Understanding Women's Increasing Unhappiness - Pt 2

Marcus Buckingham continues his superb set of essays, published on Huffington Post, concerning women and happiness - or our lack of it. So far, I am with him every step of the way.

Last week, I wrote Ladies: Are We Happy Yet? No, No, No! This week Buckingham answers many questions raised by last week’s research in Women’s Happiness: What We Know for Certain.

The Inverse of Happiness via lorenzodom’s Flickr photostreamIncidentally, Bonnie Fuller — who I don’t care for at all — wrote a counter piece Women’s Declining Happiness - That’s a Crock! Bonnie is an influential women with all the answers on everything important in life for American women. Or so she thinks.

Fuller’s not a deep thinker, but you may be interested in her point of view. Bonnie Fuller is almost as Modern as Naomi Campbell in her values. Reading the opposing point of view helps to understand the issues at hand here. Note that Fuller doesn’t refute Buckingham’s research at all.

What’s relevant is the staggering number of global longitudinal studies that reinforce Buckingham’s premises.

Fuller cites no such research of her own, and uses headlines like “That’s a Crock!” to make her point. As conscientious readers, I hope that you filter Bonnie Fuller’s “style” of argument into her opionions. Bonnie Fuller and Sarah Palin do well together on the same podium. Scientific investigation isn’t part of their vocabs.

Buckingham ends this week’s Huff Po piece, promising to look next at women who became happier with aging. I am one of those women, so I will be interested in his findings.

It’s been awhile since I wrote personally in my journal, feeling that we had all had enough of my narcissism, and I want to move forward with a focus on others.

Perhaps it’s time to return to the themes and “project” that I used to change my own sense of self very dramatically. My learnings have taken me through these very turbulent times with quite a lot of resolve and fortitude, leaving me confident of my learnings. Anne