Genetics play into happiness

[Debi]

Nearly half of happiness is genetic, so most of us are doomed

Happiness is significantly determined at birth.

nypost.com

 

[Lynne]

Despite the title of the article the author says we can change our happiness ratio by making life changes etc. No surprise money and location (Hawaii ) increase your happiness. I don’t see how DNA matters unless your genes are from wealthy parents who live in warm climates lol.

 

[garnetsilver]

Despite the title of the article the author says we can change our happiness ratio by making life changes etc. No surprise money and location (Hawaii ) increase your happiness. I don’t see how DNA matters unless your genes are from wealthy parents who live in warm climates lol.

Agreed. I think it is foolish to tell people that they are doomed, whatever the reason. In the words of Lois Hayes, "If you don't like your thoughts, change them!" I find that I can talk myself into despair, or out of it if I really think about it. I do believe that you can be genetically predisposed to depression or mental illness, but we do have some measure of free will.

 

[TexDanm]

It isn't that you are doomed so much as it is that you have tendencies. There are some sorts of people that are just morose by nature. Others often see these as unhappy people but that isn't true. They are just reserved in the way they express themselves. My Dad was like that. He was a seemingly solemn man 90% of the time and was not given to ever having the giggles or even laugh out loud very much. In my experiance,smiles hide a lot more misery than frowns. That is the way that entire side of my family is. I was like that when I was younger but my wife woudn't allow it and made me laugh and smile. She has been doing it for 48 years now.

 

[Debi]

In my experiance,smiles hide a lot more misery than frowns.

There is much truth in that statement, Dan.

 

[TexDanm]

There is a lot of truth in the old saying about laughing to keep from crying...along that same line...

 

[TexDanm]

You know, I think that a lot of people don't understand what happiness is. When you are a kid it means something totally different from what it should when you are older but these days that seems to be drifting. Happiness for a child is tied to fun and getting everything that they want. It includes a lot of grins and laughter.

One of the hardest things you have to learn in the transition from childhood to adulthood is that work is not supposed to be fun. That does not mean it has to be misery, but it isn't fun and games. I think that as you mature happiness becomes a lot more subtle. To a kid, they look at their parents and just don’t see a lot of happiness. They don’t laugh a lot and are so serious.
As I have gotten older I guess that happiness has to some extent been replaced by contentment.

I don’t run around playing and laughing like I did when I was a kid but then I don’t want to do that all the time anymore. Now happiness is sitting and holding my wife’s hand. Snuggling up in bed and reading. Sitting here in my chair and annoying people all over the world with my opinions. My idea of play is more creative now. I like to write and when I want to do something more physical I go out to one of my shops and make something. I work with leather, wood carving, and just making all sorts of things. I used to do a lot of Native American beadwork but arthritis made that too painful to be a pleasure.

I don’t think that my Granddaughter sees us as being all that happy. To her happy is something that involves doing something physical. I think that we are very happy. We now sleep when we are tired and are not ruled by a clock. I went to bed at 8 pm last night and got up at 3 am. I have never done well on traditional hours and schedules. I was always the square peg trying to fit in the round hole. My metabolism isn’t a 24-hour cycle. It is more like a 36- or 40-hour cycle.

When I used to work on a regular sort of blue-collar hours, I seemed to always be tired. I would be awake until 2 am and then have to get up and go a 6 am. I never understood why white-collar people worked 9 to 5 and blue-collar people had to be up with the sun and work 7 to 4. I always did better on the night shifts but that doesn’t allow for much family time because kids are on the early to bed and early to rise schedule at school.

For me owning my own company was a blessing. I worked from about 10 to 6 but was back home usually by 3 or 4. I always had things at home to do and paperwork to put together for my wife. I was the CEO but she was the CFO and if I wanted any money I did what she said! My daughter worked with me when she wasn’t in school and that was a blessing beyond compare. We worked but also had a lot of fun. We carried swimming clothes and if there was a break in the day we went to the park and went swimming. I also had a lot of little old folks that I changed lightbulbs and did small things for that were always good for coffee and cookies so we would go “visiting” between jobs. They loved seeing my kiddo as she grew up. I always felt so sorry for most of them. They were more involved in my daughter’s life than they were in their own kids and grandkids life.

My daughter must have agreed with me because once she was married and ready to settle down and have kids she moved in beside me. I see my little Danni every day and she is such a pleasure. LOL, Right now she is homeschooling and it isn’t unusual for her to hang out at our house sometimes until her bedtime between 9 and 10. This is good for everybody. Peace and quiet for parents. Cuddle time for grandparents and the Baby gets a lot of attention. To me, THAT is happiness personified.

