Does the environment effect our happiness?

By Surabhi Mohan 7/5/23

“Does the environment affect our happiness?” 

The “pursuit of happiness” is a concept that many generations have struggled with, fought over, strove for, and cherished. While many have pursued it, a select few have attained it while maintaining a stable social life, fulfilling family life, or even reaching an ideal career. Those shortcomings stem from a fundamental misunderstanding: ignoring the impacts that the environment has on them. In this case, the environment is the physical, emotional, and mental landscape that encapsulates an individual’s daily existence. With a firm understanding of the environment’s impact on individuals, one can conclude that happiness can be achieved by searching for different aspects of life that are worth being happy for, such as family and friends. 

It is undeniable that many individuals are immersed in vast environmental changes, especially during daylight savings. Daylight savings is the change of time to add daylight exposure to the activity crests in a population (Lahti et al. 74). However, this simple advance in time has affected many individuals, mostly those struggling with mental health. These changes trigger manic episodes and various accidents (e.g., pedestrian fatalities) which leads to many individuals becoming sleep deprived (Lahti et al. 74).  Humans by nature are extremely responsive to their surroundings to the point where there is a lack of joy, sadness follows (Bstan-ʼdzin-rgya-mtsho et al. 51). In daylight savings, the natural circadian rhythm cannot adjust to sudden changes in the environment that affects the sleep-wake cycle; this contributes to the sleep deprivation of modern society. Furthermore, this disturbance has a big impact on the human body which can lead to lack of attention, loss of memory, and reaction time (Lahti et al. 74). These major changes can be compared to the ripple effect, a metaphor that references tossing a stone/pebble into the water that leads in different ripples to scatter (Maloney). One small change in the clock (the pebble) can result in a plethora of minor and major casualties (the ripples). Although these changes are miniscule, the environment is extremely important to individuals of all kinds. Relating to modern-day society, almost every decision is made with a materialistic mindset, due to the media that many individuals were exposed to at a young age (Bstan-ʼdzin-rgya-mtsho et al. 53). The media always contains material pleasure, rather than the pleasure that you can seek within you. Additionally, this caused many individuals to lead a very materialistic life, making their satisfaction extremely limited (Bstan-ʼdzin-rgya-mtsho et al. 53). This misconstrued version of happiness now impacts their decisions in all major and minor aspects. 

However, the environmental effects on one person may be different than the other. This materialistic agenda may not affect a person as much as it affects the next. In the country of South Korea in 1974, there were identical twins that were separated at a young age and the lost twin was adopted by an American couple (Nield). Since they were brought up in different cultures and traditions, there is a possibility that they have a completely different approach to their perception of life. Although they were brought up in different environments, they have similar genetic makeup so they might respond similarly. However, the child raised in the United States suffered three concussions which may have altered their decision making (Nield). Besides that, both of the twins had mostly different scores in their cognitive tests. This is due to the cultural factors that were going on in the environment. For example, in 1974, the United States was very individualistic and less collectivist towards their culture compared to South Korea (Nield). Though this study had one huge deviation that may have messed up the data, this shows that it is indisputable that the environment had a huge impact on the twins and their upbringing. 

Naturally, humans are pioneers who can and will do everything to seek what they want. A common desire amongst all humans is happiness. However, modern-day society often mistakes happiness with materialism (Bstan-ʼdzin-rgya-mtsho et al. 53). So naturally, their view of happiness is more materialistic than how it really is. The idea of adapting and seeking constant gratification is the hedonic treadmill theory (e.g., getting a promotion or a new car) (CFI Team). This is because individuals’ happiness in this materialistic society is limited (Bstan-ʼdzin-rgya-mtsho et al. 53-55). For example, when people earn a good income they are joyful, but when this stops, they feel bored, annoyed, and most importantly, unhappy (Bstan-ʼdzin-rgya-mtsho et al. 53-54). In order to separate this unhealthy dependency, one must heighten their mindset to a more holistic one. When conducting normal activities, individuals should enjoy it without greed or anger, but rather think that this action is nurturing their body (Bstan-ʼdzin-rgya-mtsho et al. 53). By doing this, individuals can slowly lose their dependency on their environment and begin to feel real fulfillment from within. However, many think that happiness is something that needs to be sought after. In reality, it can be found from within. Individuals need to find facets in their life that draws happiness towards them (e.g., family and friends). This joy will be far more long-lasting and satisfying than the temporary joy from any article (Bstan-ʼdzin-rgya-mtsho et al. 54). Although this is a viable option, economic aspects can prevent individuals from embarking on this higher pursuit.

