A recent study inDepression and Anxietyfound that social pressure to be happy can lead to increased levels of depression.
People arent happier in the East, per se, but they are less depressed.
Depression is an epidemic, Bastian said.
It found that the more someone felt pressured to be happy, the more depressive symptoms they experienced.
There has been a shift to differentially valuing positive and negative emotions, Bastian said.
We tend to value positive emotions much more.
We see negative emotion as not much use to us.
There are many benefits to being negative, including building stronger and more authentic relationships.
People connect much more sharing negative information, said Bastian.
It forms bonds between people in a way that sharing positive information cant.
Dont attempt to always frame it in a positive way.
Be authentic and real about that.
Obviouslybeing negative all the time isnt good, but its important to be honest about your feelings.
A happy life often involves experiencing negative events, Bastian said.
We need to challenge ourselves; we often need to do things which are uncomfortable or difficult.
As a result, we experience happiness, but the result isnt just positive emotionality.
Like working out, the process of achieving a goal requires struggle but results in a sense of fulfillment.
There are evenapps to help you stay on track.
Most importantly, though,you should enjoy the process of workingtowards something.
Focus on Other People in Relationships
Whom you surround yourself withhas a huge impact on your well-being.
Sometimesrelationships pass their expiration dates, but you could often improve your relationships by adjusting your approach to them.
Instead of evaluating relationships based on how happy they makeyoufeel, focus on the other person.
Relationships shouldnt be self-serving.
When were focused on happiness as a goal, that makes our relationships very self-focused, Bastian said.
Thats a shallow reason for having a relationship in the first place.
Sacrifice and selflessness are what lead to better, more fulfilling relationships, even when they cause discomfort.
Understanding what we can offer other people is a really important pathway for finding meaningful relationships with people.
And that often involves going out of our way and doing things you dont want to do.
Instead, we can use social media positively to build deeper relationships with others.
Social media can be helpful in maintaining communication.
Instead, accept your sadness and allow yourself to be sad when you are.
There are many therapeutic activities people can do to channel their sadness likelistening to sad musicand/orcrying.
While you shouldnt ditch yourgratitude journal, you also shouldnt ignore your negative feelings.
Sometimes we dont feel grateful.
Plus, being in a bad mood hasmany benefits, like improving recall memory.
