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The final message I would give to someone would be always stay positive and be yourself and your happiness will be fulfilled.

P.S.- Money isn't everything!

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I really like this article because it shows what people should really focus on in life, rather than money and most materialistic things. It a universal list or a general list, of where real happiness comes from.

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The one thing most studies on happiness agree on is this: family and relationships are the surest way to happiness.

Close behind are meaningful work, positive thinking, and the ability to forgive.

What does not seem to make people happy are money, material possessions, intelligence, education, age, gender or attractiveness.

In rough order of importance, here are the factors that make us happy and what you can do to increase happiness in your life.

THE TOP THREE...

1. Family and relationships

The happiest people spend time with those they love including family, partners or friends. Intimacy with others fulfils two basic human needs - the need for social connections with others of our kind, and the need for personal growth which makes us feel fully alive.

A simple strategy for happiness is to accept social invitations whenever possible, or to initiate social gatherings with family and friends. Face-to-face meetings make us more happy than online networking, especially because hugging and other forms of physical touch releases endorphins. So use technology to set up meetings, but get out there and hobnob the old-fashioned way.

2. Meaningful work

We are happiest when engaged in activities that make us forget ourselves and lose track of time. Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls the the "flow" experience. Flow can be achieved when making music, gardening, playing with children, practising sports, writing, or even pouring over a spreadsheet. According to Csikszentmihalyi, doing what you do best is the best way to achieve flow.

Abraham Maslow defines "self-actualisation" as the innate human motivation that each of us has to achieve our potential. We experience a sense of fulfilment when using and developing our skills, talents and abilities. When we complete a challenge or task that we are pleased with, we achieve a peak experience of self-realisation and are happy with our achievement. For that short time we have achieved self-actualisation.

3. Positive thinking

One attitude contributing to happiness is the refusal to compare yourself with others. Be content that the house you have is "enough house" instead of envying your neighbour's bigger house. If you really have to compare, compare down and not up. For example, Olympic bronze medallists who consider themselves lucky to get a medal are happier than silver medallists who feel that they missed the gold medal.

Another useful attitude is to choose to believe the better option. For example, if your partner often works late, accept that he is overwhelmed with deadlines instead of telling yourself that he just doesn't care enough to spend time with you.

THE REST OF THE LIST...

4. Gratitude

Perhaps this is a subset of positive thinking, yet it is such an important aspect that it deserves a place all by itself. Grateful people are happy people. Gratitude is best expressed in writing or talking. Keeping a gratitude journal or saying prayers aloud every night is a surefire way to increase your happiness.

Further reading: Keep a gratitude journal

5. Forgiveness

Those who cannot forgive become angry and depressed over time, and suffer poorer health due to the physical reactions to these negative emotions. Let go of these toxic feelings, and you increase your happiness.

Further reading: The gift of forgiveness

6. Giving to others

Many people testify that what lifted them from depression was helping others. Whether by volunteering at a homeless shelter, holding the hand of a terminally ill patient, raising funds for charity, or tutoring children from poor families, all forms of giving take us out of ourselves and set us back on the path to normalcy and happiness.

7. Religion

A person's specific religions belief or denomination does not seem to matter as much as the fact that she beliefs in something. Religion provides a personal creed, a direction in life, and this sense of purpose contributes to a person's well-being and happiness.

Further reading: Have a personal creed

8. Personal freedom

While everybody needs freedom to varying degrees, some people simply cannot be happy unless they determine their own fate and are left to make their own choices. For such people, choosing to quit a job in order to freelance or start their own business is a great contributor to happiness.

9. Good health

Surprisingly, health does not contribute much to happiness. Health, like money, is a hygiene factor. This means that its absence makes us unhappy but its presence tends to be taken for granted without any further increase in happiness. So keep yourself in reasonably good health so that you can enjoy life, but do not obsess over it thinking that more health brings more happiness.

