2. Thesis Happiness is a universal concept that is sought after throughout the world. Through psychological research and individual experience it has been proven that there are several sources that can lead one to obtain happiness in their lifetime.
3. Personal Relevance I feel like I have a skewed view on what happiness really is. Its apart of everyday life and everyone wants to be happy. I wanted to do something that everyone can relate to.
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5. Happiness is a state of mind or feeling characterized by contentment, love, satisfaction, pleasure, or joy.
6. Two types of happiness How Social Relations and Structures Can Produce Happiness and Unhappiness: An International Compared... more Max Haller and Markus Hadler Social Indicators Research, Vol. 75, No. 2 (Jan., 2006), pp.169-216 Published by: Springer
7. A specific experience How Social Relations and Structures Can Produce Happiness and Unhappiness: An International Compared... more Max Haller and Markus Hadler Social Indicators Research, Vol. 75, No. 2 (Jan., 2006), pp. 169-216 Published by: Springer
8. Life as a whole How Social Relations and Structures Can Produce Happiness and Unhappiness: An International Compared... more Max Haller and Markus Hadler Social Indicators Research, Vol. 75, No. 2 (Jan., 2006), pp. 169-216 Published by: Springer
10. Different ways people pursue happiness. -Achievement -Aristotelian concept -Relationships
11. Aristotelian concept A different outlook on obtaining happiness. Aristotle. "On Happiness." Trans. Martin Ostwald. The Great Books Reading & Discussion Program First Series. Vol. 1. Chicago, Illinois: The Great books Foundation, 1985. 13-35. Print. 1.
12. Children cannot be happy Aristotle. "On Happiness." Trans. Martin Ostwald. The Great Books Reading & Discussion Program First Series. Vol. 1. Chicago, Illinois: The Great books Foundation, 1985. 13-35. Print. 1.
13. Only people who are at the end of their life can be truly happy. Aristotle. "On Happiness." Trans. Martin Ostwald. The Great Books Reading & Discussion Program First Series. Vol. 1. Chicago, Illinois: The Great books Foundation, 1985. 13-35. Print. 1.
14. An example Adler, Mortimer, Ph. D. "Aristotle's Ethics: The Theory of Happiness - I ." Rev. of Aristotle's Ethics: The Theory of Happiness, by Aristotle. Radical academy. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Mar. 2010. <http://www.radicalacademy.com/ adleraristotleethics1.htm>.
16. Achievement Human beings naturally react to success in a positive way The Role of Affect in Rational (Attributional) Approaches to Human Motivation Bernard Weiner Educational Researcher, Vol. 9, No. 7 (Jul. - Aug., 1980), pp. 4-11 Published by: American Educational Research Association
18. National Achievement South Africa's "Rainbow People", National Pride and Happiness Valerie Møller, Helga Dickow and Mari Harris Social Indicators Research, Vol. 47, No. 3 (Jul., 1999), pp. 245-280 Published by: Springer
19. South Africans “walking tall” South Africa's "Rainbow People", National Pride and Happiness Valerie Møller, Helga Dickow and Mari Harris Social Indicators Research, Vol. 47, No. 3 (Jul., 1999), pp. 245-280 Published by: Springer
22. It’s simple and easy Holding the door open for a stranger helping someone carry groceries to the car Give some one a compliment
23. Focus on the good in your life When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us. –Helen Keller
37. Conclusion Happiness is a concept that all people want to achieve. There are many different ways a person can go about achieving it. Whether or not you try to find it through a relationship, achievement, growing old, being young, or just watching the sun set, everyone wants to be happy.
Editor's Notes
After seeing my mom go through some economic struggles after she got divorced from my dad I saw how much not having money can affect someone emotionally. I have this idea in my head that if I can make as much money as possible that that will solve all of my problems and I would never have any struggles. I know deep down inside that this is not true but I needed to know what really makes people happy. I was hoping that this project will help me.I also wanted to do something that everyone can relate to and everyone wants to be happy. It is in the declaration of independence that we all have the right to the pursuit of happiness. I hope to give everyone an idea of the different aspects of life that can make them happy.
