A new study reveals counterintuitive results regarding judgments about one’s happiness and life satisfaction. In three experiments involving over 1,800 participants, researchers found that concerns or judgments about an individual’s level of happiness were associated with decreased well-being, partly due to negativity and disappointment regarding positive events. Lead researcher Felicia Zerous, a postdoctoral researcher at New York University, stated that overthinking one’s happiness may be linked to fears about not measuring up to the happiness of others. She added, “There is a lot of societal pressure that promotes the false belief that people must feel happy all the time to achieve greater well-being. Overall, allowing yourself to embrace your feelings, whether positive or negative, can be a helpful tool in achieving happiness and enhancing well-being.”
In the study, participants answered questions about their beliefs about happiness, as well as their psychological well-being and symptoms of depression. Concerns about personal happiness were linked to lower overall life satisfaction and psychological well-being, as well as increased symptoms of depression. The study found that the pursuit of happiness or viewing happiness as a highly significant goal did not have any harmful effects on well-being. However, judging one’s level of happiness had a detrimental effect. Zerous stated, “High expectations about happiness can be harmful, as they make it difficult to achieve the level of happiness we expect from a positive event.”
