Your happiness level rises if you hang out with this group of people

Your happiness level rises if you hang out with this group of people

via the Ladders by John Anderer

There are times when we all want to shut ourselves off from the world and be alone. Of course, in the long run, no man (or woman) is an island. We all naturally crave social, romantic, and familial connections, despite the occasional desire to be left alone.

So, it’s pretty much universally agreed upon that a close circle of friends and a loving family are two essential ingredients toward a fulfilling, content life.

Now, though, a new study from Southern Methodist University says that spending time with one of those groups usually leads to more feelings of happiness than the other.

All in all, researchers at SMU found that people report feeling happier and higher levels of well-being while spending time with friends in comparison to days spent with either a romantic partner or one’s children. Among those three distinct groups of people in our lives (friends, romantic partners, children), studied participants reported feeling the lowest levels of happiness while around their significant other.


At first consideration, this study doesn’t seem to reflect very nicely on everyone’s partners and children. But, lead study author Nathan Hudson, a professor of psychology at SMU, says that it’s important to consider the activities we usually engage in with friends in comparison to usual family time. Whenever we meet with our friends, it’s usually a recreational experience; restaurants, bars, shopping, etc. Conversely, a great deal of the time one spends at home with their family consists of less glamorous endeavors like household chores.

“Our study suggests that this doesn’t have to do with the fundamental nature of kith versus kin relationships,” he explains in a university release. “When we statistically controlled for activities, the ‘mere presence’ of children, romantic partners, and friends predicted similar levels of happiness. Thus, this paper provides an optimistic view of family and suggests that people genuinely enjoy their romantic partners and children.”

… keep reading the full & original article HERE

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