Lately, it seemed like I kept seeing this documentary mentioned everywhere. So last week I watched it since it's on Netflix streaming. The movie is only a little over an hour long, but it's a sweet and important look at happy people. The thing that stuck out to me was the research showing that 50% of our "happiness" can be contributed to genetics, while only 10% is due to things that people often associate with happiness (like money, status, etc), and the other 40% is up to
intentional action. Cool stuff.
Simply, I think of the 'genetic attribute' as maybe identifying more as a pessimist vs. optimist. But it makes me think, even if you've got the 'pessimistic' gene, or depression, or whatever you might conceptualize this statistic as, there's still 50% of your mood that has a chance at this thing called happiness. It might be up to something as simple as rollerblading on a sunny day, or taking a walk with a friend, but the point is- we all have a chance to do something today to improve our lives. But we can't do it alone. It takes people- relationships. And think about it- if you're happier, then the people that surround you will be effected by your happiness- and the world turns.
Anyway, I recommend the film, there's lots more fascinating things in it than I've mentioned here. Not to mention, the film looks at a variety of people from around the world who identify as "happy", and they're all pretty amazing.
