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Ten tips for happiness
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“Don’t worry, be happy!” In today’s society it has become commonplace to aspire towards happiness. Conversations about happiness now take place in a wide range of cultural, academic and socio-political circles, including veterinary medicine.1-4 However, despite its intuitive simplicity, happiness remains a scientifically complex subject. There’s a lack of clarity over what, exactly, happiness is, and whilst the popular press exhorts us to ‘seek’ happiness,5 there are studies to suggest that such pursuits can, paradoxically, leave us feeling unhappier.6
To explore happiness, and how it might integrate with veterinary work, we can turn to the field of ‘positive psychology’. In the 1990s, psychologists like Martin Seligman and Chris Petersen led a departure from the ‘traditional’ remit of psychology, which often focused on dysfunctions of mental health, rather than wellness. The new branch of research, positive psychology, became the “scientific study of the strengths that enable individuals and communities to thrive… founded on the belief that people want to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives, to cultivate what is best within themselves, and to enhance their experiences of love, work, and play.”7 It’s important to know that positive psychology does not refute the existence, or urge us to suppress, day-to-day negative emotions such as sadness or guilt but offers ways to work with these. (There are also times in life when we can experience more prolonged difficulties such as grief, bereavement or burnout, where we may need to seek professional support.)
Veterinary staff face a variety of stressors in their work, including long working hours, excessive workload, and problematic relationships with clients, which are thought to contribute to high levels of burnout and psychological distress.8-9 Is it possible that the negative experience of such stress can be offset by the development of innate happiness? The general (non-veterinary) research evidence has been promising. Thus far, studies have indicated that happiness can have multiple tangible benefits for individuals, including larger social rewards (stronger social support, richer social interactions) and better work outcomes (greater creativity, increased productivity, higher quality of work).10 In addition, a link between happiness and improved mental and physical health has been well-evidenced. As stated by Lyubomirsky and colleagues: “Happy people are more likely to evidence greater self-control and self-regulators and coping abilities, to have a bolstered immune system and even to live a longer life.”10 [...]
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