Following Malcolm Gladwell’s idea on “the story of success”, Sonja Lyubomirsky put happiness to the test. Happiness has many great advantages that some may not think about. Studies shown happiness leads to stronger relationships, higher work performance, and even living longer with many health benefits.
In 2002 the University of Illinois conducted an experiment surveying students attending U of I, using the top 10% scorers digging deeper into personal happiness. You may ask what cause it? One reason is the strong ties with family and friends. It shows the top scorers were found to be happiest when with their family, friends, and significantly happier than alone. The study also shown people with more “close relationships” being able to reveal
…show more content…
Two professors from Harvard University tested why happiness can make one live longer. Both explained how you manage your stress and feelings is a key factor. Which is also known as “toxic stress”, it all starts out as a child how you deal with situations such as violence neglect, single parent etc. All has an effect on your brain, organ system, heart rate, high blood pressure, and high stress hormones. Laura Kubzansky says “It looks like there is a benefit of positive mental health that goes beyond the fact you’re not depressed…” In her 2007 study she examined 6000 men and women ages 25-70 for twenty years. She found they felt hope, enthusiasm, and engaged in life with the ability to face stress healthily. Which is also shown to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. Among her many years of studies she has found children with the ability to stay focused on task with a positive outlook by the age of seven generally can reduce at least thirty illnesses. Optimism alone that cuts the risk coronary heart disease by half. Partially because when happy you let off a hormone called oxytocin, which is beneficial in heart health. Kubzansky says “to find a restorative state that allows them to put down their burdens” and earlier stated to find a social support. So all in all happiness can help your health and even make you live longer depending on how you manage
In her article “How Happy Are You and Why?,” Sonja Lyubomirsky argues that people have control over their own happiness. Lyubomirsky supports her claims with her interviews with happy people and scientific studies. Her purpose is to consider steps that people can take in order to become happier. She establishes an informal relationship with her audience of unhappy people.
Happiness, an elusive eight letter word with a mighty punch! Many have sought to define happiness, but found it a difficult task to do. While reading an article published in the New Yorker by Will Sorr on July 07, 2017 titled “A Better Kind of Happiness”, I was informed that happiness is more than just a word, happiness is essential to the well-being of human health. Dating back nearly two and half million years ago an ancient Greek Philosopher and scientist, Aristotle, proposed the idea of eudaemonic happiness. He stated that “happiness was not merely a feeling, or a golden promise, but a
In “Happiness: Enough Already,” Sharon Begley argues that happiness is overrated and it should not always be a priority in your life.
Attention Materials: Many times I have wondered what is true happiness. Is there such thing as true happiness? Can it even be attained if there is such a thing? Is it more of fulfilling desires, or satisfying psychological needs? Every person attempts to realize happiness in its fullest essence. It seems like today people are too busy trying to get rich. Nowadays it is believed that happiness lies in that new mansion, or a nice Ferrari. People are mistakingly assuming that wealth will bring to them a personal significance in which they will achieve happiness.
