God thinks it’s a great idea for people to connect and build good relationships with other people.
Ecc. 4:9 -12 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him, and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
So we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Romans 12:5
Society works better when people make connections with other people.
- Studies show that the majority of addicts who seek treatment do so because of positive family and friend involvement and intervention.
- Babies, who are rarely held, don’t grow or develop well and can even die. The American Academy of Pediatrics encourages parents and other caregivers to hold babies.
- Building good relationships and helping others are some key tools for healing depression and anxiety.
Ask yourself how often you:
- Go out with people to eat?
- Go to the beach or park with friends?
- Call someone to see how they are doing?
- Really talk, and listen, to someone?
Do you want to be happy?
What would happen if you, today, decided to do everything you could do to make yourself happy? What would you do? Think about it for a couple of minutes.
Would it work?
Researchers at Berkeley University decided to find out. The team questioned thousands of people in various countries. Their findings are not what you would expect.
If you deliberately try to make yourself happy, guess what? It won’t work if you are an American. It WILL work if you are from Japan or Taiwan.
What!?
It comes down to worldview. If you saw a picture of a man talking to a group, and you were asked to describe it. Most likely you would first describe the man and then afterward you would describe the group. Show someone from an Asian country the same picture. They would first describe the group and afterward describe the speaker. We see the individual as the center and the most important. Asians see the group as more important.
If Americans want to pursue happiness, we might buy some new shoes or watch a movie or spend time thinking about our accomplishments.
The person from Japan would reach out to their friends or think of how to making things better for their group. In the end, they would have found more happiness.
If you want to be happier, be more connected to the group, be part of the whole.
There was a study in which Costa Rica won the contest for being the happiest country in the world in spite of being super poor.
The reasons were that Costa Ricans put more value on personal relationships than almost any other culture, and they spend more time with their families. In the Gallup World Poll, more than 85 percent of Costa Ricans reported feeling love and affection every day.
My friend at work is from Costa Rica. She was lucky to have shoes as a child, but she was always happy. Washing clothes in the river with all her friends and their moms was an enjoyable, social bonding event. She misses it.
Basic Life Truth: Connections Lead to Happiness
