Community Happiness!
“We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.” F. Keonig"
Recent news items reported rankings of large and small cities as to their level of happiness. Among the small cities (populations of less than 300,000), Bellingham ranked number 3!
The ten happiest small cities were:
- Burlington-South Burlington, VT
- Olympia, WA
- Bellingham, WA
- Bremerton-Silverdale, WA
- Topeka, KS
- Barnstable Town, MA
- Charlottesville, VA
- Kennewick-Pasco-Richland, WA
- Medford, OR and
- Amarillo, TX
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505123_162-41142308/the-10-happiest-and-saddest-cities-in-the-us/
Gallup conducted daily interviews throughout 2010 with a total of 352,840 Americans and asked them a series of questions grouped into six broad categories:
Life Evaluation. Respondents were asked to rate their current life on a scale of 0-10 (10 being the best) and then imagine their life five years out and give another rating. (Honolulu was #1 in this category.)
Physical Health: Respondents were asked whether “they had any health issues that prevented them from doing any age-appropriate stuff and how many days over the past month had they been ill enough that it messed up their plans. They were also queried on current physical ailments -- such as high cholesterol, diabetes, and heart conditions -- and whether they had a cranky neck, back, knee, or leg in the past year that had caused chronic pain.” (Boulder was #1.)
Healthy Behavior: The “survey asked about cigarette smoking, the number of weekly workouts (at least 30 minutes long), and how many days out of the week respondents managed to eat five or more servings of fruits and veggies.” (Salinas, CA /Monterey/Carmel -- was #1.)
Emotional: “Questions included: Were you treated with respect all day yesterday? … did you smile or laugh a lot yesterday? and did you learn or do something interesting yesterday?” (Honolulu was #1.)
Work: “Among the questions in this section: Are you satisfied/dissatisfied with your job?, do you get to use your strengths so you can do what you do best?, does your supervisor behave like a boss or a partner?, and does your supervisor create a trusting and open work environment? (Gainesville, Fla was #1 in this category.)”
Basic Access. “This section was a bit of the kitchen sink variety. Medical-related questions included whether respondents had been to a dentist in the past year, have a personal doctor, and have health insurance. It also included a series of questions about general satisfaction/dissatisfaction with the city/region, the availability of fresh fruits and vegetables, and how safe it feels to walk alone at night.” (Holland-Grand Haven, Mich. was #1.)
What makes us happy?
Lisa Farino for MSN Health & Fitness, included comments from various researchers in her article “What Makes Us Happy?” http://health.msn.com/health- topics/depression/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=100173391. David Myers sees happiness more closely correlated with people rather than things. Farino quotes Meyers as "We humans have a deep need to belong—to connect with others in close, supportive, intimate, caring relationships." "People who have such close relationships are more likely to report themselves 'very happy.'"
The following are some factors suggested to influence rates of happiness and depression.
- Good urban design (it can facilitate social interaction or work against it) and effective mass transportation allow citizens to enjoy spending time with friends, family and community.
- Giving for your own good, in other words, volunteering and helping others is good for people’s health. Cited is Stephen Post (Case Western Reserve University) who writes that "It's not material goods that make us happy—it's having purpose and meaning in our lives." (Why Good Things Happen to Good People) "Recent research out of England shows that cities with higher rates of volunteerism had the lower rates of depression and heart disease," says Post.
- Time for family, friends, community: “the 2005 Time Magazine poll found that the four most significant sources of happiness— children (77 percent), friendships (76 percent), contributing to the lives of others (75 percent), and spouse/partner (73 percent)—all involved spending meaningful time with other people.” Socially engaged people are more likely to be happy and less likely to be depressed.
- As Long As You Have Your Health: “While health is strongly tied to happiness, lack of health is even more strongly correlated with lack of happiness. Of those who rated their health as "poor," a whopping 55 percent described themselves as "not too happy," while only 6 percent of those in "excellent" health said the same.”
A source about “stuff”! How much stuff is enough! From Daily Beast: http://www.thedailybeast.com/content/dailybeast/articles/2012/01/14/consumption-makes-us-sad-science- says-we-can-be-happy-with-less.html.
“Happiness: n “An agreeable sensation arising from contemplating the misery of another.” Ambrose Bierce. The Devil’s Dictionary. 1911.