Everyone has the right to pursue happiness. This is part of the reason why I chose this topic because everyone can relate to it.We hold these truths to be self–evident ,That all men are created equal, That they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, That among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
This is a general definition to explain to help explain the feeling of happiness in ones self.
There are two different meanings for the concept of happiness.
One form of happiness is related to the specific moment in someone's life that brings about the feels of contemptment joy satisfaction which all go into happiness. Everyone is familiar with this meaning of happiness. WE see it every day in movie books songs in our own livesSome examples are having a party, hanging out with your best friend, the moment you fall in love with another person.
This concept of happiness more than just a physical or mental feeling of pleasure.IT is something that you reflect on as a whole rather than little sprits of joy.It is a “ladder” that we must climb to achieve happiness as a whole. The level of happiness depends on the duration and difficulty of the climb to get to the top of the latter or the end of your life.
Weather you are looking for a specific moments in your life to make you happy or happiness as a whole, everyone wants to be happy.The inalienable right to the ‘‘pursuit of happiness’’ listed in the U.S. Declaration of Independence illustrates the long-standing American preoccupation with well-being. Continuing to this day, happiness is considered part of a desirable life and the subject of most people’s daily thoughts.Interest in the sources of happiness inspires the age-old problem, ‘‘What can people do to become happier?’’What specific strategies do people use to try to make themselves happy?
Aristotle has a different view on happiness than a majority of other sources that have proven to bring happiness to people. He uses the word happiness to refer to the quality of someone's entire life rather than specific moments in a persons life that gives them feels of joy satisfaction and happiness. It is more of a whole. In order to acquire one must live a complete life.
Understanding that in order to be happy you need to live a complete life it would make sense that children can not be happyHe can not even be considered as being happy until he has lived a complete life of virtue
Aristotle believes that life must be completed or finished. The only person who can be happy is an elderly person who is basicly finished living their life. At that point they can look back on their life and reflect on it. Thy realize that they lived a complete active life of virtue. It is not until the end of your life that you can determine if you lived “a good one”.
An example of this to make it more clear. If you go to a foot ball game and at halftime you run into to a friend and they say, “good game isnt it?” your natural response would be yes it is a good game. But if you think about it all you are in a position to say at that point in the game is that it is turning out too look like a good game but the second half of the game could be terrible. The only time you will be able to say that it is a good game is at the very end. When the game is over.
Relationships are central to happiness and well-being,Many of our experiences and strengths develop in, and depend upon, relationship. The rewards of knowing and acting through personal strengths may be more fulfilling and lead to greater well-being when we feel self directed and connected to others.Positive relationships support development and learning, and they make us happy in the long-termEd Diener and Martin Seligman have found that the very happiest people in their studies report being in long-term relationships
When one achieves a goal or sucseeds in something they have feelings of happinessYou realize that you worked very hard on that particular thing and as a result you achieved your goal this produces feeling a relaxation and contemptYou also realize that you do have personal qualities that will also help you with future goals. Which is followed by feelings of self esteem self worth and optimism which all pertain to happiness.
When I received my acceptance letter to college I was extremely happy. At that point I remembered all the hard work that I did over the past four years of my life.All the times that I was stressed out frustrated but I kept working.When i opened the letter I really did feel relaxed and at ease. It reminded me that I do have what it takes to accomplish my goals. Realizing all of that made me very happy.
There is a correlation between national pride and happinessNational pride works through self esteem to boost levels of happinessPeople who are apart of a nation that has achieved something have pride and are happy to be apart of that nation
In april 1994 the first free election was held in south Africa. Before this most blacks were not allowed to vote.There were two surveys in south Africa regarding happiness and contentmentOne took place before blacks were allowed to vote and the other took place after the election. Before the vote in south Africa most blacks expressed high levels of unhappiness while white expressed happiness and contemptment After the election the levels of satisfaction and happiness in blacks were very high because they felt apart of their nation.Many black south Africans said that they were “walking tall” that day because that self esteem boost their levels of happiness.
