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Saturday, March 08, 2003 Page: 3A
Mayor McG must be one of the happiest people on earth.
The crushing city debts? They seem no heavier to him than a pile of fluffy
pillows. The crash of all those books he’s been juggling? No more bothersome
than a gentle, rhythmic stroke on a snare drum.
The hole along South Washington? A reservoir for dreams. The downtown
without streetlights? A peaceful darkness, like the feeling when eyelids close
at a hard day’s end.
Wilkes-Barre might have problems, but they don’t get to McG, prompting some
to ask how his state of mind seems unrelated to the state of the city.
I may have found the answer. A new study suggests that happiness is not
dependent on external events or even internal attitudes. It hinges on outward
behavior.
Those who act extroverted – even if they are shy or antisocial are happier.
And no one seems more extroverted that our hyper-energetic Wilkes-Barre
leader, who loves to beam a grin and tell us how well he’s running things …
and how he has a beautiful wife.
The study, done by Wake Forest University Associate Professor William
Fleeson, had people track their moods for two weeks. When folks were
instructed to act outgoing, they reported feeling happier than when told to
behave like wallflowers.
“Even introverts can act extroverted and become happier by changing their
behavior,” Fleeson said, according to a press release.
“Nearly any extroverted behavior seems to have a positive impact on
mood,” the release claims. “Singing out loud to a song on the radio, walking
over to an attractive girl to talk to her, asking a question in class or
voicing an opinion all seem to work.”
Testing the good professor’s ideas
Ignoring the fact that this comes from a guy whose name sounds suspiciously
like “fleecing,” I have a hard time accepting the news that my lifestyle –
introverted curmudgeon – somehow makes me an unhappy soul.
I concede my wife seems happy when she bursts into song, like the star of
her own real-life musical.
I accept that, even as I write this, our newspaper’s exuberant artist
laughs as she alternates between toiling at the computer, chatting with
co-workers and taping ribbons and bows to the ceiling to welcome her boss
back.
But surely those of us who are socially silent can be emotionally scarred
when we force a conversation, push up a smile, or take an interest in others.
I don’t want to believe I and other noncommunicative sorts are doomed to
misery. What would that mean to our chatless County Commissioner Tom Pizano?
No one wants to see unhappiness envelope all our tight-lipped, public-scorning
politicians.
More important, if acts of extroversion are the reason Mayor McG can stay
so upbeat in the face of downtown’s decay, maybe Fleeson has mistaken the
results of his study.
Maybe extroverted behavior isn’t the path to true happiness, but rather an
opiate that dulls reality and masks woes. If so, heed this battle cry.
Introverts unite. Pout on proudly. Your sulking may save the world.
Call Guydish at 829-7161 or e-mail markg@leader.net.