Postcards from the Id

People Happier With Age

At least according to the survey reviewed in this short article. While only 1-33% of 18-year olds described themselves as “happy,” more than half of those over the age of 80 stated they were happy. From the article:

"With age comes happiness. That is, overall levels of happiness increase with age, net of other factors," wrote Yang Yang, a University of Chicago sociologist, in a report on the survey published in the American Sociological Review.

I don’t find these results all that surprising, at least in general. While I think older adults face certain challenges that lend themselves to feeling down (particularly in the context of loss, be it loss of occupation, “empty nest” syndrome, loss of physical abilities, losses in health, etc.), aging also tends to allow for the development of perspective, and maybe a increase in the flexibility of one’s world view. Cognitively speaking, in general people do not seem to be so beholden to their “cognitive rules” regarding their feelings, their attitudes towards themselves, or their attitudes regarding others. As a simple example, I think this is one of the reasons that, everything else being equal, a violence risk marker is age, with those under the age of 25 statistically more likely to act violently than someone over 25. Being able to consider both the long and short term implications of an act, as well as to be able to place it in context, helps to make better decisions, as well as to not respond quite as strongly to all life experiences. Hey, why do you think of all the arts, poets achieve their greatest success at the youngest average age? Because poets are wearing their hearts on their sleeve, and putting their responses to the world on paper in a very visceral, emotional way. As that perspective tempers, the intensity of the poetry lessens. Other forms of art may improve with that technique, but poetry tends to suffer.

Wow, how the heck did I get to poetry from the top of this post? Talk about being tangential! Anyway, I thought the study was interesting, whether you agree with my ramblings or not.

“Get Connected” - May is the Mental Health Connection Challenge Month

I’ve talked in several posts about the importance of social connectivity, social capital, and interpersonal relationships in terms of their effect on our mental health and well-being. A mental health advocacy organization named Mental Health America has recognized the importance of these factors as well, and has created the Mental Health Connection Challenge in response. The challenge is to make five positive, fulfilling social connections during the month of May. From the article:

"We all need to maintain positive connections to feel a part of our communities and families, which is why this May, Mental Health America is challenging every American to connect to family & friends, coworkers, community members and professional help, if needed," said David Shern, Ph.D., president & CEO of Mental Health America. "Years of research have shown that individuals who feel valued and cared for are better equipped to deal with stress and adversity and even experience less severe illnesses than those with little social support."

Here are the suggestions from the article:

- Connect To Family & Friends - Loved ones are an important source of support and encouragement. Talk to them when you need extra help, allow them to provide guidance and be prepared to help them when they need you.

- Connect To Coworkers - Given the amount of time we dedicate to work, healthy relationships with coworkers are a must. Spend a lunch hour with officemates or reach out to someone you haven't talked to in a while to take a walk or grab coffee.

- Connect To Community Members - Shifting from your own issues to the needs of others can be a healthy change of pace. Select a faith-based organization, school, long-term care facility or non-profit group that needs your help and pitch in.

- Connect To Yourself - Taking time for yourself can decrease stress and improve health and relationships. Try meditating, exercising, enjoying a hobby or reading a book. Whatever you choose, it's your time, so spend it doing something you enjoy.

- Connect To Professional Help - If you're feeling overwhelmed or unable to cope, reach out to a mental health professional. For a referral to local services, contact Mental Health America or your local Mental Health America affiliate at 800-969-6642 and http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/.

At some point I plan on blogging about my personal efforts to increase my social connectiveness (including trying to form an alumni club), but for now, let me just say that while increasing one's social connectivity can be work, it is definitely worth it.  You won't regret it.

Genes Cited as Major Contributor to Happiness

According to this article, researchers determined that a certain combination of genes provides some people with what they call an “affective reserve,” which allows them to be happy even in the face of circumstances that cause others to be unhappy. However, the article seems to simply confirm what others have been saying already - happiness (or depression) is a 50%-50% proposition. That is, 50% genes, and 50% environment. The important points I take from studies like this are: 1) 50% of the stuff that impacts one’s happiness or unhappiness is unrelated to one’s genetic make-up, which means it is alterable, and 2) some people simply have to work harder than others to be happy, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be happy. It may not be fair, but if you know that’s the way it is, you then have a choice, rather than being locked in to a life of less happiness than you might otherwise have.

An Excellent Summary On Happiness and Positive Psychology

Wow!  While I've been going on and on about the virtues of positive psychology, Jeremy Dean over at PsyBlog has put together a fantastic summary of his recent postings on the subject.  I know, I know, I had promised a more through exploration of the subject, along with an extended post, but that is hard to do when you're busy writing posts like this.  (BTW, Swivelchair, is that what you meant by fluff?  :))  I mean, a guy can only do so much, and priorities are priorities...

