Worry, Be Happy

Lately, I keep hearing about a phenomenon that I think we can all understand:

‘Suppressing bad feelings is not good for your health.’

Duh.

But, the conversation goes further than this. It not only says that long-term neglect of depression, grief or even just the blues is bad, but that momentary facades – like a forced smile – can make a bad-mood-day worse. In turn, the whole mind-body unit takes a hit.

For example, an online article from the February 21st New York Times describes a scientific observation of bus drivers. Because bus drivers come into contact with so many people in situations that call for common courtesy, the hope was that they would sometimes display happy faces that were less than genuine.

This is not to call bus drivers sour. I’ve known several to be incredibly friendly and even entertaining. But, everyone has a bad day, and it’s much easier to sulk in a cubicle than at the wheel of public transit.

Anyway, the findings were interesting. From the Times:

“The scientists examined what happened when the drivers engaged in fake smiling, known as ‘surface acting,’ and its opposite, ‘deep acting,’ where they generated authentic smiles through positive thoughts, said an author of the study, Brent Scott, an assistant professor of management at Michigan State University.

After following the drivers closely, the researchers found that on days when the smiles were forced, the subjects’ moods deteriorated and they tended to withdraw from work. Trying to suppress negative thoughts, it turns out, may have made those thoughts even more persistent.

But on days when the subjects tried to display smiles through deeper efforts — by actually cultivating pleasant thoughts and memories — their overall moods improved and their productivity increased.”

It goes without saying that chronic low moods can spiral downward into anxiety, depression, illness, disease and any number of health issues that arise when the mind spreads it stress to the body.

I’ve noticed similar ideas in February’s edition of Natural Health Magazine (‘The Great Emotional Escape’) and on an NPR interview from last year, which I cannot find the link for to save my life. Sorry.

So, why are we hearing this now? Is it seasonal (there’s a reason this cruel month is short)? The still dismal economy? Are suicide rates creeping up? Probably some of each, along with the ever-swinging cultural pendulum that brought us from the neon of the 80s to the grunge and goth of the 90s to the pop of the new millennium to now. Another thing – no one can deny that the past decade has been tumultuous for the United States. It’s taking a toll, and we’re just not feeling so perky these days.

Taking it one more step, I know from first hand experience that positive thoughts cannot banish negative ones. Sometimes they actually make the bad things that much worse by comparison. Depression’s like that. And you cannot walk away from depression – you’ve gotta call it on its bullshit and duke it out.

Of course, recognition of the difference between true unhappiness, wallowing and self-induced negativity is essential. Owning up to dissatisfaction is one thing, and letting it run its course is alright. Nurturing it is unproductive and lame.

Remember the extremes: The 50s housewife who slapped on her lipstick and baked her sorrow into a cake, and the emo kid who knows it’s cool to be so bored and is only happy when it rains (apologies – I was a 90s teenager). Hopefully we can get over demanding anything – good or bad – and just… be. Happy, mostly.

Sources:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/22/health/22really.html?_r=1&ref=health