This also brings about feeling of self esteem and feeling like you are really apart of one anion and every one is equal. Montrez Lewis speaking for himself as an African American describes how he felt pride in his nation that he can finally be assured that America is a great nation and he is happy to be a part of it.
Every good positive psychologist knows that Random Acts of Kindness are linked to HappinessDoing random acts of kindness for other people for no other reason than just to help someone out leads to happiness in yourself
Doing these simple things will increase happiness especially if you do them in concentrated burst.research participants did 5 Random Acts of Kindness a day once a week for 6 weeksThe intervention was thought to impact well-being by increasing self-regard, creating positive social interactions, and increasing charitable feelings towards others. In other words, helping by performing Random Acts of Kindness improves the quality of people’s relationships
People often focus on the negative things in their life that they fail to see that there is always something else to make them happy.
Being able to focus on the positive things in life is the key to happinessAnything good in your life needs to be given focused attentionTake a moment out of your day to be peaceful and quite and think about a recent expierencewhetther its large or small, that made you happy.This could something that made you laugh or smile whatever it is give your self a moment to think about it.And then don’t just think about it, but feel the feeling that you had at that moment, notice the change in you as you begin to feel that feelingHold on to that and appreciate all the componets of the feeling.Doing this every so often will increase your level of happiness in your everyday life.
These 10 steps are all things to consider on your journey to achieving happiness They are not to specific they are more general and practicle
It’s very important to realize that your happiness is largely your responsibility so if you want to enjoy and get more out of life then you need to start taking charge of things as soon as possible.Happiness is essentially a choice but you need to believe it is achievablemake a conscious decision to be happy
Work out what’s important in your life and what you need to do to get more of it in to your lifeResearch suggests that happy people tend to know where they’re going; they set specific, measurable and meaningful goals and they make clear and practical plans to achieve these goals
Always think positive about achieving things in life that are going to make you happyOptimistic thinking is probably the factor that most significantly determines happiness.So while remaining realistic, be positive and stay focused on doing what you want and need to do for happiness.
good quality relationships are significant determinants of happiness so do whatever you can on a regular basis to build and maintain positive relationships
Happiness requires a certain degree of good management.Happy people tend to possess more effective and more active coping strategies, such as time management and problem solving skills.it is important to learn to control what you control, accept what you can’t control and be wise enough to know the difference.
happiness and success are more likely to be yours if you eat well, keep active, and ensure you get enough sleep and rest. Remember, it’s hard to be happy if you’re literally sick and tired all the time.
Although it might sound obvious, one of the simplest paths to happiness is to engage in more activities you find pleasurable and enjoyable. Try new things, have a laugh, and further, appreciate and be grateful for what you already have in your life rather than focusing on what you don’t have (there’s a big difference between “wants” and “needs”).
This can take many forms and is hard to describe in such a short article but do what you can to develop, and then foster a sense of purpose and meaning (either through organised religion or some other means).
Too many people spend too much time trying to fix all their weaknesses. Happy (and successful) people, on the other hand, are significantly more aware of, and better at utilising core strengths (qualities and attributes). So find out what you’re good at and find ways to apply these strengths as often and as much as possible. You’ll find that by doing so you’re not just more effective but also, you’ll enjoy yourself far more as well.
Although there are a lucky few to whom happiness comes easily, for many people it will require some degree of diligence. Don’t be afraid to work hard at attaining happiness and be realistic that it might take time to master some of the skills and make some of the changes necessary.
For my application I created a documentary. The documentary mainly consist interviews. What I wanted to do was apply my research that I found about happiness and what makes people happy into the real world. In order to do this, I interviewed people who were in the specific situations in which I researched. For example on of the main ideas that people believes brings happiness was the arsitilion concept. Since Aristotle believed that only people who are at the end of their life can be happy, I interviewed several elderly people and asked them questions that I created based off my research. I followed this procedure with the several of the other concepts. By doing this documentary I was not trying to prove or disprove any of the ideas that I rearched but I was just applying the research that I found to everyday people.
