How Much Does Happiness Cost, Anyway?
In some ways, it’s true that money can buy happiness. Of course, that’s an oversimplification. But, we can buy some of the things that contribute to our happiness. For the rest of the things which money cannot buy, learning to control how we use our precious energy responding to them is important.
Happiness is not an absolute state. Rather, it is the cumulative outcome of many happy moments over time, Resulting in that much sought after state: Happiness.
Almost all of us want the magical triad of Health, Wealth and Happiness. After all, it seems like a much-spoken mantra. Even though they are not mutually exclusive, the first two can result in the third. But, we all know life isn’t as simple as that. Nevertheless, some of the most self-proclaimed happiest people in the world are relatively poor or unhealthy.
There are a few prerequisites to existing in a state of sustained happiness. Probably the most important is living in a state of personal or environmental security. But, there are factors above the physical and physiological – your personal psychological state plays the largest factor in calling yourself a happy person.
The Psychology of Happiness
Perhaps one of the defining factors contributing to happiness, above the immediate personal physical comfort, is having the right mindset. Your psychological state is the arena in which the game is played, the stage on which the play is acted out.
A major factor in determining your mindset is to believe you have control over your life by feeling you have control over your life circumstances. This is somewhat comparable to the chicken-egg situation. Success definitely breeds happiness. Likewise, happy people tend to be more successful. According to an article on The World Counts website about the Psychology of the internal locus of control:
“People who have an ‘internal locus of control’ are happier and more successful in life. They know they are masters of their own destiny.”
Furthermore, happiness is about the sustained feeling of being happy. Feelings can be broken into physiological and neurochemical elements. Pharmaceuticals can give you moments of being happy. But, does this temporary condition of perceived happiness define a state of being? After all, what do you do when the drug wears off?
The Components of Happiness
Happiness may seem like an intangible thing. And, as a concrete measure, perhaps it is. However, theoretically, it’s made up of several components. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs puts this state at the summit of a pyramid where certain base needs have to be met in order for us to achieve the state at the apex. But, how do we measure the seemingly incalculable?
Dopamine, Oxytocin, Seratonin, and Endorphins (DOSE) combine in a quartet that renders a spectacular opus called happiness. The building blocks of happiness, by that definition, can be broken into DOSEs and brainwaves. This is the stuff of Nirvana. It can be induced. And, it can be bought.
So, what if there was a way to get you into the right frame of mind and through practice make it sustainable? The result is a genuine sense of happiness that is palpable. Synctuition’s binaural audio programs can be an invaluable tool for helping you achieve this state.
First of all, it’s always recommended that you use the audio tracks during undisturbed personal time. Making time for yourself takes care of many of the physical and physiological aspects. Feeling safe, relaxed, and relatively unstressed is vital. Finally, completing a Synctuition journey releases endorphins and serotonin. Consequently, this can help place your brain in an ideal alpha, beta state.
Therefore, when broken down into the fundamental elements, happiness is simply the feeling imparted by your brain waves and neurochemicals. Relaxing on a warm, sunny beach surrounded by the peaceful sound of crashing waves induces a temporal state of delight. Hence, creating the perfect nexus of physical comfort, physiological relaxation, aural stimulation, and the optimal balance of alpha and beta brainwaves, inducing a state of conscious relaxation. Finally, the secret is to sustain that feeling during the times you need it most.
Happiness may be elusive. But, you can hack it by manipulating your situation, your state (locus), and mentally “buying” the program.
