{"id":8351,"date":"2012-09-09T18:54:19","date_gmt":"2012-09-09T22:54:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/yang-sheng.com\/?p=8351"},"modified":"2012-09-16T23:46:09","modified_gmt":"2012-09-17T03:46:09","slug":"featured-article-the-happiness-inventory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yang-sheng.com\/?p=8351","title":{"rendered":"Featured Article – The Happiness Inventory"},"content":{"rendered":"

[Featured Article<\/a>]<\/span><\/p>\n

The Happiness Inventory<\/span><\/h1>\n

by Ginger Garner, MPT, ATC, PYT<\/span><\/h3>\n

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Are you happy?\u00a0\u00a0 The Pursuit of Happiness in today\u2019s hyperactive, super-stimulated, and over-medicated society seems to be subtitled with the phrase \u201cImmediate Gratification\u201d or \u201cIf it feels good do it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

However, if we take a look around Wall Street or Main Street we can see where that mantra (motto) has gotten us. Under a looming dark cloud of a possible double dip recession (we\u2019re not out of the storm, yet), Americans have been pulling back \u2013 or rather pushing back from the \u201cmust have it now mantra\u201d \u2013 and instead living on cash rather than credit and downsizing not super-sizing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Blogs like \u201cZen Habits\u201d top Time\u2019s Best Blogs of the year list (a great blog, by the way) \u2013 and so here we go, hopping off down the proverbial rabbit path toward minimalism and simplicity? But are we really? And where is it getting us?<\/span><\/p>\n

Regardless of whether you like the edgy lines of modern minimalism or the classical comfort of cottage living \u2013 the bottom line is \u2013 we all actively pursue happiness in our lives.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a study about search for happiness, 1000 people were interviewed to determine what characteristics brought them happiness. The researchers deduced that the Contentment Quotient was P + 5E + 3H. In the equation, P represented personal characteristics (outlook on life, adaptability, and resilience); E was existence (health, friendships, and financial stability); and H is higher order (self\u2010esteem, expectations, and ambitions).<\/span><\/p>\n

The Oxford Happiness Inventory measures the following six factors categories as cited in three different studies: \u00a0Life Satisfaction, Joy, Self-esteem, Calm, Control, and Efficacy (Argyle and Crossland 1989, Francis et al 1998, Liaghatdar et al 2008).\u00a0 In the Liaghatdar study measuring happiness in Farsi speaking students in Iran, Argyle and Crossland (1987) supposed that \u201chappiness comprised three main components: the frequency and degree of positive affect or joy; the average level of satisfaction over a period of time; and the absence of negative feelings, such as depression and anxiety\u201d (Liaghatdar et al 2008).<\/span><\/p>\n

The Happiness Inventory included below is non-standardized inventory that has shown anecdotal success in my clinical practice.\u00a0 Additionally, I started using it on a personal level about 10 years ago, which I feel very important as part of the \u201cleading by example\u201d philosophy I stand by in teaching Complementary and Integrative Medicine. Once completing it every New Year, now I revisit it all year long. It keeps priorities in check, gives clarity in decision making, and helps find (and keep) contentment. It offers a way for you to perform a casual, quick analysis of your best plan in life, allowing for a subjective, but personalized experience in determining your Contentment Quotient.\u00a0 Offered below, the Happiness Inventory includes a 10 Question Inventory that can provide from insight on narrowing your focus for a more effective, contented, satisfied life.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Happiness Inventory<\/p><\/div>\n

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The Lifelong Learner<\/span><\/p>\n

A person can look at happiness in different ways. Some consider themselves to be\u00a0 students of life. Meaning, they never stop learning or turn down an opportunity for growth.\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

The Greater Good Doer<\/span><\/p>\n

Happiness, for some, means seeking the Greater Good. If a person believes they are acting in the interest of the Greater Good and not just for pleasure, agenda or self\u2010centered ambition, then they are pursuing happiness in its highest form.<\/span><\/p>\n

What Yoga Teaches About Happiness<\/span><\/p>\n

Yoga and all spiritual paths and religions can agree on this philosophy. God can only be found when you lay down your own agenda and pursue contentment, not happiness. In other words, bliss comes from the inside, not from the outside. It comes from the smile in your soul, not what the world can give (or take away). If we let our happiness (aka contentment) be dependent on what we can get in the world \u2013 then what will happen if we lose those things? (as many people have during the Great Recession).<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead of looking to find happiness in the world \u2013 yoga philosophy, as do many other traditions and spiritual practices, teaches us to follow the idea of \u201cnon\u2010attachment.\u201d Yoga states nonattachment is the ability to remain separate from an outcome.<\/span><\/p>\n

The mantra, \u201cI am not attached to any outcome,\u201d is said to free a person from their \u201cPrison Of Want.\u201d You can use the following Happiness Inventory or to help you determine what you truly need, and realize your Contentment Quotient. In the words of poet Jonathan Swift, only then will we be able to \u201clive all the days of our life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Resources<\/span><\/p>\n