 

[WitchAndShaman]

You know, I think that a lot of people don't understand what happiness is. When you are a kid it means something totally different from what it should when you are older but these days that seems to be drifting. Happiness for a child is tied to fun and getting everything that they want. It includes a lot of grins and laughter.

One of the hardest things you have to learn in the transition from childhood to adulthood is that work is not supposed to be fun. That does not mean it has to be misery, but it isn't fun and games. I think that as you mature happiness becomes a lot more subtle. To a kid, they look at their parents and just don’t see a lot of happiness. They don’t laugh a lot and are so serious.
As I have gotten older I guess that happiness has to some extent been replaced by contentment.

I don’t run around playing and laughing like I did when I was a kid but then I don’t want to do that all the time anymore. Now happiness is sitting and holding my wife’s hand. Snuggling up in bed and reading. Sitting here in my chair and annoying people all over the world with my opinions. My idea of play is more creative now. I like to write and when I want to do something more physical I go out to one of my shops and make something. I work with leather, wood carving, and just making all sorts of things. I used to do a lot of Native American beadwork but arthritis made that too painful to be a pleasure.

I don’t think that my Granddaughter sees us as being all that happy. To her happy is something that involves doing something physical. I think that we are very happy. We now sleep when we are tired and are not ruled by a clock. I went to bed at 8 pm last night and got up at 3 am. I have never done well on traditional hours and schedules. I was always the square peg trying to fit in the round hole. My metabolism isn’t a 24-hour cycle. It is more like a 36- or 40-hour cycle.

When I used to work on a regular sort of blue-collar hours, I seemed to always be tired. I would be awake until 2 am and then have to get up and go a 6 am. I never understood why white-collar people worked 9 to 5 and blue-collar people had to be up with the sun and work 7 to 4. I always did better on the night shifts but that doesn’t allow for much family time because kids are on the early to bed and early to rise schedule at school.

For me owning my own company was a blessing. I worked from about 10 to 6 but was back home usually by 3 or 4. I always had things at home to do and paperwork to put together for my wife. I was the CEO but she was the CFO and if I wanted any money I did what she said! My daughter worked with me when she wasn’t in school and that was a blessing beyond compare. We worked but also had a lot of fun. We carried swimming clothes and if there was a break in the day we went to the park and went swimming. I also had a lot of little old folks that I changed lightbulbs and did small things for that were always good for coffee and cookies so we would go “visiting” between jobs. They loved seeing my kiddo as she grew up. I always felt so sorry for most of them. They were more involved in my daughter’s life than they were in their own kids and grandkids life.

My daughter must have agreed with me because once she was married and ready to settle down and have kids she moved in beside me. I see my little Danni every day and she is such a pleasure. LOL, Right now she is homeschooling and it isn’t unusual for her to hang out at our house sometimes until her bedtime between 9 and 10. This is good for everybody. Peace and quiet for parents. Cuddle time for grandparents and the Baby gets a lot of attention. To me, THAT is happiness personified.

Hey TD, I feel like we’ve know each other for years through what you’ve shared here. Thank you for letting us in.

 

[Lynne]

You know, I think that a lot of people don't understand what happiness is. When you are a kid it means something totally different from what it should when you are older but these days that seems to be drifting. Happiness for a child is tied to fun and getting everything that they want. It includes a lot of grins and laughter.

One of the hardest things you have to learn in the transition from childhood to adulthood is that work is not supposed to be fun. That does not mean it has to be misery, but it isn't fun and games. I think that as you mature happiness becomes a lot more subtle. To a kid, they look at their parents and just don’t see a lot of happiness. They don’t laugh a lot and are so serious.
As I have gotten older I guess that happiness has to some extent been replaced by contentment.

I don’t run around playing and laughing like I did when I was a kid but then I don’t want to do that all the time anymore. Now happiness is sitting and holding my wife’s hand. Snuggling up in bed and reading. Sitting here in my chair and annoying people all over the world with my opinions. My idea of play is more creative now. I like to write and when I want to do something more physical I go out to one of my shops and make something. I work with leather, wood carving, and just making all sorts of things. I used to do a lot of Native American beadwork but arthritis made that too painful to be a pleasure.

I don’t think that my Granddaughter sees us as being all that happy. To her happy is something that involves doing something physical. I think that we are very happy. We now sleep when we are tired and are not ruled by a clock. I went to bed at 8 pm last night and got up at 3 am. I have never done well on traditional hours and schedules. I was always the square peg trying to fit in the round hole. My metabolism isn’t a 24-hour cycle. It is more like a 36- or 40-hour cycle.

