Are you a happy person? It’s a question I’ve been asking people lately. You might think the answer is an easy one. But hold on: There are many shades of happiness and many paths to finding it. Still, happiness appears fundamental to who we are, so much so that we may be hardwired for achieving it, which might be why Thomas Jefferson put it in the Declaration of Independence, fused to life and liberty.
Is happiness holy? Beyond my pay grade, I’m afraid. So I asked a wise old friend of Guideposts, Dr. Harold G. Koenig, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and the director of the Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health at Duke University.
Edward Grinnan Tell us a little bit about your work.
Harold G. Koenig I’ve been doing research on spirituality and health for more than 40 years, seeing how a person’s religious beliefs are connected to their mental, social, behavioral and physical health.
Edward We’re here to talk about happiness. So let me ask: Are you a happy person?
Harold I think so.
Edward Why are you happy?
Harold I’m a Christian, which really informs all aspects of my life and my relationships and my work. So that’s really the basis for my happiness.
Edward Are we hardwired as human beings to be happy?
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What prayer can do
POWER IN OUR DAY-TO-DAY LIVES
Rejoice in All Things
My husband and I had an annual tradition of celebrating the high points of the year. This time, he wanted to try something different
Special Delivery
A month after my wife died and my life felt so empty, the only thing I had to look forward to was Amazon
A Prayer for Cullen
Even in a family crisis, I had trouble quieting my mind enough to listen for God
Blackie & Rosebud
What would happen to my friend's cats now that she was gone?
The Kids Are Alright
My twin boys and I had always been close. I thought they needed me. Now I wasn't so sure
Kindred Spirits
I thought the nose ring gave it away—she was just another teenager. I couldn't imagine how she could help me
A Boy Named Sue
In 1969, Johnny Cash and his wife, June, threw a party at their house in Hendersonville, Tennessee, a “guitar pull,” where guests passed around a guitar and tried out new songs.
Active Duty
I'd tried everything for my knee - physical therapy, gel injections, a cumbersome brace. Everything except prayer
Living an Abundant Life
A conversation with spirituality and health researcher Harold G. Koenig, M.D., on what makes people truly happy
