A new initiative aims to solve Americans’ “happiness problem.” Here’s how it might actually work

Nostalgia can be a trap. Staring fondly at some un-remembered, perhaps fictional, version of the past is a surefire way to feel dissatisfied with the present and fearful of the future. But what may be more positive than looking back is looking around us, at the people who seem to be thriving in other versions of the present. This is partly why Latest World Happiness Report That’s a tough pill for Americans to swallow.

The annual report prepared by it Gallup global opinion polling researchersLast year, the United States saw a drop from 15th to 23rd in terms of global happiness. This result reflects the current situation of a country experiencing stability Political chaosWidespread croakAnd it rises Suicide rates. In response to America’s poor performance, Connecticut Democratic Senator Chris Murphy and Utah Republican Governor Spencer Cox are seeking to address the conditions that gave rise to this crisis through their just launched bipartisan initiative. Restoring the public good initiative.

“Our goal is to try to persuade political leaders to start asking bigger, more fundamental questions, like what constitutes a good life,” Senator Murphy said in his speech. meeting with Semaphore. To that end, the duo is holding a series of roundtable conversations this summer with social activists, journalists, and think tank research fellows to generate ideas that might help the United States move up the global happiness rankings. But what can the US government do to make the lives of its citizens happier?

“I think there is a feeling of division and mistrust, along with a feeling of loneliness and fragmentation,” he says. Gretchen Rubinbest-selling author Happiness Project podcast creator, more happy. “So, an initiative like this can be great if it identifies ways to help people come together and build a sense of trust and good neighbourliness.”

While America fell in the global rankings, Finland topped the global happiness index for seven years in a row. Some of the reasons why Finnish residents are generally happy have to do with the country Low income inequality And High levels of social support– The most notable thing is that Publicly funded health care system. While these types of big-picture solutions may measurably improve the lives of Americans, they have already become a controversial topic. Political battles Within the United States, and has been so for a long time. Although this new program is noble, it will not be the one that ultimately breaks the impasse of revolutionizing America’s health care system.

What he might be able to accomplish, however, is translate the positive behavior model of a bipartisan initiative into occasions that bring people with opposing beliefs to each other. Robin suggests that finding common values ​​can be an antidote to division. If the government pumped funding into community projects across the country, it could push large groups of people to work together to clean a riverbank or build a new playground — additional tasks that go beyond politics.

“If you’re working toward shared value, there’s a sense of, well, maybe you think this and I think that, but we both of them I think it’s important that our children have attractive, safe places to play.

It doesn’t all have to be manual work, either. Robin suggests investing more in local events that seem to attract diverse crowds and families. Dog walks, music festivals, public outings – anything that might tempt online enemies to talk in person and discover their mutual multi-dimensionality. Better yet, these events can underscore the collective identity shared by each city’s residents, an implicit reminder that they are not defined by their political leanings.

“I’m from Kansas City, where the one thing everyone can agree on is that barbecue is very important,” adds Robin, who now resides in New York City.

Of course, the bipartisan initiative is not only about finding ways to inject more happiness into the lives of Americans, but also about addressing their anxiety.

“There’s no doubt that anxiety is much worse than it was five years ago, especially in young people,” he says. David H Rosmarin, A psychologist who teaches at Harvard Medical School and is the founder Center for anxiety. “Not only are we diagnosing more, there are a lot more objective behavioral indicators of emotional stress.”

As evidence of this, Rosmarin cites a sharp increase in… Incidents of self-harmalong with the same worrying Suicide rate That was part of the impetus for Murphy and Cox’s project.

Some of the reasons these rates are high, according to Robert Gebbia, CEO American Foundation for Suicide Preventionshe Shortage of mental health workersnon-compliance with Mental health parity lawsAnd it’s difficult to find a service provider – let alone one that accepts personal insurance. The result of all these problems is that more people who need treatment end up without it. The most effective action the government can take toward reducing the suicide rate is to come up with effective and workable solutions to these issues, but Gebbia also recommends increasing support for crisis response services and the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline 988. He notes that the Biden administration last week released a 2024 National Suicide Prevention Strategyan attempt to address this problem head-on.

As for the millions of Americans who suffer from anxiety but are not experiencing a real crisis, Rosmarin believes they might benefit from a broad shift in perspective. Instead of finding ways to reduce their anxiety, he wants them to find new ways to deal with it.

“I think we need to set the bar on what it means to be mentally healthy, and understand that some feelings of distress are actually normal,” he says. “When people feel anxious today, they immediately assume that something is wrong with them, rather than understanding that certain levels of distress are just part of being human.”

In the years following the beginning of the epidemic, Use prescription anti-anxiety medications rose among Americans. While many of those who take medication already suffer from severe anxiety, Rosmarin claims that the threshold for a diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder should be higher. Rather than risk over-treating the US population, he suggests that the Restoring the Common Good Initiative could find creative ways to promote emotional resilience through the medical and educational systems.

But if dealing with anxiety may be a matter of perspective, so may be happiness.

Maybe just participating in a project aimed at making Americans happier could make someone’s attitude more optimistic on its own.

“When you contribute to a solution, in my observation, you tend to be more optimistic,” Rubin says. “If you’re registering people to vote, you feel more optimistic about the government. If you’re working on climate change, you feel like it’s fixable. Whereas people who are on the outside and not participating may feel powerless and in control of things they don’t exist.” In it, which, in my observation, tends to make you feel bad.

Much of the news constantly fed to our phones perpetuates the feeling that things are getting worse. On the other hand, seeing one’s community improve can convey the opposite. It’s like a self-fulfilling prophecy. Once you see significant improvement in any element of your community, it perpetuates the possibility that other things will do the same as well. Suddenly, it feels like things are looking up. Even more so, if you are involved in making it happen.