Self-Caring and Happiness

Is the saying “Take care of your self” more than just a friendly way to say good-bye? Such common expressions, spoken almost unconsciously, often conceal a deep wisdom. Common sense tells us that Self-Caring powerfully impacts our health. The development of the human brain and its state of health throughout life, are intrinsically connected to self-caring -- proper diet, physical exercise, intellectual stimulation, sleeping habits, living in a non-polluted and non-cluttered environment, having a rich social life, caring for our thoughts and focus. There is plenty of research today proving that these variables profoudly influence our physical and mental health. But what about happiness? Is there any correlation between Self-Caring and Happiness? . Everybody wants to be happy - it is a fundamental motivation in everything we do. So this question is truly fundamental.

Do Self-Caring and Happiness Really Correlate?

In recent years, as part of the research being done at the brain Optimization institute, we started using a self-report test to measure and quantify the ability of our clients for self-care. In this test, we not only included the more obvious aspects of self-caring, like having a good nutrition and doing physical exercise, but also more subtle ones like the need to have good interpersonal relationships, maintain positive thinking, live an authentic life, having a life with purpose, and so on.

As part of this self-report test, we also used a Self-Perceived Happiness Scale, a tool that, in spite of its simplicity, offers an excellent assessment of one’s state of happiness - or unhappiness. After two years of collecting data, a statistical analysis was performed by a qualified mathematician*. The results clearly demonstrated a significant positive correlation between Self-Caring and one’s level of Happiness.

In this study, the factor known as R2 = 0.51 indicates the power of the correlation -- to what extent self-caring impacts happiness. While the number 0.51 is significant, it is likely however, that R2 is higher, and this will be demonstrated in future studies using a more precise and sophisticated Self Caring Inventory . In fact, for a good part of the study, the Self Caring Inventory that was used contained only ten questions regarding self-caring, whereas today we are using a larger questionaire containing 21 questions. This extra eleven factors are significant to self-caring. Therefore, we expect that in the next study, presently in process, R2 will increase accordingly. (you may access a PDF version of the most pertinent part of this analysis here. Note: this document was optimized for screen viewing only.)

Considering the paramount importance of the matter being researched, the pursuit of human happiness, through self-caring, more scientific study needs to be done beyond our preliminary research.

Still, the implications of this preliminary study are significant. The results -- so far -- illuminate a clear scientific path towards greater happiness in life. This path is simple: taking loving, compassionate and systematic care of ourselves quickly allows more frequent, and consistent, states of happiness.

On this page, we gladly present the data obtained thus far, and the statistical analysis of the research, for everyone to see -- including our fellow scientists and researchers. In spite all its shortcomings, the internet is still, by far, the most democratic way to share information with everyone at once, and without distinctions.

We are in the last editing stages of publishing our first e-book, based on our research, that you will soon be able to download directly from our web-site. This e-book analyzes and discusses the implications of the results obtained through this preliminary research, and looks at how we may apply these results to our own life and that of your loved ones.

It further analyzes the possible implications of what applying these same results on a larger collective scale would have on our society as a whole. We recommend that you download the book. In its pages, you will also find the psychometric instruments that we used for the study. These tools are simple to use, but very useful whether for your own self-development and healing, or that of your clients, if you are a health or self-development professional. Although these tools are copyrighted, you may of course use them for your personal use. If you wish to use them professionally, or require making copies, we would appreciate you giving us a call at 310-455-6815 or 818.508.1720.