Is it possible to be "too happy"?
University researchers say the answer is yes.
Our story for Tuesday’s Post-Dispatch outlines the work of researchers at the University of Illinois (my alma mater!), University of Virginia and Michigan State University (boo!). The results of their work, according to the U of I news release:
The research team began with the prediction that mildly happy people (those who classify themselves as eights and nines on the 10-point life satisfaction scale) may be more successful in some realms than those who consider themselves 10s. This prediction was based on the idea that profoundly happy people may be less inclined to alter their behavior or adjust to external changes even when such flexibility offers an advantage.
Their analysis of World Values Survey data affirmed that prediction.
I must say: I buy into this completely. Seems to me that people who are constantly happy come across as raving lunatics. I have had the reputation of being “always happy” in the past — and I know that is off-putting. Especially on the days when I’m really. Not. Happy.
In this study, the researchers even went so far as to say that being “too happy” can be unhealthy.
How about you? How would you classify yourself? Do you think it’s possible to be too happy?
Kurt is the director of social media for the Post-Dispatch, where he has worked since August 2002. He's been a journalist since 1982, covering municipal government, courts, education and two hurricanes as a reporter before becoming an editor. 
No.
It’s possible that “Happiness” or excessive cheer can be irritating, but it’s a nice break from the typical dourness of the office environment… it’s almost like some people compete to be the most droll. If this were an issue this election, I would vote for “more” (especially among pretty young female candidates).
I meant “dry” instead of droll. Droll wouldn’t be so bad, it turns out, after looking it up in the online dictionary.
The only people I’ve ever seen who were ‘too happy’ were giggling themselves silly on psychoactive drugs in high school and/or college, or are on Prozac now. Given a choice, hallucinogens are probably preferable, since they require an imagination to activate, whereas Prozac and the like just make you stupidly cheery for no reason at all.
I am pleased to be breathing and not cold, hungry or hurting and able to do most of the things I want to (I am). but I don’t understand how one could be deliriously happy and pleased and still living on planet Earth. I don’t know that I’ve ever been deliriously happy for more than 15 minutes at a time. The last time was when my husband had flowers delivered to my campground in the Ozarks on an anniversary when we had to be apart.
However, always happy? Naw. Just always looking for the tiniest glimpse of the rainbow I’m chasing over the next hill.
How is 8 or 9 out of 10 “mildly” happy?
Life is what you make of it, and if you are happy with your life, which I am with mine, than these types of studies and polls make little sense. You know what would make me happy? If we stopped spending money on researchers trying to predict human behavior and fixed a bridge somewhere that is falling apart.
NO!!!
I buy the concept that people who are “too happy” are so satisfied with themselves and their lives that they are resistant to change and very low in adaptability. I have known people who were so satisfied with the status quo that they fell to pieces when life delivered a reality check (like a divorce or death in the family.) I could see where “less happy” people would be more equiped to deal with reality because they’re used to shuffling aspects of their life around in order to cope on a more or less regular basis.
That being said, I prefer to have people around me who are “moderately happy.” They won’t gloss over their problems but they don’t dwell on them. I don’t know which is more annoying….the people who bubble and bubble and bubble or the people for whom life is an ongoing soap opera. I guess I’d prefer the soap opera people because at least they’re entertaining.
Me? I’d rank myself around a 7 or 8. Not thrilled with the way things turned out in all areas, but I’ve pretty well made my peace with my life. In my teens and early twenties I would have probably only scored a 3 or a 4. So angry. So not able to settle for the status quo. I’ve either given up the fight or I’ve grown up.
Sometimes being too happy all the time turns into stupid. You have to be able to control your emotions to adapt to all situations. A profoundly happy person may not be able to do that. I have a friend that smiled and laughed all the way through his mothers funeral. That really raised some eyebrows.
I don’t think I’ve ever been accused of being too happy. In fact, my wife sometimes calls me Dr. Doom. I think it’s the engineer in me, always trying to find a failure mode – then make it better.
However, I’m not all pessimism. I generally try to find the positive in a situation (after I have mentally tallied the ways it can fail) and I do laugh and tell jokes. I guess like most things in life, it’s all about moderation. A bit of pessimism, a bit of optimism. A dash of conservatism, and a twist of liberalism. A little adventure, and some monotony. Some realism - balanced with some fantasy.
I feel sorry for the people who are either too happy or too sad. It’s not healthy to be too much of anything - sometimes you have to strike out and see things in a different way.
I think Abe Lincoln said that most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. Happiness is a belief about yourself and the outside world, vs pleasure which is enjoyment of an outside stimuli. So I wonder how it is possible for a person to be “too” happy! A “happy” person would seem to be one who has his head screwed on right, has realistic expectations about where he’s going in life, and has the drive and energy to get there.