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g A few weeks agoI write about happiness and music. But that doesn’t mention the most joyful and famous work ever written: Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, composed in 1824, which ends with the anthem “Ode to Joy,” which Based on a poem by Friedrich Schiller.The deceased Freud– in the symphony section Fourth movementAs the orchestra plays at full volume The full choir then sang these famous lyrics:Freude, you must go to Elysium / you will have fun / Himmlische, heiligtum!In English: “Joy, you are the spark of God / Daughter of Elysium / With joy, goddess / We draw near to your shrine!”
You might assume that Beethoven, whose 254th birthday classical fans will be celebrating this coming week. He is an exceptionally cheerful person. You would be wrong in that assumption. He is. Get to know each other well among his contemporaries as Easily angered, melancholy, overly critical. Complain, he never maintained a romantic relationship that led to marriage. There was kindness in his friendship. And it is like that crafty regarding his professional obligations
Maybe it all seemed natural. Considering the fact that Beethoven was progressively losing his hearing. and was therefore deaf when he wrote his later works (including the Ninth Symphony), but we have considerable evidence that his unhappy personality predates his deafness. Even before he lost his hearing He complained bitterly about his musical shortcomings as he saw them. He is said to have denounced his most popular early song, the Septet in E-flat Major, as “that bastard! I hope (the points) will be burned!”
at the same time He clearly saw—and regretted—the effects of his unhappy personality. “I can easily imagine what you must think of me,” he said. write To a “respected friend” in 1787, “And I cannot deny that you have too good reason for your unfavorable opinion.”
Maybe you remember Beethoven: You realize you have an unhappy personality trait. And you are as sad as he is. If you want to know how to change and have a happier personality. Can be done as follows
askPersonality is the focus For many social scientists Including me And I’ve written about this in many different columns. The most common way to measure personality is using what’s called the “personality scale.” The Big Five Personality TraitsThis can be remembered through the acronym OCEAN: openness (to experience), conscientiousness. extroversion Sympathy and Neuroticism You can take this test yourself. online and see your ranking in each dimension. Compared to the overall population of test takers
Academics have used the Big Five assessment in new ways. For example, they’ve found that high conscientiousness is a good predictor. work efficiency– academic resultsand long life– Being an extrovert, openness and neuroticism is Predictable Above-average social media use The first two (but not the third) were also related. leadership effectiveness– Risk behavior is link High in openness and low in conscientiousness Creativity is the utmost. related Openness, which makes sense. Because of the willingness to experiment and try new things. It is often part of the creative process.
Scholars have also studied the role of personality in happiness. Two psychologists wrote in personality journal In 2024 meet As much as 54 percent of well-being is explained by the combination a person has of these personality traits. Researchers have also looked into the causes. suffering– They indicate high neuroticism. (which generally makes people feel misunderstood) (which can reduce people’s sense of excitement in life) and low conscientiousness (which tends to make a person uncertain)
From the said research study We can also divide life satisfaction into three components. and see how different personality traits affect our happiness in different ways. For example, relationship Satisfaction (with partner) is the best. Predicted with the highest levels of agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness, and low nervousness, while also being the highest in conscientiousness Predict work agreeableness, while agreeableness and extroversion had the highest correlation. Social Satisfaction. People who work hard are more likely to have good marriages and jobs. People who are very kind tend to have many good friends.
From all of this We can reconstruct Beethoven’s portrait. We know he’s generally unhappy. Struggling with close relationships and close friendships Very creative and has passion for his work But they are not reliable and are not satisfied with such work. Therefore, he likely scores very high on openness. Consciousness is quite low. low extroversion Very low empathy and is highly neurotic
WHomemade hat What does a personality profile say about your well-being? Mine is an accurate predictor of high happiness. Even though there is moderately high distress. This is because I like to be near the top in openness, mindfulness, and extroversion. But it is somewhere in the middle in regards to sympathy and neurosis.
Like my colleague Olga Khazan, she tried to change her personality. If you suspect that your personality is preventing you from living your best life, You may want to emphasize the positive elements and tone down the negative ones. This research is clear: With purposeful effort, you can do it.
It starts with realizing that what you do is more important than what you feel– For example, just because you feel dissatisfied does not mean that you will inevitably behave dissentingly. To do so is to hand over management of your life to the limbic system. It is the prefrontal cortex (which processes emotions) rather than the prefrontal cortex. (which helps you make conscious decisions)
Being ruled by the limbic system is a way of life for your dog. You can do better.
In addition to the feelings Make a commitment to behave as a happier person, such as someone who enjoys good relationships. close friendship and their work To follow that example, academics Recommended Habits and practices such as being interested in others and showing kindness Counting blessings and savoring the good times. commitment to goals Learn to worry less. Increase faith or meditation practice Forgiving others and take positive steps to achieve it. Have a stronger body
Easy, right? You actually don’t need to do all of these things. But research shows that happier people do more things, and that the effect can be felt no matter what your attitude toward doing those things. You may feel no desire to do something. But if you can handle it already That will make you happier.
It’s amazing how being happier this way can change your personality. By emphasizing the characteristics that make happiness easier. and the upward spiral began. The researchers wrote in personality journal In 2015 show People who score high on well-being are more likely to be mindful. Emotionally stable and become more satisfactory as time passes. All of which will make them happier. Surprisingly, happiness tends to make people less extroverted. I think this means that as we get older satisfied people They like to stay home with their loved ones and do their own thing.
WIt has no information. About Beethoven’s level of happiness as he grew up Or about his personality changing. The happy idea is that maybe he will follow the program I suggested above: to be happier. He chose to do something a happier songwriter might have done and wrote “Ode to Joy.”
He may have succeeded on May 7, 1824. carry out Premiere of a packed house in Vienna (In case you’re wondering how a deaf person can control an orchestra, Beethoven also had another maestro standing behind him. which the orchestra and chorus can follow) at the end of the performance—culminating with the final movement of the final quartet. The symphonies he had composed—audiences rejoiced. Participants rose five times to give Beethoven a standing ovation and tossed their hats into the air. which the composer only saw when the musician turned himself to face the audience.
There Beethoven stood in wonder and, at least for a moment, in true happiness.
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