Is there a connection between language and happiness? Let’s find out.
“I have a waterfall in my house.” 🙂
That’s what I tell myself every morning when I step into the shower.
Why do I call it a waterfall?
Because I want to remind myself each morning how rich and lucky I am.
It was only a generation or two ago that outhouses were common and running water in the home was a luxury that only a few had.
Many kings and queens throughout the centuries didn’t have the luxury of temperature-controlled water and water pressure strong enough for a shower.
Still today, a great many people on earth don’t have running water in their homes…or even…a home.
So, yes, I have a waterfall in my house.
Here’s the point.
The words you use make a difference to your thinking and your happiness.
The words you use to refer to your husband, wife, or children will impact not only your happiness but their state of mind as well.
Is your vehicle the “junker that gets us around”?
If you use similar words for your vehicle, you’ll always be unhappy about the family car – and you’ll likely neglect maintenance because of that bad attitude, resulting in even greater “junkiness.”
The words we use (even within our own minds) conjure up images, connotations, and emotions.
A few months ago, I was at the scrapyard and saw a 12-foot aluminum boat. It was beat up and broken down. Cracks lined the hull, and there was a reason it was ready to be cut up and sold for scrap.
And so (not being in my right mind) I bought it for a whopping $50, and borrowed a buddy’s truck to drag it home.
I walked into the house and told my wife, “I bought a yacht.”
She looked at me with suspicion…she knows me too well…
Now, my yacht sits in the backyard, patiently waiting for me to fix it up and put it back into the water.
Do I know the technical difference between a yacht and a 12-foot aluminum fishing boat? Of course I do. But my emotions don’t, and that’s the point.
Once I get my “yacht” welded up and a new paint job on her, I’ll have as much fun with it as anyone that charters a super-yacht for the weekend. Best of all, I won’t have the cost or the maintenance.
So, I’ve got a waterfall in my house and a yacht in the backyard. Using those words doesn’t change what they really are, but it’s amazing what a little tweak of language can do to improve your perspective…and your happiness.
Part of managing your own happiness is using language to direct your emotions to where you want them to go. If you want to maintain a happy, grateful attitude, don’t talk down the people and things God has provided in your life. Instead, apply the very best spin – language – you can to those people and possessions, and you’ll be surprised what a difference it makes for you. So yes, there’s a connection between language and happiness.
Read also: The Connection Between Building Confidence and Happiness
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Until next time, have a happy day.