In 1938, Harvard University examined the factors that distinguish happy and unhappy individuals. A total of 721 family members joined the study, which has been ongoing for 80 years. The tens of thousands of pages of analysis in the report detected that the main difference that distinguishes happy people from unhappy ones is strong relationships, revealing that happy individuals have better bonds of family and friendship than unhappy ones. Besides, the findings of a study conducted at the University of Oregon show that loneliness is more intense in communities where social media use is high. It also disclosed that the rate of using social media platforms such as Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram is in direct proportion to complaints of loneliness and depression.
Popular culture alleviates pain
Popular culture offers prescriptions to ease the pain of unhappiness. Many of these prescriptions place us in a vicious cycle, deepening the real problem of unhappiness further. We are seeking happiness both in our personal and business lives.
According to the results of the study conducted at Harvard University, the secret to happiness is a good family and close friendships, while factors such as success, wealth and career are also important for happiness. However, we need to have strong relationships so that these can turn into real happiness and last. Whether you are an executive with hundreds of people working for you or an artist giving concerts to thousand, if you do not have friends to share your success with and you sleep alone when you get home or cannot find anyone to call or talk to when you get up in the morning, you can be sure that your healthy bank accounts or your comfortable home will not make you happy.
Communication not better with social media
Social media, which is used to dispel loneliness, on the contrary, increases loneliness. It also causes depression. Nowadays people see social media as a tool to escape their loneliness. This preference, however, has the opposite effect. A separate study conducted at Istanbul University reveals that social media use increases individuality, selfishness and loneliness at an increasing pace, while lowering life satisfaction. People are mistaken in thinking that they can communicate better with each other through social media. Many people writhing in solitude are searching for the solution on social media. However, the value of friendships that are formed without effort is as much as the effort that is spent. Furthermore, excessive use of social media leads to social and psychological isolation. These people drift away from their true friends and become even more lonely.
Career also important for happiness
One of the side factors that affect people's happiness is business life. Explaining the cost of a trust culture for institutions, Great Place to Work Turkey Country Manager Eyüp Toprak said: "A high culture of trust affects the economic performance of companies. Trust is a factor that boosts profitability and competitiveness. Research shows that businesses with a high culture of trust display stronger financial performance. In our analyses, we see that 15% of low-trust employees use their time inefficiently, 10% are not loyal to the company, and 5% do not want to stay in the company for a long time." Therefore, if workers have trust in their companies, they become happier and more productive.
