Are you leading a happy life or a meaningful one? Don’t see the difference? Then lets explore the difference between a happy life and the one with a purpose. To find the difference between lives led in this manner, a survey was conducted by Roy Baumeister and his colleagues and was published in the Journal of Positive Psychology.
It was conducted on 400 Americans with varied questions related to their lifestyles, desires, level of happiness and the relationship they share with people around them. This exercise revealed that happiness does not always add meaning to life. In simple words things that make you happy may not be meaningful or purposeful.
Apart from this, there are other things that this study threw light on. The popular belief that money can’t buy happiness has been proven wrong. With money, people buy things they need or want. When they get what they need or want, they become happy. Therefore it is suggested that, the statement should be slightly changed to match reality. We should realize that money may be able to make you happy but cannot give it meaning or purpose.
In the survey it was revealed that, those who agreed to be takers were happier than those who agreed to be givers. On the contrary, the givers had a greater sense of satisfaction than the takers. A similar study was conducted on a wider range involving countries around the world and the outcome was quiet similar to the above mentioned results. People in richer countries were happier than others in the world but the ones in poor countries led a more meaningful life. The meanings associated, ranged from bringing up their children, earning money or creating a reputation for themselves in the society.
It would now be easier for you to decide whether you are living a happy or a meaningful life.
--Kruti Beesam
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