• Are you happy right now? • Why is it important to be happy? • Are there universal components for happiness? • Do you think that happiness lies within you? Or does it depend upon other people and external things?
There are some facts about happiness we don’t fully realize:
• Most people assume that people around them share a similar idea of what it means to be happy.
• We all think that concept of happiness is universal as it is now, and does not depend on culture and epoch
• To explore the meaning of the term happy, the researchers collected the terms for happiness that are used in 30 different countries. • In 24 of the 30 countries, there was a strong element of luck associated with the meaning of the term happiness. (That was a happy accident) • The further countries are from the equator, the more luck is associated with happiness (in colder climates, the environmental conditions play a bigger role in success) • The use of the term happy in English over the past few hundred years was analyzed based on political speeches. In the 1800 s happiness meant luck and prosperity, while in 1900 s - positive emotion of satisfaction.
• Happiness may mean two different things: Your current emotions of being happy or sad And your satisfaction of your life as a whole
• Maslow’s Pyramid
• If you have a trouble remembering the previous table:
• Pleasure (tasty food, warm baths, etc. ) • Engagement (doing something interesting) • Relationships (social ties, love, friendship) • Meaning (belonging to something bigger, making a difference) • Accomplishments (having realized real goals that are easy to see)
• Are you a happy person? • Is happiness a state of mind, an emotion, a sensation or a feeling? • What do you think is the color for happiness? • Is happiness a goal or a process of reaching it? • Do you wake up happy every morning? • Are single people happy? • Does having an animal/pet make you happy? • Can money buy happiness? • What are three most important things for you to be happy? • How often do you feel really happy? • When was the happiest time of your childhood? • Why are teenagers some of the happiest people in the world? • Would you rather be right or be happy?
• When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be. ” ~Lao Tzu