One can argue that the base of a person’s general income can evaluate whether or not the individual is happy. The phrase “money buys happiness” has been brought up in many debates, but there was not any clear answer to why it does bring happiness (Kahneman and Deaton 16489). However, there is a misconception between emotional well-being and evaluation of life. For example, many may think that a long-lasting marriage can be estimated to be making $100,000 yearly, but instead it promotes a higher emotional quality to their lifestyle (Kahneman and Deaton 16489). This same evaluation can be done with a couple who has a lower income, equating to a lower quality of life. One way to evaluate these potential effects is the Cantril Ladder, which has to do with individuals measuring their attitudes toward life (Glatzer and Gulyas Cantril Self-Anchoring Striving Scale 509-511). A study suggests that Americans are mostly stressed compared to other nations, but they are more likely to be happy or less anxious compared to their counterparts. This comparison shows that a $100 does not have an effect on happiness, rather external factors such as age, smoking, drinking, and health condition has a big impact (Kahneman and Deaton 16489-16490). Eventually, the conclusion is that income can only improve the quality of life, rather than emotional well-being. However, in extreme situations such as in slums, the solution, to find happiness within, is extremely difficult to achieve because of their poor living conditions (Bstan-ʼdzin-rgya-mtsho et al. 54). Trying to separate from materialistic value, when that is the only thing the individual has to survive is impossible and cannot be done so easily in those conditions. 

It is extremely important to mention the importance of the “pursuit of happiness” and the real meaning behind it. This concept is usually associated with generations continuing to find this happiness by going through great lengths to find their desired happiness. Generally, humans are explorers, so they resort to seeking their happiness regardless of any obstacles. However, their happiness can be found from within and can be long-lasting rather than temporary (Bstan-ʼdzin-rgya-mtsho et al. 51). Besides the extreme economical situations, almost all individuals can find this happiness by not chasing, rather they can find things in their life that are worth fighting and being happy for. 

References

CFI Team. “Hedonic Treadmill - Overview, Observed Examples, Happiness Types.” Corporate Finance Institute, 17 October 2022, https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/wealth-management/hedonic-treadmill/. Accessed 5 January 2023.

Dalai Lama XIV Bstan-ʼdzin-rgya-mtsho, et al. The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World. Penguin Publishing Group, 2016. Accessed 28 December 2022.

Glatzer, Wolfgang, and Jennifer Gulyas. “Cantril Self-Anchoring Striving Scale.” Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research, Springer, 2014, pp. 509–511, doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_259. 

Kahneman, Daniel, and Angus Deaton. "High Income Improves Evaluation of Life but Not Emotional Well-being." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, v. 107 ,.38 pp. 16489-16493. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1011492107

Lahti, Tuuli A., et al. “Daylight saving time transitions and hospital treatments due to accidents or manic episodes.” BMC Public Health, vol. 8, no. 1, 2008, p. 74. BMC Public Health, https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-8-74.

Maloney, Tony. “The Ripple Effect: Four Ways to Change Lives with a Positive Attitude.” National Institute for Fitness and Sport, 30 April 2019, https://www.nifs.org/blog/the-ripple-effect-four-ways-to-change-lives-with-a-positive-attitude. Accessed 28 December 2022.

Nield, David. “A Pair of Twins Grew Up in Different Countries, Then Scientists Compared Them.” ScienceAlert, 9 May 2022, https://www.sciencealert.com/pair-of-twins-raised-in-different-countries-reveal-significantly-different-cognitive-abilities. Accessed 28 December 2022.