Get happy first, your dreams will follow

Today, at the urging of my dear friend AB, I watched Happy, a feel-good social science documentary directed by Roko Belic. As expected, it was simultaneously uplifting and informative. Each authoritative scientist was paired with a montage of humans playing soccer, sharing meals, surfing, high-fiving, smiling, laughing, and generally joy-ing.

Unexpectedly, this documentary challenged my core beliefs about happiness within the first ten minutes.


Now, I know, deep in the wise recesses of my brain, that true happiness should come from within. Regardless, I am seduced by the idea that professional success and renown would give me joy.

Ed Diener, Professor of Psychology at the University of Illinois, addresses this nonsense. He says: get happy first. Instead of waiting for the perfect job to make me happy, Dr. Diener proposes I get happy and the job will follow. It is logical that happy people would be better at networking, interviewing, selling themselves, landing that dream job, and, eventually cooperating with colleagues. In short, happiness is not the goal, it is the means to my goals.


Ostensibly, this happy-first approach works with any desired outcome, any external stimulus, any dream, from losing weight to landing the perfect mate to organizing your house.  Happy people do it better.

His advice makes sense of my unease with Merriam-Webster's definition of joy (the emotion evoked by well-being, success or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires). This is no chicken-or-egg debate. On the contrary, happiness is not the result of a good life; it is the cause.

 More revelations to come; I can only digest so much at once. Until then, I highly recommend this gem, Happy, available free on Netflix.