When I used to work on a regular sort of blue-collar hours, I seemed to always be tired. I would be awake until 2 am and then have to get up and go a 6 am. I never understood why white-collar people worked 9 to 5 and blue-collar people had to be up with the sun and work 7 to 4. I always did better on the night shifts but that doesn’t allow for much family time because kids are on the early to bed and early to rise schedule at school.

For me owning my own company was a blessing. I worked from about 10 to 6 but was back home usually by 3 or 4. I always had things at home to do and paperwork to put together for my wife. I was the CEO but she was the CFO and if I wanted any money I did what she said! My daughter worked with me when she wasn’t in school and that was a blessing beyond compare. We worked but also had a lot of fun. We carried swimming clothes and if there was a break in the day we went to the park and went swimming. I also had a lot of little old folks that I changed lightbulbs and did small things for that were always good for coffee and cookies so we would go “visiting” between jobs. They loved seeing my kiddo as she grew up. I always felt so sorry for most of them. They were more involved in my daughter’s life than they were in their own kids and grandkids life.

My daughter must have agreed with me because once she was married and ready to settle down and have kids she moved in beside me. I see my little Danni every day and she is such a pleasure. LOL, Right now she is homeschooling and it isn’t unusual for her to hang out at our house sometimes until her bedtime between 9 and 10. This is good for everybody. Peace and quiet for parents. Cuddle time for grandparents and the Baby gets a lot of attention. To me, THAT is happiness personified.

You have described adulthood well. I’m so happy that you have your family close.

 

[garnetsilver]

You know, I think that a lot of people don't understand what happiness is. When you are a kid it means something totally different from what it should when you are older but these days that seems to be drifting. Happiness for a child is tied to fun and getting everything that they want. It includes a lot of grins and laughter.

One of the hardest things you have to learn in the transition from childhood to adulthood is that work is not supposed to be fun. That does not mean it has to be misery, but it isn't fun and games. I think that as you mature happiness becomes a lot more subtle. To a kid, they look at their parents and just don’t see a lot of happiness. They don’t laugh a lot and are so serious.
As I have gotten older I guess that happiness has to some extent been replaced by contentment.

I don’t run around playing and laughing like I did when I was a kid but then I don’t want to do that all the time anymore. Now happiness is sitting and holding my wife’s hand. Snuggling up in bed and reading. Sitting here in my chair and annoying people all over the world with my opinions. My idea of play is more creative now. I like to write and when I want to do something more physical I go out to one of my shops and make something. I work with leather, wood carving, and just making all sorts of things. I used to do a lot of Native American beadwork but arthritis made that too painful to be a pleasure.

I don’t think that my Granddaughter sees us as being all that happy. To her happy is something that involves doing something physical. I think that we are very happy. We now sleep when we are tired and are not ruled by a clock. I went to bed at 8 pm last night and got up at 3 am. I have never done well on traditional hours and schedules. I was always the square peg trying to fit in the round hole. My metabolism isn’t a 24-hour cycle. It is more like a 36- or 40-hour cycle.

When I used to work on a regular sort of blue-collar hours, I seemed to always be tired. I would be awake until 2 am and then have to get up and go a 6 am. I never understood why white-collar people worked 9 to 5 and blue-collar people had to be up with the sun and work 7 to 4. I always did better on the night shifts but that doesn’t allow for much family time because kids are on the early to bed and early to rise schedule at school.

For me owning my own company was a blessing. I worked from about 10 to 6 but was back home usually by 3 or 4. I always had things at home to do and paperwork to put together for my wife. I was the CEO but she was the CFO and if I wanted any money I did what she said! My daughter worked with me when she wasn’t in school and that was a blessing beyond compare. We worked but also had a lot of fun. We carried swimming clothes and if there was a break in the day we went to the park and went swimming. I also had a lot of little old folks that I changed lightbulbs and did small things for that were always good for coffee and cookies so we would go “visiting” between jobs. They loved seeing my kiddo as she grew up. I always felt so sorry for most of them. They were more involved in my daughter’s life than they were in their own kids and grandkids life.

My daughter must have agreed with me because once she was married and ready to settle down and have kids she moved in beside me. I see my little Danni every day and she is such a pleasure. LOL, Right now she is homeschooling and it isn’t unusual for her to hang out at our house sometimes until her bedtime between 9 and 10. This is good for everybody. Peace and quiet for parents. Cuddle time for grandparents and the Baby gets a lot of attention. To me, THAT is happiness personified.

You win, hands down, Tex!