The Pursuit Of Happiness Is The Universal Search For A Life

The question of whether individuals can create their own happiness without the aid of external influences has been raised and researched. However, the answer to the question is unclear. Positive psychology is a branch of psychology that supports the theory that an individual’s happiness is under their personal control, independent of any external influences or validation. Consequently, researchers have uncovered evidence that provides mixed results regarding the effectiveness of positive psychology in increasing individual happiness.

Happiness is an essential goal for most people. From books and expensive classes that teach people how to achieve happiness to the fundamental right of “the pursuit of happiness” in the Declaration of Independence, the importance of happiness is evident in society. This causes the rise to two fundamental questions: “How does one attain happiness?” and “,How does happiness create a meaningful life?” Both happiness and living a meaningful life are achieved simultaneously. The search for happiness and the factors that make it brings meaning to life. Happiness can stem from several factors such as wisdom and knowledge, savoring life and its experiences, and even suffering and pain. Analyzing these factors brings meaning to one’s life.

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 words of Mahatma Gandhi, “Happiness is when you want to think what you think what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” Describing happiness can seem as ambiguous as accomplishing and achieving it. Without help, we as different individuals all have the same want---- happiness. However, the satisfaction in life can not be defined through just one definition or study. The concept of happiness and it’s sources have been defined through religious, psychological and abstract ground. People in general are happier when they are around a set of people that uplifts them, because psychologically their happiness is affected by their environment.

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.

Happiness is one of the most significant dimensions of human experience. Many people can argue that happiness is a meaningful and desirable entity. Studies indicate that everyone pursues happiness in various aspects of their life. Our four fathers saw happiness as a need, so they made the pursuit of happiness as one of the three unalienable rights branded in the Declaration of Independence. There is a sense of complexity behind the meaning of happiness; its definition is not definite. Think of happiness as a rope; there are many thin fiber strands bonded together to become the strength of the rope. Like the analogy of the rope, there are numerous factors that can contribute to an individual’s overall happiness in life. This study is going to

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.

This book is unusually short because it simply provides activities you can do today, proven by scientific research to increase your happiness. Inspirational videos are included to give you added motivation. References are included if you want to verify the proven research. However, the best way to verify the research is to try the activities and see if they work for you. Not every activity will work for every person.

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

Although the specialization of positive psychology has only been researched and practices since 1998, the study of happiness connects with the work of Maslow, Rogers, and Fromm. The roots of this specialization came from Martin Seligman who chose the theme the president of the American Psychological Association in the late 1990’s. Seligman was an avid student of Maslow’s work and realized that life cannot be full circle unless the person has a balance lives with happiness. During his time as president, Seligman wrote a book entitled, “Authentic Happiness” in which he describes a reality that finds most if not all psychological professionals focusing on mental illness. Seligman (1998) suggests that psychologist works to address the client’s

The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want by Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky is simultaneously an academic book and comprehensive guide about positive psychology and it’s applications in daily life. Dr. Lyubomirsky provides not only facts and figures to back up her science but also includes quizzes and exercises for the reader to learn more about himself or herself in context with the book. The book is broken down into 3 different sections: How to Attain Real and Lasting Happiness, Happiness Activities, and Secrets to Abiding Happiness.

Positive psychology, which has emerged recently, is the scientific study of human thriving. Psychology traditionally focuses on dysfunction—on people with mental illness or other psychological problems and how to treat them. Positive psychology, by contrast, is a relatively new field that examines how ordinary people can become happier and more fulfilled. In his 1998 APA presidential address, Seligman, the founder of positive psychology, argued that psychology had become too focused on curing mental illness according to a disease model, and that, for all intents and purposes, it had become a “victimology” (Seligman, 1998). What was needed, he averred, was a new “science of human strengths,” a positive psychology (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000).

The German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer thinks that real happiness does not exist. In his view, the best a person can achieve is to reduce misery. Through his book The wisdom of life, he explains that for true happiness we need the complete absence of all pain and the complete satisfaction of all desires. For Schopenhauer, a bearable life consists of having very low expectations. Following this logic, to live a less miserable life we can only allow our desires and goals grow in a low steady rate, because the more we expect from life the more chances to be disappointed and thus to be unhappy. In other words, we feel melancholy if our desires are blocked and boredom if they are satisfied. We are condemned to swing between pain and boredom. Through the character of Lester, the film American Beauty argues that happiness is attainable; I would argue that it is an illusion. (add details from the movie).

Psychologists have not located assured causes that lead people to well-being. David G. Myers in his article “The Funds, Friends, and Faith of Happy People” published in the American Psychologist (2000) and Michael Wiederman in “Why It's So Hard to Be Happy” published in the Scientific American Mind (2007), discuss the reasons which lead people to be happy, and the factors which contribute to unhappiness.

“The Happiness Factor” is an article written by Remez Sasson. The author describes how we are all constantly searching for happiness, something that has always been inside of us, and the causes that contribute to the happiness factor in order for us to feel this sensation. In fact, the feeling of joy drives us to “seek [the] same activity again, in order to repeat this pleasant feeling.” After reading this article, it allowed me to realize why I do certain activities and changed my perspective on how I can achieve happiness, as well as what influences this emotion to occur.