Department of Public Administration

Name: Muhammad Raheel Sheikh Roll No. 44 Subject: Psychology Title: Assignment; Science of Happiness Submitted to: Azra Anjum

“Happiness is the meaning and purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.” ~ Aristotle “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” ~ Mohandas Gandhi

* What is happiness?
“Happiness is deceptively simple. It’s about being satisfied with life and experiencing more positive emotions than negative ones.”
Every living being in this world seeks happiness whether he/she is aware of it or not. It is the meaning and purpose of life. Happiness seems to have almost magical properties. We have not got proof, but the science suggests it leads to long life, health, resilience and good performance.
Still, many of us find the pursuit of happiness to be frustratingly difficult. A relatively new branch of psychology called positive psychology is studying what makes people happy—and what doesn’t. Researchers are learning that the keys to happiness are within everyone’s reach.

* Three basic sources of happiness
Happier people are more likely to live longer and tend to be healthier, more successful, and more socially engaged than people who describe themselves as less happy.
Researchers have explored three basic sources of happiness: genetics, including temperament and personality; life circumstances, such as wealth and health; and our own choices. * Richer but no happier
Happiness researchers have been monitoring people's life satisfaction for decades. |
Yet despite all the massive increase in our wealth in the last 50 years our levels of happiness have not increased.
"Standard of living has increased dramatically and happiness has increased not at all, and in some cases has diminished slightly," said Professor Daniel Kahneman of the University of Princeton.
"There is a lot of evidence that being richer... isn't making us happier"

* How to become happier?
Scientific studies point to specific ways of thinking and acting that can strongly impact our happiness. Let’s take a look at the areas of consensus that are emerging within the new science of happiness. * Relationships 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 feelings with a friend or relative. Simply put, it’s not the quantity of our relationships, but the quality that matters.

* Caring

People who volunteer or simply care for others on a consistent basis seem to be happier and less depressed. Most people who care for others in a selfless manner do so because of a genuine desire to help and improve the world around them. Nonetheless, modern sociological research has shown that caring has benefits for all involved; people who volunteer or care for others on a consistent basis tend to have better mental well-being, including fewer depressive symptoms and higher life-satisfaction.

* Exercise Regular exercise is associated with improved mental well-being and a lower incidence of depression. Researches show that exercise acts as a diversion from negative thoughts. Physical activity causes brain to release chemicals called endorphins that cause one to feel good after exercising. People who are happier have seen more inclined to exercise.

* Flow If we are deeply involved in trying to reach a goal or an activity that challenging but well suited to our skills, we experience a joyful state called “flow”. One may find still greater happiness experiencing “flow” in working towards long term, meaningful goals.

* Strengths and Virtues The work of positive psychologists like Martin Seligman appears to show that the happiest people are those that have discovered their unique strengths (such as persistence and critical thinking) and virtues (such as humanity or justice) and use those strengths and virtues for a purpose that is greater than their own personal goals.

* Positive thinking: Optimism

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” Martin Seligman defines optimism as reacting to problems with a sense of confidence and high personal ability. Specifically, optimistic people believe that negative events are temporary, limited in scope (instead of pervading every aspect of a person’s life), and manageable.