Can You Be Too Happy?

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.”

Albert Einstein

We all know that negative moods are associated with poor physical health and psycholoogical well-being.

Can happiness actually be good for you? 

Can you be too happy?

In a recent study of 2,873 healthy British adults conducted by Dr. Andrew Steptoe, those who reported more positive emotions during the day had significantly lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol that is typically associated with increased blood pressure, immune suppression and obesity ((Steptoe, A. et al. (2007).  Neuroendocrine and inflammatory factors associated with positive affect in healthy men and women: The Whitehall study II.  American Journal of Epidemiology, 167, 96-102)).

Among women, but not men in this study, positive emotions were significantly lower levels of C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 which are considered indicators of widespread inflammation in the body and independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease.  These gender differences weren’t really explained but the findings on the stress hormone cortisol have been well documented in both men and women. 

These findings support the idea that happiness is protective.  The more difficult question though remains: Is happier always better?

A brand new study has tried to answer this question by analyzing data from 118, 519 respondents of the World Values Study, an intense data collection project with college students entering 25 mostly elite Universities, and four longitudinal data sets exploring the link between self-reported happiness and various outcomes such as educational degrees obtained, income levels, relationship satisfaction and duration ((Oishi, S. et al. (2007).  The optimum level of well-being: Can people be too happy?  Perspectives on Psychological Science, 2, 346-360)).  These studies revealed a consistent pattern of results:

1. The optimal level of happiness in the domains of interpersonal relationships is the highest possible level of happiness

2. In contrast, the optimal level of happiness for achievement of outcomes (e.g., salary, income, education) is a moderate (but still high) level of happiness

The authors in this study stress that it is not bad to be very happy nor is it desirable to be unhappy.

They are suggesting that for those individuals whose primary values in work and life focus on achievement, only moderate levels of happiness may be optimal.  For those whose values prioritize close relationships, it is the highest level of happiness possible given one’s genetic set point, situation and daily activities that are desirable.  The benefit of happy moods are also likely influenced by ones’ personality and work/life values and likely to differ across cultures.

In general, most Americans report positive life satisfaction but also tend to report a high level of work and life stress ((Nowack, K. (2006). Optimising Employee Resilience: Coaching to Help Individuals Modify Lifestyle. Stress News, International Journal of Stress Management, Volume 18, 9-12)). I guess whether you are male or female, it’s still tough to have it all…..Be well….
[tags]Envisia Learning, moods, cortisol, stress, happiness, inflammation, C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, stress, coping, kenneth nowack, ken nowack, nowack[/tags]

Ken Nowack

Kenneth Nowack, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist (PSY13758) and President & Chief Research Officer/Co-Founder of Envisia Learning, is a member of the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations. Ken also serves as the Associate Editor of Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research. His recent book Clueless: Coaching People Who Just Don’t Get It is available for free for a limited time by signing up for free blog updates (Learn more at our website)