Study: Trying to be happy can make you more miserable

It was found that those who valued happiness more were more susceptible to symptoms of depression. The study was published in the Journal of Happiness Studies. This link can be attributed to suppressing emotions. "Suppression is not [considered a] successful emotional regulation strategy because when you try not to think of something you think [about it] all the time," remarked Vogt.

A similar experiment was repeated with 299 participants, just this time, mania was a factor to gauge whether results were dictated by those who suffer from bipolar disorder and experience extreme happiness. The results were still the same: those who valued happiness more were more prone to suffering from depression. It was not affected by their score for mania. Vogt maintained that though the link cannot be proved, it is a possibility.

"If it would be the other way around, if depression would cause higher valuing of happiness, I think then the relationship should be found in all countries," she said. This depression, however, was not just limited to clinical depression. The study did not take into consideration health or socioeconomic status of participants.

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