CAN YOU MEASURE HAPPINESS?

SORRY FOR THE ABSENCE...I´VE HAD A BAD FLU!

Since it´s Christmas time and most everyone thinks it should be a festive and happy occasion, I´ve thought of talking about HAPPINESS.

It has been stated by experts in the field of economics that HAPPINESS is related to how much income you enjoy, BUT you can only measure personal and collective standards of living just up to a certain threshold, and that once this threshold has been reached, the individual becomes dependant to consume more and more as time passes and establish a hoarding behaviour. The lives of these types of individuals tend to become lonely, exhausting, and may lead to failure or even death. Are you in this category?
Of course I don´t mean that striving for a better standard of living; a better job, a better house, more money to spend, travel, use more and better modern technology, etc. is a negative attitude. Life should be enjoyed and experienced to its fullest and money gives you independance and freedom!
But how can we reach our goals without falling into this "hoarding mode"? Are we better people by falling into uncontrolled consumption and hoarding of things we don´t really need? Are we better liked by our peers and colleagues if we have a better and more powerful car each year, a bigger and more luxurious home, a bigger and more expensive second home, etc.?
I don´t think so.
When individuals become dependant on "buying" and "having" as a means of social acceptance and admiration, they become their own slaves. So how do we avoid falling into becoming our own slaves? The key to being happy with our own lives is to find that equilibrium between "having", so we can enjoy life, and finding out what is called QUALITY OF LIFE. What does this mean? Are people in poor countries less happy than in richer ones?
We should not look for more money, more clthes, more toys, more "things", but look for those things that give us quality of life... Ask yourself, living close to my family makes me happy, or "having things" and being alone? Does having a beer with friends after work make me happy, or working 50 hours a week make me happy so I can pay a high mortgage? Well, after passing out many questionnaires to people from all economic levels and from different countries, what it boils down to is that, "giving yourself to others" is what makes people feel better, more useful and important! After having adequately covered health, education, a decent government, feeling safe, and an adequate job to pay bills and have a little bit left to save, people valued relationships with family and friends the most important factor in their lives, eventhough they may or may not be enjoying them at present.
So, look around, and if you have all the material things you need to live a "normal" life, turn around and give your family a call, a hug and tell them how much you value them! Take time to enjoy the company of your loved ones instead of spending time at the Mall buying things you don´t really need! And if you don´t have any loved ones, go spend some time as a volunteer! Someone will appreciate what you do for others and in turn, you´ll feel better with yourself!

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL WHO READ THIS!!!!!