33 is the New Happy High Point?

Hi friends! Here's a sneak peek at my article for The Odyssey Greek newspaper at UCLA. I think the information is still just as relevant though whether you're a college student or not. Enjoy!Did you know that 33 is the new magic number? TIME magazine is reporting that we reach our peak in happiness at this age—not during childhood, and especially not during college. In fact, the study reported that only 6% said their happiest days were in college. It seems like most UCLA students are pretty darn happy though…what’s not to love about collegiate life? Having your friends right down the hall, sleeping in, doing just about whatever you please in a given day sounds pretty good to me. But perhaps the best is yet to come.The study was done by a social networking site in Britain called, “Friends United,” and many respondents said they garnered their happiness from their careers and from their personal relationships. They went on to say that 36% were happier after having children. They also said they were able to have more fun in their lives because they had more money at that point.But just because we still haven’t hit the high note in our lives (if this study is accurate), it doesn’t mean that we can’t make the most of these four years. I recently did some research of my own for a social networking class and found that UCLA students on average are very satisfied with their college experience.We’re also at an advantage being in the Greek system. With a built in social network, many of us have gained some valuable relationships that we may not have been otherwise established if it weren’t for our houses. Especially with the opportunity to live in, how can you not be happy when you can see your best friend in a matter of minutes? It’s a once in a lifetime experience and I think many of us would say that it’s offered some of the happiest moments of our lives.Furthermore, many Greek students are highly involved on campus—when you make the most of your experience you’re bound to be happy. You’ll be able to look back on this period of your life and know that you lived it to the fullest—no regrets. I see so many Greeks in Dance Marathon, Unicamp, Bruins United, Campus Tours—the list continues—where we are all trying to make a positive difference both within our campus community and in our outreach community. How can we not be happy knowing that we are changing lives for the better? Whether it’s raising funds for pediatric HIV/AIDS or welcoming New Bruins on our campus, we are happily making positive changes here. And we are happier for it.So what do you think? Do you think your college experience has offered you some of your happiest years? With all the laughter I hear in the Chi O house and all the smiles I see everyone giving on Hilgard, I think many of us are quite happy to be here. Of course we always hope that our happiness will continue to increase in our lives, but for the time being, let’s just enjoy it in the here and now. We’ve got a lot to be thankful for if you ask me.Keep shining,The Sunny Girl, Lauren CookPlease follow me on Twitter by clicking here!