10. Watching TV

This one goes against conventional wisdom. Yet studies by psychologists and economists confirm that this simple activity increases our enjoyment and happiness in the moment. While excessive TV may reduce our quality of life by taking away time from other important things, a little TV is harmless and may even be good for you 🙂

Sources:
Psychologists now know Psychology 101: Survey reveals What makes people happ y based on cross-cultural studies what makes people happy What makes people happy? what makes people happy

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The one thing most studies on happiness agree on is this: family and relationships are the surest way to happiness. Close behind are meaningful work, positive thinking, and the ability to forgive. What does not seem to make people happy are money, material possessions, intelligence, education, age, gender or attractiveness.

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Back when we did the happiness project, I read articles that were saying some kids get sick of one sport if they specialize in it at a young age. This makes sense because if kids don't have variety then it is easy to lose interest. When I was in elementary school I was playing football, basketball, baseball, and soccer. I loved playing all of these sports because i wasn't just playing one sport, i was exposing myself to different sports where I made many friends and had lots of fun. Every season seemed like something new. I know people who just play one sport and they are also more likely to get injured easier which can really bring moral down. But all in all, happiness can come with variety.

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In Gatsby, there is a pattern of people that think and show that money creates happiness. Also, characters in Gatsby use money to attract people and make them feel happy with money. Gatsby throws huge parties to try and attract Daisy and it works (in a way). Lots of the characters in Gatsby are also very snobby due to money and they undervalue family (Daisy and Tom hardly even paying attention to their daughter). The meaning of being happy for characters in the Great Gatsby is having lots of money as shown through characters like Tom and Dasiy.

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I agree with the fact that expressing gratitude makes people happy because i have expressed gratitude before and it made my day and made me think about what's truly important in life.

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An Experiment in Gratitude | The Science of Happiness

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I noticed a trend when boys and girls what makes them happy. Girls would mostly say family, money and friends but the guys liked more things like fortnite (of course), sports, cars and money. This makes a lot of sense because guys are a little more careless and aren't as sappy. But girls think more logically about what puts a smile on their face.

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I asked my parents what made them happy and they said their family and friends. And not to mention, a nice glass of red. But anyway, this makes sense coming from a parent because when people get older, priorities change and people's views change on life, especially when you have children, your life revolves around them. This is much expected and I agree with them, if i was them i would think the same way. Family and friends are most important to me but hockey and sports in general are also huge parts of me.

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I took a poll on snap chat about what makes people happy and the top 2 answers were money and friends. This is expected because people this day in age just care about what they will buy next and how they will show it off.

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I like this article because it states like a lot of other articles, money doesn't complete happiness, lots of other things can put a smile on someones face.

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Everybody wants to be happy.

That's why the science of happiness has gained more attention in recent years -researchers have started to produce reports on happiness around the globe, and positive psychology, which focuses on what makes individuals and communities thrive, has skyrocketed in popularity.

At this point, we actually know a fair amount about how certain behaviours, attitudes, and choices relate to happiness, though most research on the topic can only find correlations.

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Researchers think that roughly 40 percent of our happiness is under our own control; the rest is determined by genetics and external factors. That means there's a lot we can do to control our own happiness.

Here are nine happiness-promoting behaviours backed by science.

1. Relationships are essential. A major study followed hundreds of men for more than 70 years, and found the happiest (and healthiest) were those who cultivated strong relationships with people they trusted to support them.
Source: The Harvard Study of Adult Development
2. Time beats money. A number of studies have shown that happier people prefer to have more time in their lives than more money. Even trying to approach life from that mindset seems to make people more content.
Source: Business Insider
3. But it helps to have enough money to pay the bills. People's well-being rises along with income levels up to an annual salary of about $75,000, studies have found. (That number probably varies depending on your cost of living, however.)
Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
4. It's worth stopping to smell the roses. People who slow down to reflect on good things in their lives report being more satisfied.
Source: Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 5. Acts of kindness boost the mood. Give your friends a ride to the airport or spend an afternoon volunteering. Some research has shown that people who perform such acts report being happier. Source: Review of General Psychology
6. Breaking a sweat is about more than burning calories. Studies show that increased levels of physical activity are connected to higher levels of happiness. Exercise tends to help mitigate the symptoms of some mental illnesses as well.
Sources: American Psychological Association, BMC Public Health
7. Fun is more valuable than material items. People tend to be happier if they spend their money on experiences instead of things. Researchers have also found that buying things that allow you to have experiences - like rock climbing shoes or a new book to read - can also increase happiness.

