Is Happiness Good For Your Health?

I think many of us fail to achieve real happiness because most of us are not willing to do what it takes to be happy…happiness elevates our moods from a low frequency to a high frequency which allows us to feel good about ourselves. So, in essence, being happy affects our physiological conditions. (1)

As people grow older, they start filling into more stereotypes--the angsty teen, the reckless young adult, the soccer mom, the cranky old person. One would think that these truly reflect how people are--carefree through their adult years, unhappy throughout the rest--however, studies have shown that, in fact, the opposite turns out true. Instead, the happiness scale forms a 'U' shape: the youngest and oldest age groups tend to be happier, the middle aged adult turns out to be the most unhappy. This could be because of a combination of responsibilities, socialization skills, and the impending doom of your final breaths coming earlier than you want.

The journal that I had selected deals with the relationship between health behaviors and happiness. Through the use of cross-sectional survey of 800 randomly selected university students, researchers were able to analyze what it takes for students to remain happy when undergoing many life struggles.

Happiness is not the only indicator of psychological wellbeing. There are some others such as life satisfaction (e.g. Neugarten, Havighurst, &Tobin, 1961; Wood; Wylie, & Sheator, 1969), emotional and mental health , or subjective wellbeing (Kozma, Stones, & McNeil, 1991). These concepts have been used synonymously with psychological wellbeing, however, even though they are related with psychological wellbeing, they are not identical and should not define psychological wellbeing (Stull, 1987).

As humans, it is our natural instinct to pursue happiness. Many people search for different ways to live a happier life. Some find joy in helping others, while others resort to materialism in order to feel happy. Interestingly enough, a research from Buffalo University and Northwestern University reveals that as people age, they tend to become happier and more satisfied with their lives. Study shows that our perception of happiness differ based on our genetics, culture, social status, and many other essential factors. According to a happiness and satisfaction survey conducted by The Harris Poll, of the 2,215 participants of the survey, only 34 % reported of being happy and satisfied. What is happiness anyway? Is there a recipe for a happier

The pursuit of happiness is the universal search for a life an individual can feel content and satisfied with. However, as stated in class, happiness is a fleeting emotion rather than a prolonged state. Once an individual achieves a sense of happiness it is only a matter of time before they return to the starting point of their quest. Therefore, happiness alone is not enough to elicit a good life. On a similar note, in 2004, Professor Martin Seligman gave a TED talk that addressed the current direction of psychology. He believed the extent of psychology had become the ability to “make miserable people feel less miserable” rather than “[making] relatively untroubled people happier.” As a result, he and his colleagues developed positive psychology, a branch of psychology that promotes the components of happiness, well-being, and fulfillment to achieve a satisfactory life. The purpose of this project is to learn about your well-being and discover ways to increase the quality of your life through positive psychology.

Pursuing happiness seems like it is a good idea, after all increased happiness has been linked to better overall health and well-being

Is happiness or subjective well-being just an occurrence, or does this observable circumstance have accountabilities beyond what is experienced by the person who perceives feeling happy? We all desire to be happy, but how is this achieved and sustained? Are there predetermining factors that play a role, such as our genetic make-up? The following essay will explore subjective well-being in general, as this is considered to be synonymous with happiness. An explanation will be given of both the model of architecture of sustainable happiness, and a clear definition of the biopsychosocial model. Throughout the essay, examples from the SKD228 module will be given as evidence of support with possible links to biological factors.

When evaluating and providing scores, the World Happiness Report takes into account the differences of developed and less develop countries. However, for future reports, a reference to a universal definition of happiness should be included to create an equal understanding. Even though providing a definition will help, perception of happiness will continue to vary based on the different governments and cultures, so that should be taken into account to ensure an accurate comparison of happiness in the countries of the

According to authors Kottler and Chen, domains for enhancing happiness are relationships, environment, physical state, productivity, recreation, and distressing emotions. In addition, strategies that are related to these enhancements of happiness are finding a romantic partner, securing reasonable physical and financial safety and comfort, periodically enjoying fine weather, living in a stimulating environment (based on one’s value), eating healthy, engaging in regular physical exercise, achieving success and approval at work that is interesting and challenging, working towards a coherent set of goals, making leisure activities a priority, diversifying one’s life with multiple interests, experimenting with new and exciting options, avoiding distressing situations when possible, focusing on the positive as much as one can and practicing compassion and empathy toward others.

The choice of satisfaction with life as an indicator of well-being is a wise choice. Another possibility could be happiness, which has emerged as an alternative indicator of well-being. While it is

Happiness has been subject to debate for centuries. What is happiness? What does happiness consist of? What contributes to happiness? Among many others, Aristotle, Epicurus, and the school of Cyrenaics, prominent ancient Greek philosophers, have greatly contributed that virtue, which is excellence of a certain part, and chance, which consists of any event outside of human control and prediction, may play a role in happiness. After analyzing the works of these philosophers, it has been concluded that virtue greatly contributes to happiness. On the other hand, although chance can either contribute to or hinder one’s happiness, the influence is often not as

“That simple sentence sits at the top of every cover of Health. Why? Because happiness is the foundation of wellness. It's a way of life we can choose, and it's more accessible than we often realize.” (Mchugh, 6). As stated by Mchugh, happiness is the base of wellness, and I could not agree more because if we are happy, we will positive about anything that could happen to us. Therefore, we will more tranquil and not stressed. To be happy in an

In this essay I will define and discuss the concepts of ‘positive psychology’, of ‘happiness’, which is synonymous with subjective well-being (SWB); of ‘the architecture of sustainable happiness’; and the biopsychosocial model. I aim to demonstrate that SWB is a multifaceted and can only be understood by investigating biological, psychological and social factors and their interdependence to construct a holistic model. I will provide examples of these different factors and their interdependence and explain why the biopsychosocial paradigm is the best for understanding happiness and conclude that SWB is indeed a ‘biopsychosocial phenomenon’.

Satisfaction with life is oftentimes highly correlated with happiness, but it is not by inherently the same as happiness. One may be satisfied with one’s life outcomes or satisfied with external factors, without being very happy. Once discovering a satisfaction with life rating, one may be able to determine if satisfaction with life is something one can control, and if it is, one may be able to maximize one’s life satisfaction. For instance, if one is typically not searching for a mate, and he or she scores low on this scale, one may be more willing in the future to seek a partner if he or she knows that statistically speaking, people with partners are more satisfied with his or her life.