Happiness has long been regarded as the ultimate goal of life. For as long as we can remember, philosophers and psychologists have debated not only how to achieve it but also what it means for society when people are happy. At first glance, it seems obvious to assume that happiness is a good thing; mostly a sign that life is going well.

However, understanding happiness as a concept is complex. This is simply because it doesn’t look the same for everyone. There are innumerable factors that shape where and how someone derives happiness. For many, it comes solely from social connection and relationships, while for others it could be from ambition and achievement.

For those who are dominantly altruistic in nature, it’s often rooted in harmony, or contributing to something larger than themselves, such as social work or community building. In these cases, happiness is deeply tied to connection and collective well-being.

In more extreme cases, happiness can also be derived from sources that are harmful to others. For instance, the satisfaction of dominance, revenge or exclusion.

So, what counts as happiness for one person may not hold the same meaning for another. Which is why, on a societal level, it can differ even more. This complexity makes happiness far from a simple, universally “good” state.

Understanding The Pollyanna Principle

The “Pollyanna Principle” is a theory in language and psychology. In psychology, it’s a concept suggesting that people tend to remember positive experiences more than negative ones.

In language, it suggests that humans have a natural tendency to use positive words more frequently and in more varied ways than negative words. Research across multiple languages and cultures shows that positive words, like “happy or good,” appear earlier in development. They’re used more often and are more flexible in communication compared to their negative counterparts, such as “sad or bad.”

Interestingly enough, when forming opposites, negative prefixes or affixes are more commonly applied to positive words than positive affixes are applied to negative words. For instance, the opposite of happy becomes unhappy.

This indicates a universal positivity bias in human language, although researchers do acknowledge potential data biases and alternative explanations.

Understanding this principle is helpful when considering a common assumption about happiness. A disposition toward positivity could lead to reduced involvement in collective action coming from an assumption that happier individuals might prioritize their own well-being over broader societal concerns.

Does Prioritizing Happiness Make You Self-Centered?

In a 2019 study published in The Journal of Positive Psychology, researchers set out to question this assumption. They simply wanted to understand the answer to “Do happy people care about society’s problems?” The researchers aimed to determine whether happier individuals were less, equally or more likely to take social and environmental action compared to their less happy counterparts.

They conducted three studies to investigate the question, examining a range of social, political and environmental issues. The studies included both nationally representative samples and more demographically homogenous groups, such as college students from an elite university. This was to ensure the findings were not driven solely by factors like income, education or political orientation.

They measured participants’ levels of happiness. They also tracked their involvement in current actions such as recycling, conserving energy and signing up for newsletters, as well as their concern for local and global problems.

Happiness and affect were assessed over a longer timeframe. They looked at participants’ general emotional states over a month instead of temporary moods induced in lab settings.

Happiness Translates Into Tangible Action

Contrary to the assumption, the findings were quite interesting. The 2019 study found that happier individuals were generally more likely to engage in social, political and environmental action.

Across the three studies, positive associations emerged between happiness and real-world behaviors, such as recycling, conserving energy, signing up for newsletters on social issues, and taking steps to address environmental threats.

While the statistical effects were modest, they were consistent across nationally representative and demographically homogenous samples. Factors like income, education or political orientation did not drive the results.

In contrast, unhappy individuals, though sometimes concerned about societal issues, were not more likely to take action in these contexts.

In fact, situationally bound negative emotions about a specific issue did predict more action, indicating that temporary negative feelings can motivate behavior, but general unhappiness does not.

Overall, the findings challenge the notion that a positive outlook leads to disengagement. Sustained happiness can catalyze concern into tangible action.

How Positive Emotions Spark Action

Happiness doesn’t just make people feel good in the moment, but also equips them to act. To understand better how happiness might lead to tangible action, it helps to look at the Broaden-and-Build Theory by psychologist Barbara Fredrickson. This theory posits that positive emotions, such as happiness, broaden an individual’s awareness and emotional repertoire, encouraging novel and exploratory thoughts and actions.

In that sense, these broadened behavioral repertoires can help build useful skills and psychological resources, which also increase resilience. In contrast, negative emotions tend to narrow one’s focus to immediate survival needs, limiting the scope of potential actions.

This is backed by research published in Emotion. Broader thinking as a result of positive emotions allows individuals to see more possibilities and approach challenges creatively.

Over time, this expanded mindset builds psychological resources like “ego-resilience,” which helps people regulate emotions, solve problems and adapt to stress. Altogether, these resources make it easier for happy individuals to transform concern about societal issues into concrete action.

Even when negative emotions are present, sustained happiness provides the energy and perspective needed to engage and follow through. Simply put, feeling good on a regular basis doesn’t lead to complacency. It only increases your mental and emotional capacity to contribute meaningfully to causes that matter.

Prioritize Your Well-Being

The takeaway here is simple. When you take care of your well-being and cultivate sustained positive emotions, you enhance your capacity to navigate life’s challenges.

This strengthened capacity does not stop at your well-being. You also become more capable of empathizing and contributing to the world around you. Happiness becomes a multiplier for care this way. The more you nurture your own joy, the more equipped you are to drive positive changes in your environment.

Prioritizing your happiness does not have to be complicated. It starts with being true to yourself and understanding what really makes you happy. When you’re honest with yourself about what that is, you give yourself a chance to prioritize your own well-being without guilt.

This self-awareness can help you to shift your focus to activities, relationships and experiences that genuinely uplift you instead of simply following external expectations. By integrating simple habits into your everyday life that nourish you, you create a stable foundation for lasting happiness.

Wondering how happy you really are? Take the science-backed test to find out: WHO-5 Well-Being Index

A similar version of this article can also be found on Forbes.com, here.