By Lauren Rathvon, DOM, AP
“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”— Mahatma Gandhi
“How do you handle all the poverty and the suffering?” My husband and I get asked this question a fair amount since we own a travel company that specializes in trips throughout India. Typically this question is posed with a look of pity and a small measure of distaste, as if life must be just unbearable in that mystical land. In fact, we recently returned from a tour of India with 11 people in tow, and some of them had the same sort of questions before we left. How am I supposed to handle seeing so much misery?
If you asked them now, however, I suspect they’d be hard-pressed to recall seeing anyone in misery—or even too unhappy. In fact, the global research company Ipsos conducted a poll in late 2011 and found that India ranked second in the world in terms of happiness, with 43 percent of responders reporting being “very happy.” (In comparison, the United States clocked in at 28 percent.) In addition, India ranked 4th happiest in terms of satisfaction with the areas in which residents live. So why the expectations and projections of unhappiness?
We must be careful not to use our yardsticks for happiness on any other person or culture. What we use to gauge our own mood and attitude is not necessarily what others use as their own barometer. Coming from this culture, it is all too easy to see a street in India filled with rubble, garbage, wandering cows, and honking cars and be stunned and mortified. Because we’ve already created a story in our minds, it becomes convenient to overlook the laughing and playing children, the families eating meals together, the cooperation between shop owners. I can say with confidence that Indian people are some of the most sincere and joyful people on the planet.
That happiness goes a long way health-wise. A study by R. Veenhoven published in the Journal of Happiness Studies finds that “the effect of happiness on longevity in healthy populations is remarkably strong. The size of the effect is comparable to that of smoking or not.” Veenhoven posits that perhaps public health policies should be geared towards affecting happiness, since this is such a large indicator of overall physical health.
A study was published in 2005 from London’s International Centre for Health and Society that measured cortisol levels, heart rate, and fibrinogen levels in the human body as they related to happiness. The less happy a person reported being, the higher the levels of the damaging “stress hormone” cortisol; the happier the person reported being, the less fibrinogen (a signal for future heart disease) was detected. In men, the happier they were, the lower their heart rate. In the past, many studies have been performed to illuminate the link between depression and disease; finally, researchers are seeking the crucial connection between a positive outlook and increased health.
In Chinese Medicine, happiness and joy are related to the Fire Element, and thus deeply interwoven with the heart organ and summertime. Summertime is the most yang of seasons—the sun is high, the days are long and bright, trees are in their full glory, and fruit is ripe for the picking. Even within our culture, summertime stereotypically brings the best opportunity for expressing and experiencing joy—picnics, fireworks, beach days, vacations, barbecues… It’s seemingly a season designed to bring joy.
In accordance with the Five Element model of Chinese Medicine, we can gauge the health of a patient’s Fire element based on his or her expression of joy. Just as too many hours of intense summer sunlight can wither crops, extreme intensity of emotion can be damaging (think mania). Conversely, a lack of joy can manifest as a dullness, a lack of spark or enthusiasm—imagine a wet blanket thrown over what should be a lively fire. Both of these are signals to the practitioner that this patient’s Fire Element has been thrown off balance.
Know that only you can gauge your own happiness. Not only is it unfair to use our personal values to judge how happy someone else should (or should not) be, but it is devastating to measure our own happiness using someone else’s yardstick. Genuine happiness is reflected throughout the body, creating balance and promoting longevity. You can ultimately use your happiness as a tool to affect others around you, as well. As Buddha said, “Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.”
Lauren Rathvon, DOM, AP is a nationally board certified Acupuncture Physician and Doctor of Oriental Medicine. She received her education at the East West College of Natural Medicine in Sarasota where she earned her degree in Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine. Certified in acupuncture point injection therapy, Lauren has also been trained in Constitutional Facial Rejuvenation. She currently serves on the Oriental Medicine faculty at Mountain Meadow Massage School in Ruidoso, NM, in addition to being an adjunct professor at the East West College of Natural Medicine.