Voting Increases Well-Being
By: Jewel Camacho, and Luis Almazar
Everywhere from social media to news outlets, you can sense the frustrations of our people towards the government. A recent example being the general displease of the public in regards to the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically the lack of proper containment measures as well as the inefficient mobilization of vaccines. Some of you may be thinking, “There’s nothing I can do to get out of this helpless situation!” or “How do these even affect our lives?”. But what many fail to notice is that the outcomes of bad governance lead to negative feelings and behaviors such as stress, anxiety, negative effects on our well-being, and even the loss of care or hope for the future of your country. There is indeed a way, and that starts with registering for the elections and exercising your right to vote in next year’s upcoming elections.
How is Voting Good For Our Well-being?
Community: Voting helps strengthen our social ties and the feeling of being part of a close-knit society is linked with a greater quality of life. By voting, we are participating in the democratic process of voicing out and representing our communities and we show support to what we believe is for the interest of our countrymen.
Autonomy: There may be a lot of things out of our control right now, but we have the power to choose how we'll respond. We can either just sit back and stress over the government or we can respond by voting for the people we believe can bring us the future we deserve. Check out our webinar “The Strength in Choice” on Facebook!
Meaning: Voting boosts well-being and life satisfaction because there’s an association between political activism and positive emotions. Using Martin Seligman’s PERMA-V Model, more specifically the facet of Meaning, we can better understand how this simple act can result in a positive outcome for you and the people around you by connecting with our values and being part of something bigger than ourselves.
Voting is an empowering tool that can improve our well-being by engaging ourselves in our community and selecting competent leaders that will help solve these problems that negatively affect the well-being of Filipinos.
Research shows that participation in civic life is one way to improve well-being. There’s hope for our country and it begins with all of us. So if you ever thought that your vote won’t do anything for yourself or others, take this message to heart and take the first step to register and vote in next year’s upcoming elections!
References
American Psychological Association (2020). Managing stress related to political change. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from www.apa.org/topics/stress-political-change.
Huffington Post (2012). Voting and health: 5 reasons why it’s good for you. Nonprofit Vote Retrieved from http://fosteringsuccessmichigan.com/uploads/resources/benefits-voting-voting-health-factsheet-en1.pdf
Malasig, J. (2019). Filipino gen Z as emerging voters: Apathetic, uncritical, social media dependent. Interaksyon. Retrieved from https://interaksyon.philstar.com/trends-spotlights/
2019/02/08/139419/filipino-youth-generation-z-socio-political-issues-social-media/
Rothstein, L. (2020). Voting increases wellbeing. University of Minnesota. Retrieved from https://extension.umn.edu/two-you-video-series/voting-increases-well-being
Seligman, M. E. (2012). Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being. New York, NY: Atria Paperback.
