holidays actually make people happy? Look at the royals, or many celebrity couples; wealth and fame don’t seem to make them any more immune to misery than the rest of us. Rather, it seems family dysfunction, divorce and dissatisfaction are almost guaranteed.
There is also the argument that the more you have, the more you have to lose. Is there a level of wealth at which the rich feel safe from harm? Or is it a case that the more you have, the more you want, and so the pursuit of happiness through wealth alone becomes a never-ending treadmill?
So when it comes to happiness, could less actually be more? Could the best things in life be free?
Mental health professionals often advocate getting back to basics to improve people’s mindset.
Exercise is a proven mood-lifter, as it releases feel-good endorphins. And it doesn’t have to cost the earth – or even the price of a gym membership. There are any number of online exercise routines available. Likewise yoga, which also helps promote mindfulness, which in turn promotes acceptance and appreciation, sure-fire steps towards health and happiness. A walk in the outdoors – beachside, lakeside, riverside, in a park or botanic garden – also connects us with nature, which promotes a range of positive emotions. Then there is gardening, a huge healer – that has the benefits of providing for the table too.
And don’t forget, connectedness is key to mental health.
Most people know the true value of friendship and family is about spending time together, not money on each other. If family and friends are in short supply, joining a club is a great way to do something new and meet new people. And the deceptively simple act of volunteering, helping others and feeling good by doing so, is surely the ultimate win-win, as everyone is richer for the experience.
