No Complaints Here--Pass It On

Are you happier than you admit you are? The Web-based Secret Society of Happy People thinks so, and encourages you to log on and share the good news.

“There are more than 100 12-step support groups in the U.S.,” says SOHP founder Pam Johnson. “They’re needed and have a place in society, but there’s really not a group that says it’s OK to feel good just because it’s Thursday.”

Chalk it up to talk shows or the self-help movement, but in the ‘90s, it’s far more socially acceptable to complain about your boss than it is to boast about a promotion. “There’s a lot of positive reinforcement for the negative,” says Johnson, a Texan who teaches personal empowerment workshops.

Founded in September, SOHP (at https://www.sohp.com) is rapidly expanding, thanks to a letter the group sent to Ann Landers complaining about her negative response to boastful Christmas letters. In just two weeks, membership tripled to 150.

“Yeah, there are problems in life, but that gets about 90% of our energy, when in reality the negative is probably less than half of our lives,” says Johnson. “We just want people to focus an equal amount of time on those things that make them happy.”