How kids become happy adult

 









I found one interesting article on Wired.jp the other day. The title of this article is 32-Year Study Shows How Geeky Kids Become Happy Adults.

This article  published in the journal of Happiness Studio magazine described what kind of process is important for kids to become happy adult. According to the research, the strongest factor that has an influence on becoming happy adult was the connectivity to  society in their early life. It stands at 5 times higher  level compared to the level of academic record. The majority of this social connectivity is affected by the relationship with parents. The more the relationship with parents is good, the possibility of becoming a happy adult increases.

In addition, this article also said that how much kids love their school and whether they have best friends to consult or not are as important as the good relationship with parents.

As parents point of view, if parents want to bring raise their children to be happy adults in the future, it's more important to communicate with their children well and to support them to go to school with delight than to make them have good grades and have them enter good companies.

"Bullying" which is becoming a hot topic in Japan recently is out of question.

Meanwhile, when  I researched about early education, early education makes kids' IQ higher which leads to the success of their future life. So, early education is still popular among parents who aim at giving their children special education.

In America, talented children are called as "gifted" and there are a lot of special program to produce excellent children such as grade skipping. 

I understand that it is necessary to live in the competitive world and I don't deny for children to go to good school to get a successful life in the future. However, if it is too much, the relationship between parents will get worse and it would cause the lacking of friends. it is a completely adverse effect isn't it?  There is nothing more unfortunate than that even people entering a good school and a good company, but they aren't feel happy.

I think the best way is giving an appropriate education and experience at an appropriate time, not giving too much pressure that might causes a dysfunctional relationship between parents and children and  disturbing a mental balance.

As the result, it can be based of happiness that people have a good relationship to society, a good relationship between parents and children, good friends whom people can talk to and a comfortable place where they can stay.

If you have these, it's not a big deal whether people are good at studies and whether people are good at sports.

However, even though people do understand it, it's difficult to put into action.

Written in Oct 2012

http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2012/08/how-geeky-kids-become-happy-adults/

日本語版

先日Wired.jpで興味深い記事を見つけました。記事のタイトルは３２年間の追跡調査でわかった「幸福な人生の秘訣」です。

これはJournal of Happiness Studies誌に掲載された論文で子供が幸福な成人になるにはどんなプロセスが大切か述べられています。論文によると成人してからの幸福度に最も結びついている要素は若年期における「社会とのつながり」でした。これは学業成績の因子にくらべ約５倍も高い数値だそうです。またこの社会的愛着の大部分を占めるのは両親との関係でこれが良好であればあるほど幸福度の高い成人になる可能性が上昇するそうな。また十代の若者にとってこれと同じくらい重要な事が彼らが学校が好きであるという事や相談出来る仲間がいるかどうかという事が大事にになってくると締めくくられています。

親の視点でまとめると自分の子供を将来幸福度の高い大人に育てたければ学校の成績を上げて良い会社に就職させる事よりも子供と十分なコミュニケーションをとって子供が楽しく学校に行けるようにサポートしてあげる事が何より重要という事ですね。日本で話題になっている「いじめ」なんてもってのほかですね。

一方ネットで幼児教育に関係する情報を集めると早期教育は知能指数（IQ)も伸び将来の子供の成功への近道になるという事で英才教育を目指す親御さんには根強い人気があります。アメリカでも優秀な子はギフテッドと呼ばれ飛び級や特別プログラムにより優秀な子供生み出すプログラムが豊富にあります。確かに競争原理の中で生きて行くには必要な事であることも理解出来るし将来良い生活ができるように良い学校に行くという手段がある事も否定はしませんが度が過ぎると親子の関係も悪くなり友達もいないといったことが起こり逆効果になりますよね。いくら良い学校に入っていい会社に入ったとしても最終的に自分が幸福と思えないとすればこんな悲しい事はないですね。

子供に過渡なプレッシャーを与えて親子関係がぎくしゃくしたり心のバランスが崩れたりといった事が無いようにしかるべきときにしかるべき教育と経験を与えて行くのがベストバランスだと思います。研究結果がいう通り良好な社会とのつながりや親子関係、相談出来る仲間や自分の居場所があるというのは幸福のベースだと考えます。逆にそれさえ構築出来れば勉強やスポーツの出来、不出来など小さい物です。しかしわかっていてもなかなか実際に行動に移すのは難しいものですね。