Unhappy About Feeling Happy

In the Employee Retention field we like to think that if we do everything right -- identify irritations and systematically work to reduce them -- that our employees are all going to be happy. And it works well for the most part. But did you know that there is such a thing as a fear of happiness?

In a recent article in Scientific American Mind  researchers explain that for some people, happiness can create feelings of deep discomfort.  Here are some of the reasons why people might feel unhappy about feeling happy:

• Feeling unworthy
• Believing that good fortune means something bad is bound to happen
• Guilt that they must not be striving hard enough
• Underlying depression
• Discomfort if they are not always worrying

This is considered a potential clinical problem as the article states, " an aversion to positive emotions often coexists with mental disorders."

Are you  afraid of happiness?  The article includes a simple quiz you can take to find out. The quiz has 9 questions rated on a scale of 0 - 4.  Here are a few of the questions:

1. I am frightened to let myself become too happy
2. I don't let myself get to excited about positive things or achievements.
3. My good feelings never last.

To take the quiz and see your results, click HERE.

So while it's true that some people will never be happy and some people will fear their happiness, it's still an important part of Human Resources to create an environment where employee can feel self actualized, happy and engaged.