Extrinsic Factors

The United States fell into a dark pit of hardship and despair during the mid-1800’s. The two sections of the country split off into two factions in a mixture of blood and tears. Economic and moral issues were shoved in front of the two factions that plunged them into a civil war.

Happiness can be two things; fulfilling or misleading. One of the best things in the world

Happiness cannot be determined, because it is too much for the human to understand, but that does not mean that people should not study happiness to the full extent. Science cannot simplify happiness, but it should instead work with other interpretations of happiness. Science plays a big role in happiness, but cannot be the only thing that shows what true happiness is. The true feeling of happiness in people is mixed, but there are different types of happiness, that affect one another. People could be happy for the wrong reason, in example; the bullying type of happiness is unjust, and it is not real happiness if someone puts someone else down, to make them feel happier. If the people are mean to others, then it is unlikely that they are going to be happy for the right reason in the future. True happiness is when people are with others, and having the time of their life. People should help others be happier, and have feelings that they have never expressed to others, but to always feel what another is

anything to help the dying man. This is not how it is made out to be,

In my definition of happiness, happiness is when someone who experiences frequent positive emotions. These emotions can all be illustrated with joy, interest, and pride. An unhappy person often portrayed negative emotions, such as anger and sadness.

Happiness is one of the most basic things that people strive for in life. Everyone wants to be happy. There are hormones and compound in your body that make you feel happiness. There are also things in some people's life that make people happy that might make someone else sad. No one wants to be sad. There have also been studies done to see the causes of happiness.

Happiness is one of human’s most passionate feelings. Defined by Wolfram Alpha, happiness is a mental state abound with pleasant emotions and intense joy. Although abstract, one can perceive happiness through any of the five senses, as objects, feelings, and even thoughts can stir happiness. For example, one may associate happiness with the delicious smell of warm, chocolate chip cookies in the oven or hearing the crack of the bat as one hits the game-winning home run. In addition to smell and hearing, happiness is depicted through senses such as taste, touch, and sight.

Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”, yet the world still looks the same to me. Chicago needs to address the lack of accessibility to higher learning institutions. Education is about creating communities that challenge the current paradigm. It’s about identifying and solving the social and institutional problems that pose a threat or disadvantage some groups and advantage others. However, students who are not receiving a post-secondary education are more likely to have fewer workforce opportunities, or be unable to obtain a stable income. So the question is exactly ‘what socioeconomic factors are affecting low college retention rates?’

The term happiness continues to perplex psychologists. With the recent study of positive psychology or the study of happiness, psychologists have unintentionally attached a negative connotation to all other emotions. However, all emotions, even the ones coined as negative, are valuable to humans. An analysis of human emotions proves that feelings of sadness, anger, fear, and happiness are equally beneficial to human development because they allow for a safer and more open mind-set.

Our internal world governs our happiness, not conditions put upon us from our external environment or conditions we place on ourselves. To put it another way, our search for happiness is the very reason we’re unhappy (McLeod, 2007). Psychology considers happiness an emotion or mental state and a predictor of how well one’s life is going. Some say that happiness is a choice, and therefore a behavior that one chooses. Happiness is a way of interpreting the world, since while it may be difficult to change the world, it is always possible to change the way we look at it (McLeod, 2007).

According to Seligman (2000), positive psychology is a science that “promises to improve the quality of life” through positive individual traits, experiences and institutions (p.5). Positive psychology plays an essential role and articulates a view of good life, which can show what actions of a person would lead to well-being and into positive individuals (Seligman, 2000, p.5). Seligman formed this focus of positive psychology to study the happiness and well-being of individuals. He believed this exclusive new focus emphasizes attention on individuals’ flourishment and their ability to thrive in their commonalities and institutions. Similar to Seligman, Gable and Haidt (2005) believed that positive psychology takes an aim to study “the other side of the coin”; the ways people express their emotions and build healthy relationship with their families and institutions (p.104-105). According to Linley, Govindji and West (2007), positive psychology has grown into the study of what is right for people, particularly within the topics of strengths and happiness (p.44-45).However the negatives in life are not forgotten it is simply overridden by the focus of what makes people thrive in happiness (Gable & Haidt, 2005, p.104).Therefore the focus of positive psychology alternated from pathology to forward growth of people to be simply defined as the “science of optimal human functioning” (Linley, Govindji and West, 2007

Happiness is a result that we deserved, furthermore, it becomes a motivation for us to keep trying and getting success in life.

Every individual has his definition of happiness according to his needs and preferences in life. It is, therefore, quite difficult to come up with a generalized definition of happiness. However, happiness can be defined as combining various satisfactions in life and experiencing more positive than the negative emotions (Elkrief 23). To be happy, individuals should use their strengths to ensure that they contribute to a larger purpose in life. That is why volunteers are happier than those whom they help because they have used their strengths to fulfill a better purpose in life.

To this day there have many controversies regarding the definition of positive psychology. However, it is now simply and most commonly defined as the study of different measures that enhance the optimal functioning of individuals and society (Gable & Haidt, 2005). Positive psychology aims to achieve a balance between the contrary psychology research fields and shifting focus to the positive aspects of human functioning rather than focusing on the negatives. Determining factors that enhance the frequencies individuals experience positive feelings such as appreciation and joy and encounter positive events are one of the many ways to achieve this. As a result, positive psychology provides us with the opportunity to benefit and prosper as a society

Happiness is a positive mental or emotional state stemming from biology as well as outside circumstances. Often, people believe that by achieving certain levels of success and wealth, their happiness levels will rise, but that is not the case. Since many factors influencing one’s happiness lie in biology, it is largely predetermined. Happiness is just as influenced by biology as it is by external factors.