Sources: Social Psychology Bulletin
Read more: * Online mattress startup SIMBA is 'continuously' raising money and got another £2 million in May Read the original article on Business Insider UK. © 2016. Follow Business Insider UK on Twitter.
* A solution to job-stealing robots is staring us right in the face
* A neuroscientist says the female brain is the boardroom's largest untapped resource

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Science says happier people have these 9 things in common

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Everybody wants to be happy. That's why the science of happiness has gained more attention in recent years -researchers have started to produce reports on happiness around the globe, and positive psychology, which focuses on what makes individuals and communities thrive, has skyrocketed in popularity.

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In this article/video, it says that people who put a lot of emphasis on money, are generally unhappier than not materialistic people.

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What Makes People Happy?

Think about a time when you felt particularly happy. What was it that made you happy? Was it because you had loved ones near? Because you were surrounded by a beautiful landscape? Because you had just accomplished something important? Or were you happy because you had lots of money?

'What makes you happy?' That seems like a simple question, but the truth is that many people don't know. Or, as psychologists have discovered, they think they know the answer, but really don't. Psychological research on happiness has identified several things people have in common: the types of things that make them happy, the things they think will make them happy, and the differences between the two.

Let's start by looking at what actually makes people happy. As you might expect, research shows that the best indicator of a person's happiness is the quality of his or her close relationships. Whether you're talking about romantic relationships, family dynamics, or simply close friendships, the happier you are in your social engagements, the happier you are in general.

Besides close relationships, there are two other things that predict happiness in people: having a job or hobby that they love and that challenges them and helping others through volunteer work, random acts of kindness or another type of prosocial behavior.

All three of these things make sense. I'll bet you weren't very surprised that solid relationships, engaging ways to spend your time and prosocial behavior all contribute to happiness.

But what about money? After all, if you don't have any money, it's very easy to believe that lots of money will make you happy. But that's not what psychologists have found.

Once your basic necessities are met, research has shown that additional money does not have a lot to do with happiness. So, while billionaires may fly on private jets to luxurious spas all over the world, it doesn't mean that they are any happier than people who drive 10-year-old cars and fly coach.

However, focusing on money and material things can make you profoundly unhappy. Research has shown that people who put a lot of emphasis on money and things are not as happy as non-materialistic people.

Affective Forecasting

The things that make people happy and unhappy seem pretty intuitive. But do people really understand what makes them happy?

Affective forecasting is the process of guessing how you will feel under specific future circumstances. Affect is just another word for emotion or mood. If I said that tomorrow you were going to lose your job, break up with your partner and fail a test, I'll bet you could pretty accurately predict what your emotional state would be.

But how effective are people at affective forecasting when it comes to happiness? Not very; research has shown that most people make consistent errors when guessing what will make them happy in the future.

Think about this: if you could either be a powerful CEO of a large company, making tons of money, or work part-time at a small company, barely making enough to cover your bills, which would you choose? Which do you think would make you happier?

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research on happiness: what makes people happy? - video & lesson transcript | study.com

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Research on Happiness: What Makes People Happy? - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com

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Think about a time when you felt particularly happy. What was it that made you happy? Was it because you had loved ones near? Because you were surrounded by a beautiful landscape? Because you had just accomplished something important? Or were you happy because you had lots of money?

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What makes me happy?
- sports (especially hockey)
- family
- friends
- fortnite
-sports cards and memorabilia
- researching sports (prospects etc.)
http://www.nhl.com/ice/draftprospectbrowse.htm?cat=4&sort=midtermRank&year=2018

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