What comes first – happiness or success?  Most people think that success leads to happiness; however, researchers have found that happiness is what leads to success.  A review of 225 studies involving more than 275,000 people examined the connections between well-being, life success, and desirable personal characteristics.  In general, happy people are more successful professionally as well as personally than unhappy people; what is significant is that happiness came first.

Upon reviewing the research, study results suggest that happiness indeed leads to behaviors that produce successes in a person’s life; successes in work, health, and relationships partially result from a person’s positive attitude.  Further evidence supports that well-being is linked to having a positive perception of yourself and others, being creative, sociable, having effective coping skills, and a strong immune system.

According to the research findings, happy people are more likely to actively work towards new goals and create new resources.  These individuals are more energetic and optimistic and have more self-confidence.  In addition, other people view them as being likable and sociable; this means happy people are more likely to be productive and dependable and less likely to experience conflict with coworkers. 

Happy people are also healthier. They are less likely to smoke, abuse drugs, and eat unhealthy foods or eat too much and are more likely to engage in healthy behaviors such as exercise and preventive exams. When these individuals do become ill, they tend to recover more quickly than unhappy people.

What it Means:
There’s an old saying, “fake it ‘til you make it.”  The same holds true for happiness.  If you’re miserable at work, try faking being happy; your satisfaction with your job will increase, resulting in you being less likely to want to quit.  If you find that you are regularly unhappy, stressed, angry, or depressed, consider seeking the help of a professional – your future depends on it!

Sources:  Lyubomirsky, King, & Diener (Dec. 2005). “The Benefits of Frequent Positive Affect: Does Happiness Lead to Success?” Psychological Bulletin; Cote, et al. (Nov. 2002).  “A longitudinal analysis of the association between emotion regulation, job satisfaction, and intentions to quit.” Journal of Organizational Behavior.