Week 2- Science of Happiness Synthesis

 

    Social connection, relationships, and empathy are three major factors that work to calculate one’s subjective well-being. Those who report high levels of happiness throughout life have valuable relationships and gratifying social connections in turn have appealing upsides like better physical health, improved mental health, and greater academic success. These reports make sense as humans are biologically set to have caretaking and social tendencies. Hormones such as oxytocin (“the caretaking hormone”) are naturally occurring amino acids in the human body that provide an explanation for our natural caretaking tendencies. Those with high levels of Oxytocin are more likely to have secure attachments in relationships and are more compassionate by nature. In addition, the Vagus Nerve (connected to the stream of oxytocin in the body) is linked to good social skills and human connections. The Vagus Nerve is also linked to empathy, another powerful tool for social connection and change. These biological elements of the human body are both explanations to why humans are inherently wired to connect with one another and tools to foster happiness overall. 

     The biological elements of compassion in the human body are largely important for understanding the concepts of happiness and how positive emotion impacts individual's day to day lives. When learning about cultivating a happy life, questions may arise as to why certain practices like gratitude and mindfulness are helpful. By understanding the biological elements of themes such as empathy and social connection, we can answer many of those questions. Empathy and good relationships can be fantastic tools for making meaningful changes around the world whether that be politically, economically, or socially. Understanding humans' natural tendencies and biological makeup can be largely helpful when tackling daunting world issues.