Is Key to Happiness the Language You Use at Work? ~ More Than a Career

Going as far back as junior high school I have always said that women who swear really do nothing or me. I mean, she can be the most gorgeous woman on the planet, but if she swears I completely lose interest. A project from the Vermont Complex Systems Center recently shed some light on why that is, and I think it has a good application in the work setting. In essence, it proves what you say really does communicate more about you than you think it does.

This map built by the Vermont Complex Systems Center shows which states are happy (red) and which states are not (blue). The happiest state was Hawaii, while the saddest state was Louisiana.

Researchers trying to find the happiest people in the United States developed what they call the "hedonometer". They analyzed geotagged posts on Twitter and overlaid the results on a map. What they found was fascinating to me (because, remember, I like maps): the Bible Belt was saddest place in the USA. Hawaii, surprise, was the happiest. On a larger scale, states like Utah, Idaho, Nevada and Colorado - all in the West - were happy; states in the deep South were unhappy: Louisiana, Mississippi and Georgia. New England also had its share of grumpy people. In a color code measurement, with red being happy and blue being unhappy, the further East you went, the more unhappy you were (which confirms my opinion about New Yorkers, but that's another story for another day).

The methodology was a bit suspect, I admit. They looked at tweets on Twitter, associating swear words with unhappy people and assuming people who used words like "love", "wonderful" and "beautiful" were happy. I know, that's a giant leap. Take a look at the graphical results here on a report published by The Atlantic.

But all this got me thinking, does what you say at work and how you say it affect your chances of getting a job or a promotion?

I remember sitting in an interview with a potential employee who used a few choice words in response to a simple question. In casual conversation it wouldn't have been a terribly offensive word. But this wasn't a casual conversation; this was a professional setting in which we were trying to find out more about this person. Would this cavalier style and lack of formality we were witnessing carry over to this person's work if we were to hire them? Would they be able to get along with some of the more trying personalities we have in the office? Would this person be able to relate to a potential client or vendor in an appropriate and productive manner?

Secondly, the study made me think: what really makes me happy - especially in the work setting? And do the words I use reflect my level of happiness in my job? In my career?

Those are certainly things to think about when conducting your job search, or when you go to your boss and ask for a raise or promotion. What you say and how you it says more about you than you think it does. And also remember that HOW you say something is important too. The "advice" from my father is true: "it's now what you say, it's what you're communicating" that makes the difference.

Thanks, Dad. {said calmly with a smile}