Abby Stevens (’18) and Anna Marshall (’18)
National I Want You To Be Happy Day: March 3rd
Not a very well-known holiday, National I Want You to Be Happy Day is a day of raising spirits and unselfish acts of love. It directly correlates to our Jesuit concept of Cura Personalis, or “care for the individual person.” In 1938, scientists began conducting research on 268 sophomores at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The research followed these students and their offspring over a period of almost 80 years, tracking their joys and successes, to determine what, if anything, leads to a long and happy life. Robert Waldinger, the director of the study and Harvard’s professor of psychiatry surprisingly found that “our relationships and how happy we are in our relationships have a powerful influence on our health.” This may be true, but it begs the question, what truly defines happiness? In such a powerful study, it is clear to see how our health has a strong impact on our happiness, but what else affects our happiness?
We decided to ask students around campus and recorded their answers.
Regan Cadieux: “A day on the beach!”
Audrey Fischer: “Puppies”
Leah Sullivan: “My friends, especially Anna Marshall”
Isabel Bordewyk: “Cookies”
Mara Driver: “Laughing with my friends”
Bridget Kennedy: “Ummmm I get happy when ummmm”
Nina Kennedy: “When it’s raining, but it’s still warm out and you just listen to the rain Shelby Wiggs: “The ocean”
Nai Cardenas-Duran: “Laughing till my stomach hurts and eating cereal…specifically Cinnamon Toast Crunch”
Carla Marshall: “The moon and sunshine”
Grace Stoll: “A clever tweet and Leonardo DiCaprio”
It is the simple things, the fun moments, the comforting places, and meaningful moments in life that makes us happy. With this in mind, we ask that students continue to spread the message of love and happiness. Happiness is universal and can be spread through even a smile so long as you make the effort!
