Stop Trying To Be Happy All The Time

Don’t be fooled by Instagram perma-smiles – swipe the forced grin from your face and find a better balance

- Tom Ward

The cult of happiness isn’t working. According to one survey*, the UK is the seventh most depressed country in the Western world. A study in Social Psychological and Personality Science found that society’s tendency to avoid admissions of sadness causes people to feel lonely when things inevitably don’t work out. Despite all the social media posts imploring you to focus on your own happiness, there is clearly a problem.

Surprisingly, the key to finding true happiness might be to call off the search. US psychologists found that those who actively pursue it often feel pressured to be cheerful, and begin to blame themselves when they’re down. And if you think money can buy you happiness, you’re wrong there, too. Researchers have found that earning anything over £72,000 per year will only cause you more stress.