What makes someone the happiest person in America?
For three years the Gallup-Healthways Wellbeing Index asked a series of questions to learn the answer. Apparently you will be if you are…
- older
- married
- Asian American Jew
Based on job satisfaction, health and comfort, as well as the Gallup results, The New York Times also has the following instruction manual to be happy:
- Be a man. Men report being happier than women.
- Move to Hawaii. No surprise it’s the happiest place in the country.
- Find God. Faith gives people purpose.
- Jews and Asian Americans age over 65. Hmm…
Looking at it from another angle, can a positive outlook keep your heart healthy?
Yes according to Dr. Redford Williams of Duke University Medical Center. “Positive people have less distress in their lives. Their optimistic attitude cause them not to be so stressed by things that are going wrong, and that can lead to less stress hormones, less adrenaline, less cortisol, and these could all contribute to lowering their cholesterol level, lowering their blood pressure, and even contribute to making their platelets less sticky in stressful situations unlikely to clog their coronary artery.“
Although I do not fit into any of the happy criteria of the Gallup poll, I truly believe in the benefits of maintaining a positive outlook. Being happy can change things. In case you still find it hard to believe, what Mr. Alvin Wong’s life philosophy is so true: “If you can’t laugh at yourself, then life is going to be very hard on you”.
Who is Alvin Wong? He is a 5-foot-10, 69-year-old, Chinese-American, Kosher-observing Jew, who’s married with children and lives in Honolulu.
Confessions of a Corporate Shopaholic 
Leave a Reply