“Happiness comes from the capacity to feel deeply, to enjoy simply, to think freely, to risk life, to be needed.” – Storm Jameson

Remember the nursery rhyme – ‘The more we get together – the happier we are?’

It would appear that society is going in the opposite direction. A recent study found that people spend 34% of their spare time by themselves. Time spent with family and friends dropped 58%.

We are socializing less – no time, no inclination.

We are more stressed – with work and personal responsibilities

We are less active physically – everything is available at the press of a button, in our kitchens, entertainment areas etc.

Perhaps this is also the reason for the degree of stress in society, which is showing up with some very negative results, and which is being aggravated by having two spouses working, and less time available to spend with the children.

All this flies in the face of the perception that money and conveniences can buy happiness. More than wealth, income and conveniences is the need for social interaction, because we are a social species.

With the lesser social interaction, we also face concerns of less personal safety, security and trust. All pointing to the need for more social interaction, sharing and consulting with others, and making a break from then rut and routine we are in.

We need to socialize more! – That is face to face instead of, or in addition to the Internet social networking.

We need to generate more humor and laughter! – Instead of relying to be entertained by the electronic media.

We have to enjoy life instead of enduring it!

Gerry Hopman is an Author, Humorist and Humor Motivational Speaker, who believes that humor and laughter are essential to finding and maintaining balance in life and career.

To stay informed about the countless benefits of humor and laughter visit Gerry’s website www.humor-laughter.com , sign up for his monthly newsletter ‘The Humormeister’s Forum’ and receive a FREE e-book ‘Manage your stress with humor and laughter.’

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 17th, 2009 at 11:46 pm and is filed under Happiness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.