Mental Wellness: Happiness and Mindfulness in Professional Graduates

Technology and materialism have made human existence far more comfortable in recent years. Lifestyles have changed and fantasies have turned into reality. However, humans never seem to stop wanting. The unceasing cycle of self-gratification and wanting more gratification has made happiness an ever-receding goal. The wandering mind is always trying to bridge between the past and the future and has little patience to be mindful of, let alone enjoy, the present. This research ascertained the state of mindfulness and happiness of youth enrolled in two of the most prestigious professional institutions in Mumbai, where students graduate in the coveted streams of engineering and medicine. These students were selected because they represent a stratum that is perceived as having achieved their hearts' desire. The findings are revealing. While nearly two-thirds of engineering students rated themselves as pretty happy, one-half of medical students were not particularly happy or unhappy; only a minority in both streams rated themselves as very happy. Obviously, the marks-only criterion of success that is standard in India belies an underlying mental vacuum that needs attention.