There’s good news for all the volunteers who help keep the FLOW towns running, and give each town their own unique character.
Good news for all the volunteers who serve on municipal and school boards in Wyckoff; good news for those volunteering for commissions or committees in Franklin Lakes; and good news for the many volunteers in Oakland who give their time in numerous ways.
It is a common experience for those who give of themselves to have their efforts go under appreciated; too often there is one thank you for every dozen complaints; too often the doubts arise: Why am I doing this? How did I get roped into getting involved? It’s too much stress.
But here’s the good news – according to Barbara L. Fredrickson, Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – all that effort, it’s probably good for your health . “At the cellular level, our bodies appear to respond better to a different kind of well-being, one based on a sense of connectedness and purpose.”
The idea that happiness and positive thinking is intrinsic to good health has been a popular subject of books, seminars, and medical research. Originally, it was believed that these benefits were tied to warding off the negative effects of stress and depression which can drain the body.
More recently, studies began to show that a happy, positive attitude was not just preventive – but had positive health benefits. Just in 2011, Harvard School of Public Health published an article examining the benefits of “Happiness & Health”
Now, the study from UNC, puts forth the hypothesis that the physical benefits of happiness come not from a happy life, but from a meaningful life. The differentiation is nothing new, and philosophers have debated the issue for thousands of years.
The researchers classified happiness under classical terms used by philosophers, hedonic and eudaimonic – hedonic, is focused on personal pleasure; eudaimonic comes from Aristotle’s faith in the value of virtue and a meaningful life.
The UNC study discovered how a hedonic or eudaimonic sense of well-being evoke distinct gene expression reactions. Their results indicate that striving predominately toward meaning may have more favorable effects on health than striving predominately toward personal pleasure.
Previous studies had shown that chronic stress puts people at a greater risk for a variety of ills, including arthritis and heart disease; and it was believed that “happiness” in general should reflect a beneficial gene expression – but it appears all happiness is not ewual.
Eudaimonic well-being was associated with a significant decrease in the stress-related CTRA gene expression profile – that which causes us to become more vulnerable to illness. In contrast – and here’s the kicker – hedonic well-being was associated with a significant increase in the CTRA profile – making us more vulnerable.
The study shows that two forms of happiness – hedonic and eudaimonic – are different on more than just a philosophical level.
The subjects of the study who scored high for experienceing more hedonic happiness and low scores for eudaimonic happiness showed 20% more inflammation-causing genes, and the genes responsible for the production of virus attacking antibodies were 20% less active.
On the other hand – the hand extended to lend a hand – subjects in the study showed the inverse. Genes involved with immune-system responses were 10% more active and antibody genes were 30% more active.
Eudaimonic pleasure thus looks as though it is good for the health, while hedonic pleasure is bad. This leaves open to interpretation the old saying… “Nice guys finish last“…which can now be interpreted in terms of life longevity…or other situations when it comes to thinking of others 😉
Fredrickson speculates that people who experience more hedonic than eudaimonic well-being consume the emotional equivalent of empty calories. “Their daily activities provide short-term happiness yet result in negative physical consequences long-term,” she said.
For all those volunteers in Franklin Lakes, Oakland, Wyckoff, who are often asked – Why do you do it? – Feel free to respond, it’s good for my body and my soul.
The pursuit of happiness is too often associated with pursuing our own personal pleasures, but science now shows we all need a balanced diet when it comes to happiness – something our Founding Fathers understood.
The Declaration of Independence, which defined the Pursuit of Happiness as an inalienable right was not written for a nation of hedonists. Jefferson, more than likely, was taking a page from a 1690 essay written by John Locke.
“The necessity of pursuing happiness is the foundation of liberty. As therefore the highest perfection of intellectual nature lies in a careful and constant pursuit of true and solid happiness; so the care of ourselves, that we mistake not imaginary for real happiness, is the necessary foundation of our liberty.”
Submitted by Charles McCormick
LINKS
http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2013/08/psychosomatic-medicine
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/6145/71/
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2013/07/25/1305419110.short
Editors Note: The video below is not related to the UNC study, it’s just funny.