First, if one is living in a healthy environment they are more likely to be happy than someone who is living in an unhealthy environment.The article, “9 Lifestyle Factors That Can Affect Your Mental Health” by Joel L. Young M.D. from Psychology Today is explaining how
From the perspective of positive psychology, there is a well-being formula invested by Martin Seligman to achieve a higher well-being. Martin Seligman (2010) defined as happiness: H (to maintain the length of happiness) = S (happy range breadth) + V (you can control the factors) + C (your living environment). Happy length: the distinction between "temporary" happy and "persistent" happy. Temporary happiness can be achieved by food, comedy, bunch of flowers. While the persistence of happiness is mainly affected by genetic, and this genetic trait can be changed. The breadth of happiness: psychologists think that we are born with a happy constant point, like a thermometer. If there is a happier thing, even if we are upset, it will be dedicated
In the article, Determinants of Happiness in Undergraduate University Students, it says, “Researchers such as Cummins et al. (2009) go as far as to suggest that individuals are happier when whole society’s functions better” (Flynn and MacLeod 452). This shows that without happiness, people could not work well together. It is why so many people work together, and keeping the economy well. In the article Determinants of Happiness in Undergraduate University Students, it says, “It is well known in the positive psychology literature that increased happiness is related to multiple benefits including better mental and physical health, (see Lyubomirsky et al. 2005)” (Flynn and MacLeod 452). This is why people that are happier have a better life in their jobs and schools. It also shows that people have better eating habits if they are happy. In the article Determinants of Happiness in Undergraduate University Students, it says that, “The individual benefits can pale in comparison to the potential societal gains of having a population comprised of such happy and therefore “successful” individuals” (Flynn and MacLeod 453). This is why people who like their job are better at their job. People that are fortunate are ones who usually like their job. People are happier if what they are doing is what they like, and it helps them to be happier than they
The most universal goal every human has in common is the pursuit of happiness or “creation or construction of happiness” (Achor, 78). To be able to fulfill this wish of becoming happy, people often think the key to achieving happiness is success. In the book, The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor, he debunks this theory of success leading to happiness by illustrating the reverse theory of success. Through dozens of studies and experiments as forms of evidence, the author argues that an individual needs to achieve happiness in order to be truly successful. Achor 's argument is valid in that happiness should come before success because there is a clear advantage to being successful in an individual’s work life, personal sphere, and liveliness if they are happy first and foremost.
In The Art of Failure, Gladwell analyzes the two different ways someone can underperform when faced with high stress levels. The two forms are choking and panicking, both of which are huge detriments to high-stake tasks. Malcolm writes that in order to overcome these challenges, one must first understand which form they are dealing with. Panicking and choking as defined by Gladwell can be characterized by the root of the obstacle, the resulting inability, and the form of compensation with which a person will be inclined to react.
In an unofficial poll of students at State University, I found that of the fifty-eight students and one professor, males and females of several ethnic backgrounds and age groups, that I asked the question "What is happiness to you?", all of them had very different physical, intellectual, or emotional motivator for their happiness. Only the
Malcolm Gladwell a phenomenal book writer was born in Fareham, Hampshire, England on September 3, 1963 to Graham Gladwell, a British mathematics professor and Joyce, a Jamaican psychotherapist. When he was six, Malcolm moved to Elmira, Ontario, Canada with his family. In Canada, Malcolm’s father taught mathematics and engineering at the University of Waterloo where Malcolm sometimes went with his father wandering around the offices and exploring libraries which sparked an early interest of reading and literature in him. During his high school years, Malcolm was an exceptional middle-distance runner. He won the 1500 meter title at the 1978 Ontario High School 14 year old championships in Kingston, Ontario. In 1982, Malcolm interned at the National
There are many external conditions that can contribute to your level of happiness. Noise is the first condition that Haidt talks about. The noise of level around you when you are studying can affect how well you are able to concentrate and retain information. You will be annoyed at whatever or whoever is making so much noise that you can’t even hear yourself. If this a constant problem, then your level of happiness will decrease. The next is commuting. Haidt says that those who have to drive a long time to reach their job site never adjust to the commute, especially if they drive in heavy traffic and if they have previously had to drive a shorted amount of time. Although I do not drive to work because I do not have a job, I know long commutes
Introduction: Author Achor gives a new perspective about the relation between success and happiness. People normally believe that happiness comes after success: first we work really hard to achieve success and then we will be happy. In contrast, Shawn Achor’s statement is exactly opposite that happiness will lead people to succeed, if people are happy they tend to be more successful.
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.
Every person has a different understanding of happiness. Happiness is defined as an emotion in which one experiences feelings ranging from contentment and satisfaction to bliss and intense joy. Happiness may be defined in such a way, but it can be interpreted in many different ways by different people. There are many happiness triggers in life, and each person has a set of triggers that make them feel happy. Based on the readings “The Sources of Happiness” by the Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler, “If We are So Rich, Why Aren’t We Happy?” by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, and “July: Buy Some Happiness” by Gretchen Rubin, three of the causes of human happiness are a positive adaptation to life, the ability to get fully involved in life, and the wise use of money.