How “happy” are YOU? That is a difficult question for any of us to answer. “Happiness” is a subjective sensation and there is certainly no exact “measuring” system to ascertain anyone’s level of “happiness”. We all sort of generally know whether we are “happy” and that sensation can change almost hourly, depending on circumstances and situations. There are many contributing factors to our state of “happiness”, including:
- The state of happiness of our loved ones (any parent out there knows we can only be as happy as our most unhappiest child).
- Neurochemical balances that impact our moods
- World events
- Workplace satisfaction
- How our favorite sports teams are performing
- How our investment portfolios are performing
- The relative state of our health
There are many more bullet points that can be added to the above list but I want to focus now on that last bullet point, “health”. It is very difficult to maintain a high level of happiness if we are not doing well physically. Chronic pain, having side effects while taking medications to treat chronic conditions, feeling fatigued…these medical symptoms and more negatively impact our state of “happiness”.
Specifically focusing on weight control: There is no doubt that lots of “happiness” occurs when people are able to lose weight. There is a marked amount of physical improvement as well as heightened self-esteem, all of which translate into a soaring on the “happiness” scale. When compared to the “happiness” that high caloric, derailing food/drink sources bring us very temporarily, the “happiness” that weight control brings us lasts a lifetime.
If you do not want to worry and be happy, lose that weight! (And enjoy Bobby McFerrin’s reggae hit, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”)
