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How happy you are in your adulthood may be linked with the level of happiness you had during your childhood days – a new research reveals.

‘Happiness’ is the very essence of every being’s existence. Everything we do in our lives more or less revolves around this term ‘happiness’ – either of self or of those around us, of those we love. Carrying a positive attitude and feeling good about oneself from within can definitely add to one’s happiness. A recent study, by the researchers from the University of Cambridge and the MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing, has discovered the key to a happy adulthood. Results of the study strongly suggest that individuals who have had a happy childhood are more likely to have a happy adulthood too.

Findings of the study recently published in the journal ‘The Journal of Positive Psychology’ say that a happy childhood is closely associated with increasingly happy well-being during adulthood. There has been good amount of research that describes the negative effects of a troubled and unhappy childhood and its impact on the mental health and the overall well-being in the adulthood. This is the first of its kind study that determines the impact of a positive childhood on the later years in life.

Researchers examined the link between a positive childhood and the level of happiness in the later years. Data points were collected by considering an old British research as the reference.  The study conducted in the year 1946 had a study population of 2776 participants. The level of happiness and positivity during childhood was noted by taking the evaluations provided by the teachers as the basis. Children aged between 13 and 15 years were assessed by their teachers on various factors including happiness, friendship and energy. Teachers evaluated the students based on: the popularity level of the child among other children, whether or not the child is happy and content with his/her life, the child’s ability to make friends, and the energy levels of the child. Children were also rated by their teachers on other behavioral aspects like impatience, daydreaming, noncompliance, lying, et al and emotional aspects viz., anxiety, fear, lack of self-confidence, lack of attention et al.

The ratings derived from the teachers’ evaluation were then linked to the individuals' mental health, experience in work, status of relationships and the level of participation in social activities several years later. Researchers found that children who had happier childhood i.e., those who scored high on positivity during the childhood were more likely to be happier in their adulthood as compared to those who scored comparatively lower in the teachers’ evaluation. Happy children were found to be enjoying a higher work satisfaction in their adulthood in addition to being in regular contact with the near and dear ones and regular involvement in social events and leisure activities. Children leading a happy childhood were at significantly lesser risk (60 percent less) of developing mental disorders later on in their lives as compared to their lesser happy counterparts.
The study emphasizes that the policymakers must lay their concentration on the well-being and happiness of children in order to ensure a best possible start to their lives.

Reference:
'Do positive children become positive adults? Evidence from a longitudinal birth cohort study’- a paper by Professor Felicia Huppert, Dr Marcus Richards, University of Cambridge and the MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing.
For more information, please visit: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-02/uoc-hcm022511.php

Disclaimer: This article is written by a non-medical professional.