What is Happiness?

1. What is Happiness? Julie Yu PHL 103

2. My Beautiful question that I would like to answer is “What is Happiness?” At this time in my life, I am currently studying for my undergraduate degree in marketing. My goal is to hopefully land a marketing job that I like and make money in the future. I hope to be financially secure in a career that I enjoy. Thus, that will bring me happiness. I think that is what everyone wants but it isn’t always the reality. The truth is, is that people have jobs they hate but make all the money in the world or have jobs they love but don’t make enough money for a stable life. I know life is not just about your job and money but it feels like it would make me happier when I think about it now. There is pressure to do well and because of that, I don’t think that we understand fully what happiness is. I think happiness should come from within. Being content with yourself will then lead you to these goals of jobs, money, marriage, etc. I think that throughout a person’s life, he/she will truly learn the true meaning of happiness. It is different for everyone. There are many answers to happiness. These questions I ask myself in my college career intrigues me to want to seek the many different answers to “What is Happiness?”

3. Viewpoints Academic: Text-The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want Journal Article-Do we really know what makes us happy? A review of the economic literature on the factors associated with subjective well-being “Popular Culture”: Movie-The Pursuit of Happyness Blog-ikedaquotes.org/stories/what-is-happiness Daisaku Ikeda Website-Pbs.org The Emotional Life “What is Happiness?” Personal Research: Interview Friends

4. The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Wantby: Sonja Lyubomirsky A Text Written By Sonja Lyubomirsky is a Ph.D. professor of psychology at the University of California, Riverside. Sonja explains why taking action to be happier is not a silly goal, though construction of happiness is a better description than pursuit. She argues that one's happiness is about 50% determined by genetics (the happiness set point). Then only about 10% is determined by the things we tend to pursue in the name of happiness: life circumstances such as wealth, possessions, occupation, living conditions, family relationships, church membership. The remaining 40% is determined by habits, behaviors, and thought patters that we can directly address with intentional action. She argues that is it much more fruitful to address the 40% associated with our own behavior than it is to pursue the 10% associated with life circumstances.

5. CONTINUED The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Wantby: Sonja Lyubomirsky A Text Written By Sonja Lyubomirsky is a Ph.D. professor of psychology at the University of California, Riverside. 12 Specific Activities Advised by Sonja about Happiness through Intentional Behavior: (Positive Psychology) -Practicing Gratitude and Positive Thinking -Investing in Social Connections -Managing Stress, Hardship, and Trauma -Living in the Present -Committing to Goals -Taking Care of Body and Soul

6. Do we really know what makes us happy? A review of the economic literature on the factors associated with subjective well-beingby: Paul Dolan, Tessa Peasgood, Mathew White A Journal Article Written By Paul Dolan, Tessa Peasgood, and Mathew White for the Journal of Economic Psychology (Tanaka Business School, Imperial College London, UK and Department of Psychology, University of Plymouth, UK) The paper looks into subjective well-being (SWB) and its determinants. Subjective well-being (SWB) is an umbrella term for how we think and feel about our lives. SWB is associated with a range of personal, economic, and social factors. Used 19 major national and cross-national data sets that included measures of SWB (Question and Response Formats by Survey “How Satisfied are you with your life overall.”

7. CONTINUEDDo we really know what makes us happy? A review of the economic literature on the factors associated with subjective well-beingby: Paul Dolan, Tessa Peasgood, Mathew White A Journal Article Written By Paul Dolan, Tessa Peasgood, and Mathew White for the Journal of Economic Psychology (Tanaka Business School, Imperial College London, UK and Department of Psychology, University of Plymouth, UK) Research on the evidence suggests that poor health, separation, unemployment and lack of social contract are strongly negatively associated with SWB. Potential Influences on well-being : -Income (Positive but Diminishing Returns to Income) -Personal Characteristics (Negative Relationship between Age and SWB) (Women Report High Happiness) -Socially Developed Characteristics (Strong Positive Relationship of Education and Health) -How We Spend Our Time -Attitudes and Beliefs towards Self/Others/Life -Relationships -The Wider Economics, Social, and Political Environment

8. The Pursuit of Happyness A struggling salesman (Will Smith) named Chris Gardner takes custody of his son as he’s poised to begin a life-changing professional endeavor Moral Premise: “Quitting Responsibilities leads to despair; but Pursuit of Responsibilities leads to happiness.” -Song: “Lord Don’t Move That Mountain” (Further Meaning of Reality of Hope & Faith) It is not the pursuit of money but about the happiness that being a responsible father will always bring. -Chris preserves in being the father to his son -Chris pursues dreams outside his box

