Üsküdar University Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Psychology Faculty Member Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tayfun Doğan made recommendations for increasing happiness and psychological well-being.
In the World Happiness Survey conducted by the United Nations, Turkey ranks 93rd among 153 countries. Stating that countries calculate their gross happiness as well as their gross national economy, experts say that the happiness of citizens is considered an important indicator of development. Experts point out that in order to increase happiness, it is necessary to be more kind, helpful and understanding in human relations and recommend evaluating the sources of psychological well-being.
Üsküdar University Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Psychology Faculty Member Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tayfun Doğan made recommendations for increasing happiness and psychological well-being.
Social compassion is needed
Stating that it is necessary to personally account for the past year and create plans for the coming year, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tayfun Doğan said, "We need to think about how I can make a difference for myself and my environment. In order to increase our psychological well-being and happiness, we need to be more kind, helpful and understanding in human relations. As a society, we are in dire need of compassion. We need to make long-term plans rather than superficial attempts to reduce violence and aggression. Because violence and aggression are largely learned. We should educate our children on this issue and put an end to this problem of social violence."
Turkey ranks 93rd in Happiness Survey
Pointing out that countries have moved to a happiness economy, Doğan said, "Just as gross national product is calculated, gross national happiness is now also calculated. The happiness of citizens is considered as an important indicator of development. According to the UN's World Happiness Survey, we rank 93rd among 153 countries. In fact, we deserve better places."
We should evaluate the sources of psychological well-being
Stating that psychological well-being refers to a person in good mental health, Doğan said, "However, a person in good mental health does not only mean a person without psychological illnesses. Psychological well-being is more than that. It is good that a person does not have mental health problems, but it is not enough. There are some sources of psychological well-being that increase our psychological well-being and strengthen our psychological resilience. The most important features of these resources are that they can be learned and developed."
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tayfun Doğan listed the sources of psychological well-being as follows
- Self-esteem: I feel valuable
Self-esteem is a concept related to being satisfied with oneself, loving oneself, seeing oneself as worthy of being loved and feeling adequate. Self-esteem is the state of being at peace with oneself. A person who accepts himself/herself with his/her positive and negative aspects and feels as valuable as other people will have high self-esteem.
- Self-understanding: I am compassionate towards myself
Self-understanding is the concept of being compassionate, supportive, caring and understanding towards oneself. We can all make mistakes, fail or be inadequate. At such times, some individuals may be overly critical, judgmental and harsh towards themselves. Others may be compassionate and understanding towards themselves as they are compassionate towards others.
- Hope: My future will be better than my present
Hope is a source of psychological well-being. Not only in situations of despair but also when everything is going well, hope is a driving internal force that prompts the individual to take action to do something.
- Optimism: Everything is fine
Optimism is a state of thinking positively about the present and the future and having good expectations. When evaluating the events that happen to an optimistic individual, he/she considers them as temporary, situation-specific and affected by many factors. The optimist's perspective is "It was a bad day, not a bad life".
- Social support: I have people who care about me
Social support is one of the most important resources for psychological well-being. It is when an individual feels that someone who really cares about him/her is with him/her in good or bad times. Social support can be emotional, financial or cognitive. In order to receive adequate social support, you need not only to improve your relationships with your family and relatives, but also to build deep friendships.
- Altruism I can help
Altruism can be defined as benevolence or helpfulness. Altruistic behavior makes the other party happy as well as the person who helps. It adds meaning to life. In addition, the positive feelings of having done something good and useful also increase the individual's self-esteem.
- Authenticity I am sincere and natural
The authentic individual reveals his or her true self, whereas the inauthentic individual reveals a false self and alienation. The authentic individual does not engage in contrived behaviors to make others like him/her, he/she is sincere and natural. An individual with a low level of authenticity, on the other hand, has become someone others want. They live for others, not for themselves.
- Feeling gratitude: I am grateful for the good things I have
Our brain is very good at remembering negative memories or events. It seems reluctant to remember positive events. It quickly becomes accustomed and desensitized to the good and beautiful things we have. Therefore, we need to remind our brains of how good and beautiful conditions we actually have through gratitude activities.
- Social intelligence: I can communicate effectively
People with high social intelligence are characterized as human beings. They can communicate effectively with people. This makes them less likely to experience feelings of loneliness. Being in a satisfying, healthy, deep network of relationships is a must for psychological well-being.
- Awareness Living in the moment
Mindfulness means focusing on whatever we are doing at that moment. Mindfulness is, in a way, touching life, feeling alive. When you are eating, walking, drinking coffee, listening to a piece of music, it is really living and feeling those moments.
- The meaning and purpose of life: Life has meaning
Finding meaning and purpose in life is perhaps the most difficult task of all. A meaningful life is one of the most important pillars of psychological well-being. Life goals are closely related to the meaning of life.
- Forgiveness: I forgive wrongs done to me
Forgiveness is also a concept that positively affects psychological well-being. Forgiveness is the conscious, voluntary relinquishment of negative feelings and judgments that an individual has against the person who has hurt him/her. Being forgiving is not easy, it is an important virtue. However, people who can be forgiving will experience the positive results of this in a psychological sense.
- Perseverance I am passionate and persevering
There is research that shows that perseverance is sometimes more important for success than intelligence and talent. The concept of perseverance consists of two components: passion and persistence. If a person is passionate about something he or she has started and is determined to see it through to the end, the likelihood of success is very high.
- Intellectual well-being: I like to learn
Intellectuals are individuals with a high level of knowledge and culture, who are curious, full of the love of learning, open to experiences, have extraordinary life skills and are creative. Reading, writing, engaging in an artistic activity, traveling and many other mental activities can be counted among intellectual activities. These contribute positively to an individual's psychological well-being.
- Flow As if time has stopped
The concept of flow was introduced by M. Csikszentmihalyi, one of the founders of positive psychology. According to him, flow is characterized as an individual's full focus on the work they are engaged in, not feeling how time flows and enjoying it at a high level. Choosing jobs and actions where the individual can experience flow will make it easier to experience this feeling state. In a way, this can also be expressed as doing what one loves and loving what one does. When he/she can achieve this, he/she will enjoy what he/she does and this will help him/her experience positive emotions more frequently.
