Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, tells the tale of one Ebenezer Scrooge, who is visited by four ghosts on Christmas Eve. First, his dead partner Marley, wrapped in the eternal chains forged by a lifetime of venality. Then, in quick succession, the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Yet to Come, which show Scrooge why he is alone and miserable. These insights terrify the old skinflint into reforming, and in the course of the night he transitions from, ‘Bah, humbug!” miserable, to a man made happy by a love-filled heart. He generously buys a large Christmas goose for his long suffering and underpaid employee Bob Cratchit—who we now know will have a much better time of things—and becomes a man who thereafter “always kept Christmas well,” joyfully agreeing when Tiny Tim cries out, “God bless us everyone!”
I always liked A Christmas Carol. But now “science” has supposedly proved the truth of old Ebenezer’s holiday happiness formula. From the San Francisco Chronicle story.
It turns out you don’t have to be miserable during the holidays. That’s now scientifically proven by studies, say UC Berkeley scientists who do those studies. These wise men and women have come up with quantifiable, tested data showing that with little more than an attitude boost, anyone can get through the toughest of holiday times with not just a smile on his face, but real warmth in his heart.
Scrooge got it right:
It’s all about concentrating on the things in our lives that work well and being thankful for them, then tossing in a heaping helping of compassion, say the goodness-minded folks at the Greater Good Science Center. Carrying on nice family rituals, religious or not, that are comforting and foster pleasant togetherness also goes a long way, they say. The center has a set of reports, self-administered online tests - the Altruism Quiz is one - and graphics with good-attitude hints to reinforce all this advice. Paying close attention can help grind the Grinch right out of anyone, the center’s researchers say.
“The gist of it isn’t any more complicated than the fact that consumption and materialism will not make us happy,” said Christine Carter, a sociologist whose title at the center is the Santa-worthy one of happiness expert. “We confuse those things with happiness,” Carter said. “But we have found that there are three main things that make you happier over the holidays, and they have nothing to do with materialism.” Those three things consist of feeling grateful for the good things in your life, taking time with your family and using every opportunity you can to help others.
Duh. You don’t need to be a Berkeley scientist to know that.
I am not sure why this required a “scientific” study or the taking up of taxpayer money to conduct it, much less was worthy of reporting on the front page of a major metropolitan newspaper. It’s old wisdom. Dickens nailed the formula back in 1843 through one of English Letters’ most memorable characters. But it goes back much further than that: ”It is far better to give, than receive.”
