By Dr Rajesh K Pillania
March 20 is the International Day of Happiness. There are various ways to be happy in life, and one way for lasting happiness is planting trees. Plants and trees are an important part of life. Without plants and trees, life is not possible. We can survive without water and food for days, but without oxygen, we cannot survive for more than a few minutes.
Planting trees is a good way to achieve happiness. There’s a lot of research across multiple subjects showing the importance of planting trees for happiness, and some of the most important reasons for this are listed here.
First, planting trees gives people a sense of purpose and the feeling that they are making a difference, both of which are important for happiness. Research in positive psychology shows that helping others or doing good for society can make people feel better. The world-famous psychologist, Professor Sonja Lyubomirsky at the University of California, Riverside, has shown through experiments that prosocial actions, such as helping others or the community, lead to lasting happiness and life satisfaction. Planting trees is a good example of this kind of positive action, helping people feel good about giving back.
Second, planting trees can be exciting. For example, Radhika Anand has planted over 1,000,000 fruit trees across India, and when she talks about it, her excitement is clear. Research on positive emotions suggests that meaningful activities elicit excitement and enthusiasm. Leading Social Psychology researcher Professor Barbara L. Fredrickson at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill shows that emotions like excitement, joy, and inspiration help people think in new ways and become stronger emotionally over time. Activities that involve caring for the environment, such as planting and nurturing trees, can spark these positive feelings and motivate people to feel enthusiastic and purposeful.
Third, planting trees helps provide food, which is important for good health, and good health is key to happiness. Growing fruit trees and other plants together makes diets healthier. Professor Walter C. Willett at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has found, across many large studies, that eating more fruits and plant-based foods lowers the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and other long-lasting illnesses. Since good health is closely linked to happiness, the food from trees, especially fruits and other healthy plants, supports both health and happiness.
Fourth, planting and caring for trees helps people connect with nature. Research shows that spending time in nature can lower stress and anxiety, help people feel better, and make people happier. Studies in environmental psychology have found that being in natural environments reduces stress. Professor Roger S. Ulrich, an expert in Environmental Psychology and Healthcare Design at Texas A&M University, has shown that being in nature lowers stress markers such as blood pressure and cortisol levels, and helps people recover emotionally and feel better overall.
Fifth, planting trees supports sustainability, and research shows that sustainability can make people happier. Happiness and sustainability are closely linked. When people are happy, they often care more about the environment, and living in a healthy environment also boosts happiness. Studies in sustainability science show that acting in environmentally friendly ways is connected to greater life satisfaction. Professor Thomas Dietz, an expert in Environmental Sociology and Sustainability at Michigan State University, has found that people who take part in actions such as conservation and caring for nature often feel greater purpose, involvement, and personal fulfilment.
There are many other benefits of planting trees, and research across multiple disciplines supports the idea that planting trees helps in happiness. The author, in his research, writing, and teaching on happiness over the last fifteen years in India and abroad, has personally experienced and observed the happiness that comes from planting trees, and he recommends it as a way to happiness in his work.
Start planting trees today, and start with a small tree and make it a part of your life. Not only should you do it yourself, but you should also gift plant sampling on various occasions to help and motivate others to engage in this beautiful process of planting trees and taking care of them to build and protect planet earth, and also initiate their happiness journey.
Build your way or path to happiness by planting trees. Let’s celebrate this International Day of Happiness by planting trees.
(The author is a Professor of Strategy at the Management Development Institute, Gurgaon. He is popularly known as India’s Happiness Professor and his latest work is The Indian Practice of Happiness: Secrets from Centenarians)
