I was doing a quick scan of the BBC world news on my phone (I do this about once a day – no more than that) and came across an article talking about the science of happiness. The reporter noted that many people, especially now, are registering for online courses in this area.
The science of happiness. Makes it sound as if someone somewhere will come up with the correct mathematical model to approximate it, based on evidence and passing the rigours of the scientific method. An interesting concept, even if somewhat blinkered. So, what were the top three learnings one can get from taking a course already taken by over half a million people? Well, I read further in the article, and discovered that to be happy, science tells us that you should –
[1] Be mindful – take time to notice the sensations inside and outside you, be grounded in the present moment, not constantly looking forward and backward
[2] Connect with others – spend time sharing experiences and feelings, sharing things that moved or inspired you
[3] Practise gratitude, be aware of who ‘harvested the fruit you eat’, and connect into our sense of common humanity as we overcome this challenge as a community.
Interesting. I guess I was expecting a partial differential equation complete with appropriately factored coefficients and good statistical correlation. What I got was the kind of messaging that our spiritual authors and mentors have said for centuries.
Interesting- but not really that surprising, at least for us Catholics. Because faith and reason have always gone hand in hand. We don’t see that science and faith are competing views of life, but when viewed collectively are complementary.
So whether the advice came from your spiritual director or a scientist, the trinity of being mindful, connecting with others (appropriately distanced of course) and (most importantly) practising gratitude is good advice to help us through these days.