Happiness and Wealth, er, Health!
Happiness As Medicine
At FRESH Med NYC, we trade pills for pillars of health (Food, Relaxation, Exercise, Sleep and Happiness as Medicine).
Happiness is Medicine, according to a guy who knows a thing or two about medicine (that would be Dr. Graham!). Alright, maybe he's just one (very special!) doctor and his word only carries you so far. But he's got backup:
Aristotle said, "Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence."
The Declaration of Independence read that "the pursuit of Happiness" is one of our "unalienable Rights," right beside Life and Liberty.
For those looking for something a little less ancient, there's Vivek Murthy, the 19th U.S. Surgeon General, whose TEDMED 2015 Talk called for a Happiness prescription. And he, like Dr. Graham, also knows a thing or two about medicine.
GNH > GDP
In the 1970s, the Fourth King of Bhutan made a brilliant statement.
“Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross National Product.”
His words rang in the ears of nations across the globe and, like an much-needed IV, it introduced an appreciation for Gross National Happiness into our country's bloodstreams.
Internally, however, we already knew that Bhutan had it right, that GNH > GDP. That's why even those societal members we deem most productive - say, Harvard University students - subscribe to the philosophy: In all of Harvard's history, Positive Psychology was the most popular class ever taught.
Tal Ben-Shahar, PhD, with Julie and Dr. Graham at FRESH "Happiness As Medicine" Workshop. Ben-Shahar taught the most popular course in the Harvard's history: Positive Psychology.
The World Happiness Report
2017's World Happiness Report prompted the publication of a Fortune Magazine article titled: "American's May Be Rich, But They're Not Happy." In other words, the U.S.A. still hasn't solved the happiness equation, and right now we're looking at GDP > GNH.
The Fortune article reads, "While economic growth has gradually been on the rise in the U.S. since the financial crisis, Americans' happiness has only been getting worse in recent years [...] In fact, U.S. happiness is at its lowest score since 2006, dipping to about 6.8 on a 10-point scale measured by the Gallup International Cantril ladder."
The statistics confirm what we've all been told: Money Does Not Buy Happiness. And whatever else we're doing, we could be improving! So at FRESH Med, we've paved a new path for our patients.
Happiness and Health
“Attaining lasting happiness requires that we enjoy the journey on our way toward a destination we deem valuable. Happiness is not about making it to the peak of the mountain, nor is it about climbing aimlessly around the mountain; happiness is the experience of climbing toward the peak.”
“When it comes to our health, it all starts with food. But in the end, what we truly want is to be happy.”
“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
Flip the Script
At FRESH Med NYC, we like to reverse the conventional conversation you have with your doctor. Imagine, for example, if our health care system actually focused on one thing: Your Happiness.
One way we flip the script is through Psychology. Where it was once understood as "the scientific study of what's wrong with us," at FRESH Med, we study Positive Psychology with our patients. If you'd like to be one of them, contact Julie, Positive Psychology Practitioner, and Dr. Graham!