Can becoming happier make you more successful?
Is happiness really the key to success? Can it actually be that simple? So many people I have talked with about their careers keep saying that once they find the job of their dreams and become successful, they will be happy and feel fulfilled. It makes a lot of sense, when you take a look at the people in your social network and think about which ones are the happiest with their lives, they are probably also the most successful.
This made me wonder; are they happy because they are successful, or are they successful because they are happy?
There is a huge difference between being a happy person who happens to be successful and being someone who is very successful, which causes them to be happy. So which is it?
When I started thinking about it, I realized that happy people send out positive energy and are generally more likeable. Having a positive attitude makes success much more likely. In fact, according to several studies, people who are in a happy, positive mood are more likely to engage in several of these behaviors:
- Getting to know others – When people are happy, they are more likely to initiate positive social contact with others. Additionally, when having conversations with friends and co-workers, they are more open and interesting in listening to what the other person has to say.
- Get involved in leisure type activities – Happy people are more likely to decide to do things they think are fun, like going out to eat with friends, taking a vacation, going to the park or having a party.
- Enjoy social activity more – At the party or on the vacation, people who are in a good mood generally enjoy the activities more and participate with the group, rather than standing on the sidelines.
- Resolve conflict in a productive manner – It's easier to find creative solutions to problems when you are happy. I know that for me, when I am in a bad mood or overtired, I am less willing to compromise and rather than avoiding conflict, I almost want to have someone to take my stress out on.
- Be willing to help others – When people are feeling happy, they are more likely to offer to help others and are generally more willing to go out of their way to be of service.
- Think creatively – Playfulness and creativity are hallmarks of a happy person. When we are in good moods, being creative, flexible and encouraging are just easier.
- Give themselves credit – When we are feeling happy and have a positive outlook, it's gives a huge boost to our confidence in our own abilities.
When I looked at this objectively, it seems that all of these behaviors are also things that people can do to become more successful. They are things that will help you land a job, make you a more effective employee, improve the ability to network and boost overall likeability.
Common wisdom says that in order to be both happy and successful, you have to focus primarily on becoming successful and then the happiness will follow as a natural result. This might be why so many successful people get burned out and disillusioned when they reach a certain point in their careers, only to feel that something is missing.
Maybe the key is to strive on being happier, and the success will follow as a natural result.
Do you think that happy people are more successful or that successful people are happier? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for CSJobsBlog. Along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
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