Wikimedia Commons

By Carol Blair Vaughn

Costa Rica is called by many “The Happiest Place on Earth”, including the Happy Planet Index which rated us #1 in 2015, and the U.N.’s World Happiness Report, which rated us #12. We came in behind Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, Sweden, and The Netherlands – such cold places!!

But is this ranking scientific, or just a tourist label from those wanting to make our beaches more crowded?

Turns out, there IS a “Science of Happiness”, a new field of social science called positive psychology, which is not to be confused with just positive thinking or self-help. Psychology Today says, “Research on how to increase positive moods and capitalize on your strengths has proliferated, thanks to the positive psychology movement. This research has shed light on ongoing insights into personality, mood, and cognition. Though not everyone is born with a sunny disposition, experts do agree we can all learn to bring more meaning and satisfaction into our lives.”

Michael Bishop, a philosophy professor at Florida State University, has just published The Good Life: Unifying the Philosophy and Psychology of Well-Being (Oxford University Press), in which he proposes that the key to happiness and well-being is what he describes as a “Positive Casual Network”, or PCN.

According to Bishop’s theory on well-being, there’s no one single set of rules which can help everyone build happiness. “The advice you’d offer a 25-year old athlete would be different to the advice you’d offer a sprightly octogenarian.” At any age, the important thing is to build an interpersonal positive groove – a PCN.

Bishop suggests, “People who tend to be happier and more upbeat tend to be more successful in relationships. They’re more likely to be generous towards other people, who will in turn be more positive and generous towards them.”

Reviewers have said about Bishop’s The Good Life, “For anyone wondering about the new Science of Happiness – this is an indispensable volume.”

<!-- EL BANNER D -->

For those not wanting to read books to get their happiness groove on, –Eureka! – Someone has put the “App” in happy, with an app called Happify.

Happify is the most recent example of Web-based services designed to improve your mood and general outlook. This app promises to make you happier by utilizing the latest Science of Happiness techniques.

Happify’s co-creator Tomer Ben-Kiki calls the app “the first emotional fitness service” of its kind. Happify combines the touchy-feely language of the self-help market with the more results-oriented research of the Science of Happiness, to help users lead happier and more fulfilling lives. Interestingly, Ben Kiki’s background was originally in the gaming industry.

Today, Happify has nearly 100,000 members, who report an 86% increase in happiness over the course of 2 months. Happify claims even better results for members who do Happify activities 2-3 times a week, over those who only participate once a week.

Happify has a free version of the app, and a premium version for $12.95 per month. Find the app at www.happify.com for your iPad or Android.

Or here’s a better idea: Move to Costa Rica where happiness radiates out of farmers’ faces, flows down every magnificent waterfall, blows in the gentle ocean breezes, twinkles in the night stars, and ripples through the rows of coffee plants. The price tag for all that joy is: $0.

Happy New Year, Costa Rica!

About the Author

Carol Blair Vaughn holds a Master’s Degree in Performing Arts and is a retired college professor from Washington, D.C. She inherited her love for Latin America from her father, the former U.S. Ambassador
to Colombia, Panama, and Director of the Peace Corps, Jack Vaughn. Carol writes for the Association of Residents of Costa Rica (ARCR) and for an English language club in the southern region of Costa Rica. In the past, Carol served as Editor in Chief of What’s on Tap magazine.