You Can Learn Happiness!

Many people believe that you are lucky if you are happy, or that those who claim to be happy are not being honest. But are those conclusions true? The University of Bristol in England has offered a course entitled “Science of Happiness” since 2018 (Studyfinds.org, March 12, 2024). The course reviews the latest research on happiness and encourages students to put this research into practice in their lives. Recently, researchers published a study of students taking the class. According to the results, “Students who took the happiness course reported a 10 to 15 percent improvement in well-being. However, only those who continued implementing what they learned during the course reported sustained improved well-being upon being surveyed again two years later.” As one professor observed, “Much of what we teach revolves around positive psychology interventions that divert your attention away from yourself, by helping others, being with friends, gratitude or meditating…. This is the opposite of the current ‘selfcare’ doctrine, but countless studies have shown that getting out of our own heads helps gets us away from negative ruminations which can be the basis of so many mental health problems.” It appears that to truly become and remain happy, we must make certain intentional decisions and follow a proven path.

It should not be surprising that modern research has found that what makes us happiest is focusing on serving and helping others instead of focusing on ourselves and being grateful for what we have instead of obsessing on what we do not have. Yet these are ancient truths. Two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ taught, “It is more blessed to give than receive” (Acts 20:35), and the Apostle Paul commanded “in everything give thanks” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). God knows the keys to being happy, and He shares them with us in the Bible. To learn more about how to be happy, watch our telecast “Keys to Happiness.”