We are on the podium! The podium of the happiest people in the world. This is good news. We Swiss are happy! Really? Even now, where much more is, how was it?
There is a woman whose life turned around in the past few years, almost exclusively around luck. Her name is Nadja Buser (48) and helped to conceive the exhibition “Global Happiness”. High time this woman call.
But first, back to happiness and the podium. Yes, happiness is measurable. Otherwise, no ranking would be possible. For the “World Happiness Report” of the United Nations, appeared in the middle of March and we are on the third place, there are six criteria by which the happiness of a Nation is measured by: gross domestic product, freedom, health, social support, generosity, and corruption.
And it dawns on us. The first three factors are under threat from Virus: The economy will falter, our freedom has been heavily restricted, and the health we care about. That is no reason to hang the head. For here the ethnologist and Helvetas staff member Nadja Buser comes into play. You look at something else: “There is a happiness-related areas, for the win.” Especially the social support. “We are currently experiencing, that the neighborhood appreciates the help, and we care more for our fellow human beings.” A lot of calls or Whatsapp more often get messages from people who want to know: How are you?” But the generosity is growing in some respects. We are experiencing not just that our neighbors are generous with their time, help, and care?
Write down what is beautiful
so We can land again next year on the podium. Although luck has something to do with Winning? Is it not the case that happiness is not just linked straight to power?
we take a deeper dive. Nadja Buser told that there are things that those people around the world that describe themselves as above-average satisfaction. One of these is to have a goal in life. To live a life that we feel that it makes sense. Above average, satisfied people are grateful, optimistic, helpful, live in the present and make sure that they make every day both a little with the head as with the hands and something for the heart to do.
The research know that for the individual, luck 50 percent of our genes are responsible for ten percent of our environment, and to 40 percent, we itself.
we Focus on the 40 percent and the properties that make them happy. Buser has very specific tips, and have a lot to do with the own setting. To be optimistic, and grateful for example. “The affects in these days almost a bit cynical,” she says. But right now, it is important to look at every day, what is positive and what you can be grateful for. In particular, if everything is difficult, perhaps even the professional existence is threatened. And how do you do that? “Write down what was on the last day, beautiful.”
The warm Glow
another happiness booster is to give More. “It sounds like a truism. But in fact, the joy we bring to other people, feedback on us,” says Buser, and makes an example: a few days Ago, she got a handwritten card from a work colleague. “I’m incredibly happy about it.” She wrote to the colleague a message, how she was happy. This was, in turn, him. Who wants to be happy, doing so well to please other people. And this is quite simple. For example, an unknown Person on the street and smile, the Pensioner at the cash register had to step aside for the Parking meter for someone to refill, the Partner a Post-it with a love message to the coffee maker stick, to a friend write a Whatsapp message with all the features you love with her, in front of the Boss, the work performance of an employee to praise or for the old neighbor shopping. What does that do to us? Buser says that there is in English a term: a warm glow to a warm Glow. “If we make a Person a joy, or help someone, we get Glow in return of this warm. And that is something that makes us happy.”
This is contrary to our common idea of happiness. Too often we seek happiness in consumption, in distractions and entertainment. This in turn has mostly to do with money. And when it comes to money, there is a Problem. Poverty doesn’t make you happy. Buser says: “he Who is not able to cover its basic needs, it’s more difficult with the luck.” But wealth, in turn, does not necessarily happy. “The effect of more money in terms of our satisfaction fizzles quickly.” The happiness research have found out that from a middle-income, no one will be happier if he earns more. “We want to increase our satisfaction, we must turn to us, therefore, not material things.” Buser says: “This crisis is one way to find what I could do instead of consume, and what impact it has on me.” Free we could not live at the moment. “We need to glorify anything,” says Buser. But there are certainly things we could try: for example, more Jogging, a children write a story, make a fire in the forest. “This is to Try out new activities and commitments could put in our society is an important learning process,” says Buser.
This crisis has nothing Good. But no, something else remains, than to make the Best of it. The Virus is forcing us, in many fields, to rethink, to organize new. Stimulates perhaps also to Think.
Global solidarity
Nadja Buser thinks about more. “We find that us other things as a consumer happier, have an effect on our environment.” Who knows, that he is happier if he consumed less of his time instead in other things invested, the waiver is automatically more attractive.” This, in turn, would have an impact on our environmental footprint. So even counteract climate change. Because of to the Corona-crisis is still there.
And because it is the secret of happiness is that it must be shared for it to grow, to look forward to, no one to be on a happiness ranking on the top. Rather, the question is: What could we do, so that the Afghans come in the last table on a similar level of Happiness as we are? Global solidarity is for Nadja Buser is an important aspect. “We human beings are dependent on each other. We all live on the same planet.”
Especially in these times must, therefore, be the aim of struggling in solidarity with developing countries against Corona. Because the people in these countries suffer particularly. And Corona is over: the question of the fight for a happy life for all people in this world.
to see The exhibition “Global Happiness” was designed by the development organisation Helvetas, and was last updated in the Naturama in Aarau. Currently everything would be ready for the opening of the Museum in Vaduz. More information about happiness to global happiness.ch. An Online happiness course here: www.helvetas.org/glueckskurs
