Be focused to stay happy
A new study reports that when people's minds drifted from the task or activity at hand, they reported being less happy than when they were fully engaged in whatever they were doing.
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If you want to be happy, try to stay focused. A new study reports that when people's minds drifted from the task or activity at hand, they reported being less happy than when they were fully engaged in whatever they were doing.
The unique ability of the human mind to get lost in thoughts comes at a cost. People lose happiness when they are not concentrating on their work or activity at hand. When people mull over things that have happened in past or things that might happen, they feel less happy.
To study the co-relation between one's thought and happiness quotient, researchers looked at 2,250 American participants, who were prompted at random times throughout the day using an iPhone Web application. The participants were from 83 countries, a wide range of occupations and ranged in age from 18 to 88 years. They were asked how they were feeling at the time, what they were doing, if they were thinking about something other than what they were doing and whether whatever they were contemplating was pleasant (say, daydreaming about a vacation), unpleasant (perhaps worrying about a relationship or finances) or neutral in nature.
When describing what they were doing, participants could choose from 22 activities, including walking, eating, shopping, watching TV, commuting and working. The participants spent nearly 47 percent of their waking hours with their mind in a wandering state and were thinking about something else while working, eating, watching TV, commuting or shopping. The only activity during which people seemed to be quite good at staying on task mentally was while making love. During sex, only 10 percent of people reported wandering thoughts. Generally, people also reported being the happiest while exercising or conversing. They said they were least happy when resting or sleeping, working or using a home computer.
When it came to what they were thinking about, almost 45 percent thought of pleasant topics, 25 percent thought of unpleasant topics, while 30 percent were thinking neutral thoughts. And while people who were thinking of pleasant things were happier than people thinking of unpleasant things, even those thinking happy thoughts were less happy than people who were fully engaged in whatever they were doing.
The authors concluded that a human mind is a wandering mind, and a wandering mind is an unhappy mind. The study, in a way corroborates what the self help books have been propagating for years that to be happy you have to live in the present.
The unique ability of the human mind to get lost in thoughts comes at a cost. People lose happiness when they are not concentrating on their work or activity at hand. When people mull over things that have happened in past or things that might happen, they feel less happy.
To study the co-relation between one's thought and happiness quotient, researchers looked at 2,250 American participants, who were prompted at random times throughout the day using an iPhone Web application. The participants were from 83 countries, a wide range of occupations and ranged in age from 18 to 88 years. They were asked how they were feeling at the time, what they were doing, if they were thinking about something other than what they were doing and whether whatever they were contemplating was pleasant (say, daydreaming about a vacation), unpleasant (perhaps worrying about a relationship or finances) or neutral in nature.
When describing what they were doing, participants could choose from 22 activities, including walking, eating, shopping, watching TV, commuting and working. The participants spent nearly 47 percent of their waking hours with their mind in a wandering state and were thinking about something else while working, eating, watching TV, commuting or shopping. The only activity during which people seemed to be quite good at staying on task mentally was while making love. During sex, only 10 percent of people reported wandering thoughts. Generally, people also reported being the happiest while exercising or conversing. They said they were least happy when resting or sleeping, working or using a home computer.
When it came to what they were thinking about, almost 45 percent thought of pleasant topics, 25 percent thought of unpleasant topics, while 30 percent were thinking neutral thoughts. And while people who were thinking of pleasant things were happier than people thinking of unpleasant things, even those thinking happy thoughts were less happy than people who were fully engaged in whatever they were doing.
The authors concluded that a human mind is a wandering mind, and a wandering mind is an unhappy mind. The study, in a way corroborates what the self help books have been propagating for years that to be happy you have to live in the present.
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