Conditions on Happiness a Growing

¶ … Conditions on Happiness

A growing body of research has long indicated that differing psychosocial and psychological conditions affect cognitive ability: Some of these effects include a stimulating environment, music, mental exercise, a healthy lifestyle, sleep and, most controversially, drugs such as Adrafinil, Aniracetem, BMY-21502, Centrophenoxine (Lucidril), Hydergine, and Phenylalanine.

Social studies, furthermore, indicate the effect of social facilitation, indicating that the mere presence of others can result in increased arousal or in narrowed attentional focus (Baron, Byrne, & Branscombe, 2006), whilst environmental influences include effects of food, natural beauty, and environmental stressors. To elaborate on the last three, it is found that some regions such as mountains and water have a higher concentration of negative air ions, which influence serontonin and cyclic adenosine monosphate levels and apparently affect mood and alertness. Similarly too, although a high-carbohydrate, low-protein meal decreases alertness by raising brain trytophan, a protein-rich meal, reverses the effect. Eating pure tyrosine - such as yogurt and turkey (!) -- will raise brain tyropsine levels and increase cognitive alertness (Orenstein & Swencionis, 1990). Regarding environmental stressors, laboratory experiments have consistently shown that when participants reason about emotional contents, they are less likely to provide normatively correct answers in deductive-reasoning tasks (Blanchette, Melnyk, Richards, & Lavda, 2007).

The aim of the present study will be to examine the effect of four such variables on affect (i.e. happiness), to evaluate whether or not any of them will positively impact happiness, defined as elevation in mood, and if so to which extent and in which way. The variables I selected were: rope jumping (exercise), yogurt (pure tyrosine food), prior study in a place with mountains and water (containing negative ions), and manipulation of a then-felt emotional stressor.

Operationalizing: since the variables are too broad, I will operationalize them in the following manner:

1. Does jumping rope for 10 straight minutes during 2 consecutive weeks make my mood rise according to the Subjective Happiness Scale?

2. Does eating a cupful of plain white yogurt (Danon) during 2 consecutive weeks make my mood rise according to the Subjective Happiness Scale?

3. Does prior study (of an introductory philosophy text) for 10 straight minutes during 2 consecutive weeks in a place with mountains and water make my mood rise according to the Subjective Happiness Scale.

4. Does mental focus on an emotional stressor negatively impact my mood according to the Subjective Happiness Scale?

Method

I will select four variables, and chose 14 consecutive mornings of the week, with each of the intervals of 2 weeks being devoted to a different variable so that effects of the contrasting variables will not be confounded. Each study will also be preceded and followed by a 2-week hiatus so that I can 'recuperate' from the last. I will use the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS) as baseline (before the study) and as conclusion following the study to assess whether any elevation in my mood has been felt. The items consist of four questions using a Likert scale graded from1 to 5 with some questions reversed. The items are coded form 1= not at all to 7= a great deal. Two of the questions are:

In general, I consider myself not a very happy person (running the gamut to) a very happy person.

Compared to most of my peers, I consider myself: less happy (running the gamut to) more happy.

In order to most accurately and scientifically evaluate the effect of the differing variables, I will also closely scrutinize effects of other conditions in my life so as to ascertain that no stressors are occurring at the moment that may contaminate the study and raise or lower my happiness mood.

Being that this is a qualitative study, and that it will be difficult to bracket surrounding variables, I will use the phenomenological method to conduct this study. The phenomenological approach is best for understanding description of lived experience in regards to methods that include observation, interviews, discussion, and participant involvement. The objective is 'to get into' the subject, understand him or her as best as possible, in order to understand her perspective and interpret him as he does himself. It can also be used for interviews and for textual analyses such as memoirs and other accounts of an individual's life. What phenomenology essentially involves is bracketing one's assumptions in an act called 'epoche' so that one attempts to perceive the other and occurrences objectively.

Finally, a MANOVA will be used to contrast results.

Limitations and Directions for Future research