Sea lions at The Sea Ranch, Image by Dan Solin
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Sometimes life is an endless exercise in trying to attain goals that are just slightly out of reach. Even when we reach those goals, we’re not satisfied. We set new ones and repeat the process.
What happens to our level of happiness? It gets lost in the mix, as anxiety about reaching the new goals suppresses contentment over achieving the old ones.
But I’ve found a surprising “happiness hack” that breaks this cycle.
A vacation epiphany
My wife and I recently spent a week at The Sea Ranch, a remote community in Northern California. We like it there because there are few distractions. We take long walks along the Pacific coast on some of the easily accessible hiking trails. There’s one spot where sea lions congregate. We went there every day.
We had quiet dinners in front of the fireplace. I spent a couple of hours a day working on the manuscript for my self-help book. My wife, an artist, did some sketching.
When we later reflected on why we enjoyed that trip so much, one factor stood out: We never turned on the television.
An experiment at home
When we returned home, we decided to do an experiment. No TV. No exceptions. We do watch streaming video on our iPads. We keep up with the news online.
It’s been two months since our trip. Here’s what we’ve found.
Our stress level is markedly lower. We spend much more time communicating with each other, reading, writing (for me) and painting (for my wife). We also enjoy our meals together more. We used to eat many of them in our family room with the television on. Now we eat in the dining room. Our meals last longer and are more enjoyable.
We feel less rushed, since our schedule isn’t determined by the timing of a particular program. We read more. We are generally more productive. We listen to more classical music. We think and reflect more.
We’re happier.
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Harmful effects
Our experience isn’t just anecdotal. The harmful effects of watching too much television are well-documented. Young adults who eschew exercise for television perform worse on some cognitive tests later in life than those who watched little TV. Researchers theorize that watching TV is not a cognitively engaging way to spend time and encourages bad dietary habits.
Another study found a thickening of the part of the brain related to verbal reasoning and a drop in IQ in proportion to the number of hours of TV watching. The researchers found other brain changes that correlate positively with aggression.
Adam Lipson, a neurosurgeon, believes television watching is related to type-2 diabetes, depression, increased daydreaming and lower critical thinking skills.
If you don’t want to go cold turkey, consider this guideline from Eric Braverman, founder and president of a foundation focused on brain health: “Never watch more television than the amount of time you exercise.”
For more information about marketing and branding opportunities with Dan’s upcoming book, Ask: How to Relate to Anyone, click here.
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Advisor Perspectives welcomes guest contributions. The views presented here do not necessarily represent those of Advisor Perspectives.
