Do Happy Children Become Happy Adults?

443 Words2 Pages
While browsing through articles on the web I came across one in the news that caught my attention. The subject of whether or not a happy child becomes a happy adult, and the results surprised me. At first when you think about the topic the thought that comes to mind is why that question is even posed when the answer should seem so trivial. The answer lies within the depths of scientific research. The principle that this can relate to in my learning would be the principal of the chemical structure of the brain. The brain produces a chemical called dopamine, and what that does is function as a chemical messenger, dopamine is similar to adrenaline. Dopamine affects brain processes that control movement, emotional response, and ability to experience pleasure and pain. Happiness is a response to a situation, and an emotion. Another principle we were taught about was field research, and in this situation going to a school and observing children in their “natural” state of being applies to this article as well. Using information from 2776 individuals who participated in the 1946 British birth cohort study, the scientists tested associations between having a positive childhood and well-being in adulthood. A 'positive' childhood was based on teacher evaluations of students' levels of happiness, friendship and energy at the ages of 13 and 15. A student was given a positive point for each of the following four items -- whether the child was 'very popular with other children', 'unusually happy and contented', 'makes friends extremely easily' and 'extremely energetic, never tired'. Teachers also rated conduct problems (restlessness, daydreaming, disobedience, lying, etc) and emotional problems (anxiety, fearfulness, diffidence, avoidance of attention, etc). The researchers then linked these ratings to the individuals' mental health, work experience, relationships and
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