If You’re Happy and You Know It
Written by Michelle Albert
A gallon of gas approaches $4. Food prices are on the rise. The housing market remains on life support. People are starting to think that we are in a recession. So, the question is, how are Americans faring and how do you measure the nation’s happiness?
The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index offers just this sort of snapshot of the nation’s health. The results show that many Americans are in need of the Blue Zones lessons to help them achieve greater happiness and well-being. Starting this January, researchers called one thousand Americans, seven days a week, and asked them about their happiness based on the World Health Organization’s definitions. We’re not a satisfied lot, the study found. Almost half of the 100,000 respondents (47 percent) said they are struggling, and four percent said they are suffering.
“It’s pretty clear from the data provided through the Well-Being Index that Americans are indeed stuck in a cycle of chronic disease. We see that the majority of America is currently struggling or suffering and that they often make poor lifestyle choices. Many are stressed, worried and overweight, all factors which lead to illness and, ultimately, lifelong health conditions,” said Healthways President and CEO Ben Leedle. “The information from the Well-Being Index will enable community leaders, policy makers and employers to make decisions that positively affect the health and well-being of millions of people.”
Yet again we see the mind-body connection, and the important of creating your own, personal Blue Zones. The good news from the study is that policy makers and community leaders have a way of measuring well-being, and I hope that the study will help focus attention on these quality-of-life issues.
The study’s website can be found at http://www.well-beingindex.com/.
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