The so called "Science of Happiness," or Positive Psychology, pioneered by Ed Diener, aka "Dr. Happiness," and Martin Seligman of the University of Pennsylvania, is based on the idea that we can enhance our sense of well-being through the empirical study and adoption of certain habits and attitudes shared by "happy and optimistic people." It is now taught in psychology classes on over one hundred campuses in the United States.

As many champions of the new field point out, "happiness" is a house with many rooms. If this is so, the great majority of these courses, as well as related stories in the popular media, have only explored a few rooms in the West Wing.

In the United States alone one can trace the roots of Positive Psychology back about half a century to Abraham Maslow, who instead of concentrating on the sad-ness of sad people, turned psychology on its head by pondering over what caused happy people to be happy.

On the global stage, clear evidence exists that the psychological and philosophical pursuit of happiness began in China, India and Greece nearly 2,500 years ago with Confucius, Mencius, Buddha and Aristotle. If we compare the experiential insights of these thinkers with the empirical approach of the positive psychologists, we discover intriguing points of resonance as well as thought-provoking differences.

Now that we have access to more accurate translations of the Asian classics, as well as the new perspectives of Positive Psychology, we can revisit some key questions: Are we stuck with who we are, or can we actually make ourselves happier in a more enduring way? And if we can, what are the concrete attitudes and lifestyles we should adopt in order to do so?

Let us take a brief look at the core ideas of ten major thinkers, from East and West, who devoted much of their lives to these questions.

I just found out that happiness was a science.

hey trout!

Hi. Hows it going?

http://pursuit-of-happiness.org/projects.aspx

Cool page. Just reading it.

Very nice post. Thank you for sharing this

Great topic!

The Pursuit of Happiness is, after all, "what it's all about". All the science and the philosophy and the religion and the politics have that as their one common driving force in one form or another. There is hardly any better statement of the purpose of life.

I haven't done the research that you obviously have, but personally, I know of two distinct philosopical schools that believe that one's happiness does not have to be dependent upon others. It can be created in oneself through decision and action.

Good stuff!

The more we run away from what we most hate and fear about our selves in attempts to "make" our selves into "good" people, the more unhappiness nips at our heels. Could it be that "happiness" becomes more within the realm of possibility when we stop running?

When we acknowledge and freely admit our shortcomings, take responsibility for our actions, say yes and move forward with a greater sense of integrity, perhaps we can then begin to feel free.

It should seem much more simple than any Scientific application. Relationship with self seems to weave some very intricate tapestries, indeed.

By the way, hi Everyone.

Maslow was a pioneer in organizational and industrial psychology. His hierarchy of needs was an attempt to help employers meet the needs of workers - two fold purpose, happier worker, more production. Like many pioneering theories, his theory, was a base from with other developed.

There is truth to "happiness" psychology, and philosophers have been saying that for a long time. Contemporary philosophers, like John R. Searle refer to states of mind. I think Bushidobillyclub gave us some websites on another post about the actual science that is being done identifying states of mind and the relationships to external stimuli.

The question is, how much control do we have over our state of mind? If external stimuli affects us, how can we monetor the changes and effectively make corrections? Also, can such a thing be taught?

Of course it can, the theory has been in use for YEARS - think of all those self help tapes people are using.

Think happy, be happy - it works it's the reason everyone comments on my smile - because without it, I don't feel happy, so I wear it - give it away and amazingly the smiles that are returned make me feel happy. Catchy - or - reciprical? Who knows, it works.

Could it be that "happiness" becomes more within the realm of possibility when we stop running?

I think so.

People who have one or more close friendships appear to be happier. It doesn’t seem to matter if we have a large network of close relationships or not. What seems to make a difference is if and how often we cooperate in activities and share our personal feelings with a friend or relative. Simply put, it’s not the quantity of our relationships, but the quality that matters.

A study on the quality of relationships found that to avoid loneliness people needed only one close relationship coupled with a network of other relationships. To form a close relationship required a growing amount of "self-disclosure," or a willingness to reveal ones personal issues and feelings, and without it people with friends would still be lonely (Weiss). A similar study found that some students who had many friends with whom they often spent time were still plagued by loneliness, and this seemed to be related to their tendency to talk about impersonal topics such as sports and pop music instead of their personal life (Weeler).

I think true happiness is more about teaching yourself to satisfied and content with what you have, need and learn in life imo. People are not happy mainly due to a lack of these i think.

What you have is yourself. Can you be happy with that?

Frankly as a Taoist i would be happy without myself...

I guess, then, that the saying:

"Where ever you go, there you are".

...is null and void.


I'm certain I'd be a Hell-of-a-lot happier without MYself... That nagging, sucking, me-fullfilling task-master.

I like the words my sensei gave me," If I am then i will pass out of being onto something else, what is more satisfying then that?"

I'd always been a fairly cheerful and upbeat person until my marriage collapsed. I never really put much thought in why, until I went through that so my whole outlook was was turned upside down. The philosophy that helped me begin to get over it and get back to my true nature was suggested to me by my mother-in-law of all people. She said, and I'm sure she quoted it from someone, "whatever you choose to believe gives foundation to your feelings, your feelings rule your attitudes, your attitudes dictate your actions and your actions influence your destiny"
For me, that insight has been very profound because I realized that I, and I alone, choose what I believe, thus I am in control of my own feelings. If I'm not happy, especially living in a free society, it's my own fault and only I can change it...or not...

I AM!

If you are truly interested I know a really clear runnning stream. There also brook trout.
Just kidding. I couldent resist.

Its okay. I was telling this lady at work that my vacuum cleaner sucks. At first she felt sorry for me. Then I told her it was okay. I like it when my vacuum cleaner sucks. Do you think that nature really abhors a vacuum or it could care less?