As a psychiatrist, most of the people who come to see me are unhappy in some way – physical pain, depression, anxiety, etc.  (At least they’re unhappy initially - but hopefully not for long, if I’m doing my job!)

But what do we know about happiness instead of its opposite?  An article by D. T. Max titled “Happiness 101″ explored this (NY Times Magazine, 1/7/07).

Psychiatry and psychology have traditionally focused on mental illness rather than mental health. However, there are growing movements in these fields and others that look at what leads to a sense of feeling good, and if whatever these are can be learned and practiced.

Here are some of the building blocks of happiness that Max notes in his article:

Optimism
Gratitude
Forgiveness
Close relationships and love
Mindfulness
Hope
Spirituality
Meaning and purpose in life

Todd Kashdan, a psychology professor at George Mason University, studies well-being.  (Of note, he has happy dolphins jumping on his GMU webpage – obviously a happy guy!)  He distinguishes between feeling good and doing good.  Focusing on what makes you feel good can create a “hedonic treadmill,” a cycle of searching for short-term fixes to your mood.  Think banana split here.

Not that there’s anything wrong with one occasionally!  (Did you know you can even get your whole banana split in one bite with these Banana Split jelly beans?)

Doing good, however, can bring more lasting happiness, says Kashdan.

So if feeling good feels, well, good, and is also good for you, is it teach-able and learn-able?  This is where, as Max says, the “publicity about the field has gotten ahead of the science.”  “There is too little evidence of stable, long-term benefits – and lack of harm,” says Julie Norem, a psychologist at Wellesley College, about efforts to teach happiness to people, particularly kids.  However, researchers are sharing what they’re trying.

On the list above are some of the things that contribute to feeling happy, but how do you “operationalize” or practice these things, if you wanted to?  Here are some examples:

Gratitude

• Every night, think about the good things that happened to you that day
• Write or call someone who has taught or mentored you and thank this person

Mindfulness

• Eat 1 thing today with full attention to its flavor and texture
• For others, see this post on mindfulness

For those of us with chronic pain, being happy can at times be a challenge.  But what we can work on is living fully despite our pain.  And I believe that when we focus on living fully, instead of just “how can I be happy,” then happiness often comes along for the ride.