The Happiness Advantage

. . . About The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work

by Shawn Achor

“Don't aim at success. The more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one's personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one's surrender to a person other than oneself. Happiness must happen, and the same holds for success: you have to let it happen by not caring about it.”
(Viktor E. Frankl)

Many believe that happiness comes with "success", in terms of a glittering career, a big salary, a beautiful house, an expensive car and so on. Now although these external things certainly don't guarantee happiness (and may even bring the opposite), there's definitely some truth that we get some satisfaction from our successful accomplishments - like a job well done. But when it comes to the chicken-and-egg question, happiness may breed success rather than the other way around, as shown in new studies.Researchers found happy people being generally successful in relationships and in work.Happiness also has a positive impact on people´s health. This success is more often a result of their positive emotions rather than vice versa.In a review of 225 studies on happiness and success, researchers found happy individuals are predisposed to seek out and undertake new goals in life, which often brings them more happiness as well as success in many aspects of their lives.Happy people tend to be more successful at whatever it is they're doing. As a result, happier people also show to bring relevant benefits to their organizations.

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