<p>We spend a good part of our lives trying to be happy but why is<em> </em>happiness important? While that’s a subject that we could talk about all day, new research out of UCLA’s Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology and the University of North Carolina finds that happiness actually expresses in our <em>genes. </em>That’s right, our genetic makeup can be affected by our levels of happiness. Not all happiness is created equal, though, the study shows; having a sense of meaning and purpose has the most positive effects on us. While the study doesn’t say much about how to find that happiness, that’s what we’re here for. </p><p>Counseling is sometimes about happiness, that\’s true. On a more global level, that\’s accurate; we want to help you find the happiness in your life. The process is different, though, than us telling you jokes and reminding you to just \”be positive\”. Over your life you\’ve developed bad habits, encountered roadblocks, made choices that you wish you could take back, and often wondering how you arrived at this place. That\’s where we come in as counselors. Together, we\’re going to look at all the evidence from a new perspective to help you find the keys to unlocking that long term happiness. By learning to understand yourself and by getting some feedback from a neutral party, we can make the changes together that will lead you on that road. </p>
<p>To learn more about this type of happiness we talked about earlier, you can read the more of the <a href=\”http://www.news-medical.net/news/20130730/Different-types-of-happiness-have-surprisingly-different-effects-on-human-genome.aspx\” target=\”_blank\” class=\”ui-editor-link-external\”>article at News-Medical.net</a>.</p><p>- <a href=\”https://plus.google.com/105182342113293066704?rel=author\”>Alex Michaud</a> <br></p>