Penelope Trunk has an intriguing blog entry today entitled, What women can do when they’re young to be happy later on. I say intriguing, because her suggestions may raise an eyebrow or two:

1. Don’t have kids.

2. Keep your career.

3. If you are divorced, get plastic surgery.

Her entry goes into more depth and her reasoning for each of these suggestions, and the first two make a lot of sense (I’m a little less convinced about the last one).

Kids, as she notes, bring great joy, but they also bring great self-sacrifice (a lot more than most new parents realize, I think). You’re basically giving up your life for your child’s life for the next 18+ years. Nothing wrong with that choice, but you’ll find it very may impact your happiness from time to time.

A career gives us a sense of purpose, direction and goals. In fact, men often define their very being and character on what kind of career they have. So it’s no wonder that women too can gain a great deal of self-purpose, definition and happiness from not only keeping their career, but ensuring they’ve chosen a career that is rewarding and fulfilling.

Better looking people often feel better about themselves and get treated better by society in general, too, so plastic surgery might make sense. But I don’t think plastic surgery is going to help much if you still don’t feel good on the inside (as trite as that may be).

What do you think about this advice?

Read the full entry: What women can do when they’re young to be happy later on

Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He is an author, researcher and expert in mental health online, and has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues -- as well as the intersection of technology and human behavior -- since 1992. Dr. Grohol sits on the editorial board of the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking and is a founding board member and treasurer of the Society for Participatory Medicine.

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Grants available to support groups for parent participation | Family Sense (11/19/2008)

    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 18 Nov 2008
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