9. What is Happiness?by: Daisaku Ikeda 1st Thought: Being Financially Secure or Getting Married Yet, This Doesn’t Guarantee Happiness “The secret of happiness lay in building a strong inner self that no trial or hardship could run.” Not from formal education, wealth or from marriage but it begins with having the strength to confront and conquer one’s own weaknesses. -Having strength to confront and conquer one’s own weaknesses -Exists without our state of life right now

10. CONTINUED What is Happiness?by: Daisaku Ikeda -You yourself know best whether you are feeling joy or struggling with suffering -Relative: happiness that depends on things outside ourselves (Friends and Family, Surroundings, Size of Home) Desire Fulfilled but does not last forever. Things Change and People Change -Absolute: happiness found within Constant Advancement, A Source of Growth

11. Pbs.Org/The Emotional Life Happiness if thought of as the good life, freedom from suffering, flourishing, well-being, joy, prosperity, and pleasure. -Three Parts: Pleasure, Engagement, and Meaning -Moment by Moment = Experiencing Self -Long Term = Remembering Self Optometry can measure a person’s happiness -Three Sources: Genetics (Personality), Life Circumstances (Wealth and Health), and our Own Choices

12. CONTINUED Pbs.Org/The Emotional Life Who is Happier? -People with Strong Ties to Families and Friends -People who are Optimistic, have High Self-Esteem, and are Extroverted -Married People -People who grew up in homes with Intact Marriages -Republicans -People who attend Worship Services -Middle-Age and Seniors -People with Enough Money The pursuit of Money, Fame, Good Looks, Material Possessions, Health, Love, and Power doesn’t make us happy. (We can Adapt!)

13. CONTINUED Pbs.Org/The Emotional Life Neuroscientists, Psychiatrists, Economists, Positive Psychologists and Buddhist Monks mostly agree that happiness is not the state of bursting with glee but of happiness as a sense of well being, contentment, the feeling of living a meaningful life of utilizing one's gifts, of living with thought and with purpose. “Happiness is neither a simple goal nor a place we try to find. It is a way of living your life.”

14. What is Happiness? Friend Interviews: “That's hard ... Happiness can come in big or small things, money can help you to obtain things that makes you happy but it's not all, happiness is more than money. I'm happy just watching TV with my family or playing with my dog, I don't need money to get nice moments and memories.” –Sabrina “For me, happiness is being content with where I am in life at the moment. A sense of, I am pleased with where I'm at. To define it is very difficult for me to do, although I think I know what it means... I really can't explain. Having lots of money may sound like you would be happier, but it also brings along many other concerns.” –Emily “It is love and support of family and friends, financial and emotional security, seeing the good in the not so good happenings, looking forward to the next day, having a reason to get up in the morning, liking myself and the skin I am in, laughing and smiling a lot, helping others out, and the list goes on and on…” -Chris

15. Personal Reflection I was very excited to research my topic of “What is Happiness?” I actually expected all the information I read. There was some information like “Who was Happier?” and the percentages from the text that caught my attention. However, the information I found on true happiness all satisfied my question. I found the scientific viewpoints of the how the body functions to the spiritual viewpoints on the mind all valid. Researchers have pin pointed where happiness comes from which is genetics, life circumstances, and a person’s own choices. The Spiritual Speaker (DaisakuIkeda) says that happiness comes from within. It is subjective to each person where happiness comes from. Both these viewpoints are true and I actually believe in both. I think together, these view points together form a strong reasoning for the question “What is Happiness?” These reasoning's correlate to my own thoughts on happiness from the beginning.

16. Works Cited Dolan, Paul, Tessa Peasgood, and Mathew White. "Do We Really Know What Makes Us Happy? A Review of the Economic Literature on the Factors Associated with Subjective Well-being." Journal of Economic Psychology29 (2008): 94-122. Print. "Happiness." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. "The How of Happiness." The How of Happiness. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2014. "The Pursuit Of Happyness." Sony Pictures. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. "What Is Happiness? | Words of Wisdom by Daisaku Ikeda." What Is Happiness? | Words of Wisdom by Daisaku Ikeda. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.