Anyway, why should I do the work, when someone else already has?  Definitely check out the material over at PsyBlog, it's really good stuff.  I will do some work in the area of positive psychology at some point, simply because I find it both relevant and interesting, but PsyBlog's work will be tough to beat. 

Depression Responds to Music?

That is the suggestion found in this article.  The article makes no promises, stating their suggestion is based on only five studies, all with small sample sizes.  The authors simply state that future research is recommended, given these preliminary results. 

A couple of things.  First, I wish the article had discussed, even a little bit, the methodology of the studies.  Was music therapy offered as an alternative to medication and/or psychotherapy, or was it part of a comprehensive intervention?  Ethically, one might have some trouble prescribing only music therapy to a treatment group as part of a truly randomized study.  One could, however, utilize music therapy (which is not defined in the article) with a treatment group in addition to medication and/or psychotherapy, with the control group receiving only the medication and/or psychotherapy, and then examine whether the music therapy adds anything to the treatment benefit.

Second, the article fails to describe what music therapy is.  Do clients simply listen to music for a prescribed period of time each day, or do they also discuss/journal/learn to play?  Does the client choose the music, or are some styles suggested?  Certainly, music (as well as other art) has been used by people throughout the ages as a method of coping with various emotional states, as it provides expression of feeling in a manner that allows for mastery of the the emotion.  Heck, many would argue that without emotional problems, no great art would be produced.  So, this is an area worth exploring, I would simply be more interested in the details...

Good Enough is Good Enough

As I am wont to say, moderation is generally a good state to strive for, regardless of what psychological issue being discussed.  Turns out, according to this article, that this maxim applies to happiness as well.  Apparently, the highest functioning, most productive, and most well-adjusted among us are "mildly happy most of the time."  In fact, always seeking to be "super happy!" is somewhat counter-productive.  Of course, on an extreme scale, mania is "super-duper happy!" and no one would argue that mania is a desirable place to be (except maybe for the manic individual, until they are no longer manic, and witness the wake of the destruction their "happiness" hath wrought).  But even with less-extreme examples, I think being able to accept "good enough" is a positive trait, so long as "good enough" is, in fact, good enough (by that I mean a fairly accurate assessment, not the "good enough" I typically assigned to the completion of my chores as a child, which was rarely good enough by any objective - read, "Mom's" - standard).

I've seen this actually play out in a number of different therapeutic scenarios.  A primary example is relationship expectations.  Many individuals who have a repetitive bad-relationship history describe their relationships like this: "Doc, when it's bad, it's really bad, but when it's good, it's really good!"  Uh, not so much.  Healthy long-term relationships, by and large, are marked by (among other things) a stable sense of comfort that isn't the passion that marked the beginning, but is "mildly happy most of the time."  There will be occasional fights (not a bad thing), as well a moments of passion (i.e. vacations together), but mostly contentment.  The other pattern is generally unhealthy, in that the "bad" moments are destructive, and more so over time.  The constant up and down of those types of relationships takes its toll on the mental (and often physical) health of the couple, until it ends badly, one way or another.  Look for contentment, rather than perfection, and you'll do alright.

Oh, one other point.  This article points out that happier people volunteer more, are more productive, etc.  I would point out that people who volunteer, are productive, etc. are happier.  A very subtle, but nonetheless, very important difference.  It is a two-way street.

40% of our Happiness (or Unhappiness) Due to Our Own Actions?

In another post over at PsychCentral, Jennifer Bechdel briefly describes a new book on positive psychology, entitled The How of Happiness, by Sonja Lyubomirsky.  She mentions that the book reports both that at least 40% of our sense of happiness is directly due to our actions, and that antidepressant medication does not make us happy, it merely decreases our negative emotions.

This is consistent with I've recently heard and read, including in a presentation by Dr. Michael Yapko.  In fact, Dr. Yapko stated that only 40% of depression is biological, while the other 60% is due to environmental influences and cognitions.  While I've stated before that I'm a big believer in positive psychology, the minimal treatment requirements in my current job have left me reading other books and articles as a matter of necessity.  However, as I've stated before, I see positive psychology as a potential big step forward in combating the global rise in depression, and personally, I do plan on reading more material in this area before too long.  And when I do, I'll post about it!

Applied Positive Psychology

As you can probably tell (at least if you look here and here), I'm a big believer in the efforts to promote positive psychology.  Depression can be crippling, and even if it isn't severe, it makes life so much harder to get through, let alone enjoy.  That's why I loved reading about the efforts to combat depression in this town through the use of positive psychology.  I'm going to try to find out more about this, and I will definitely post on it if I get any good information.