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Do people make you happiest or things?
- who/what makes you the happiest?

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Both of these places strive towards the same mission, how to be happier ( as a community) . At Neuqua valley high, this school has dedicated a entire week to shine light o metal health ad how to break stigmas of depression and increase rates of 'happiness'. While Singapore implemented a program called "Be greater". This group strives to go beyond random acts of kindness to do good through a coffee house. Their main objective is to do good for others, but the end result is the feeling of helping others : happiness. Similar to Neuqua Valley these two significant places have made efforts to induce the feeling of happiness around their regions.

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SINGAPORE - The Singapore Kindness Movement (SKM) on Tuesday (July 3) launched a campaign challenging Singaporeans to go beyond random acts of kindness.

Dr William Wan, general secretary of SKM, said kindness should be an inherent part of a person.

"Doing an act of kindness, big or small, will change you from the inside," he told The Straits Times.

The Be Greater campaign aims to redefine kindness as a nationwide identity and value.

"At the end of the day, it will have a lasting impact... you have made a difference to other people's lives and also feel good about yourself," said Dr Wan, who co-founded Prison Fellowship Singapore 45 years ago.

The video for the campaign, which will hit the television and cinema screens throughout the month, was directed by award-winning local film-maker Kirsten Tan.

It depicts the real-life stories of lawyer Amanda Chong, who co-founded a reading programme for underprivileged children, and MMA fighter Bruce Loh, who places sportsmanship above winning.

Said Ms Tan in a pre-recorded video: "In this (video), we draw attention to all the different small, tiny little acts that often go unnoticed. But these acts are nonetheless wonderful and great acts because they happen in service for a larger humanity."

As part of the campaign, SKM also engaged influencers such as musicians Jack & Rai, magician-turned-author Ning Cai and actor Adrian Pang, to have their own quotes about kindness printed on T-shirts, and wear them in social media posts.

Ms Ning Cai, 35, said: "People can start by being mindful in their speech to others.

"Words can break people down and also empower them," she said.

Ms Rachel Chua, 20, a polytechnic student who does volunteer work, said the campaign could inspire others to get involved.

She said: "As a volunteer who tutors underprivileged children, I know the impact of my work lasts throughout their education and more.

"It's important for people to know that giving up a few hours of their time each week could really make a difference to someone's life."

Starbucks Singapore will turn its Raffles City outlet into a Kindness Cafe throughout August.

The cafe will be decorated with kindness quotes and reminders.

Considerate customers who display acts of kindness will be identified by the staff and rewarded with exclusive campaign memorabilia designed by SKM and Starbucks.

Correction note: The article was edited for clarity.

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Singapore Kindness Movement launches new campaign to get people to go beyond random kind acts

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SINGAPORE - The Singapore Kindness Movement (SKM) on Tuesday (July 3) launched a campaign challenging Singaporeans to go beyond random acts of kindness. Dr William Wan, general secretary of SKM, said kindness should be an inherent part of a person. "Doing an act of kindness, big or small, will change you from the inside," he told The Straits Times.

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Optimistic thinking is a key factor on the worldwide mission to becoming truly happy. You must be able lock into positive perspectives ad ignore the bad.

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How To Reprogram Your Mind (for Positive Thinking)

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The sound of music triggers the trans cranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) which releases dopamine, hormone that induces the feeling of happiness. Your 'favorite song' is also associated with a memory of when you were happy or the lyrics in the song triggers a memory of happiness.

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A new study by researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital of McGill University in Canada reveals that it's possible to increase or decrease someone's enjoyment of music by enhancing or disrupting certain brain circuits using a non-invasive technique called "transcranial magnetic stimulation" (TMS).

What makes this McGill study groundbreaking is that the neuroscientists were able to pinpoint that specific brain circuits involved in the anticipation of reward and surprise-known as the "fronto-striatal circuits"-are also essential for experiencing intense pleasure when listening to your favorite music. These findings were published online, November 20, in the journal Nature Human Behaviour.

Previous brain imaging studies have shown that stimulating fronto-striatal circuits via TMS triggers the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter necessary for reward processing. In the latest McGill study, the researchers turned the TMS current on and off directly above brain regions that drive fronto-striatal function as study participants listened to snippets of random songs. Participants also rated their enjoyment of each tune in real-time. Throughout the experiment, the researchers monitored the various psychophysiological responses of each individual's nervous system in response to specific songs.

Senior author, Robert J. Zatorre, who heads the Zatorre Lab at McGill, and collaborators sum up the main takeaways from their new study in the abstract:

"Our results show that perceived pleasure, psychophysiological measures of emotional arousal, and the monetary value assigned to music, are all significantly increased by exciting fronto-striatal pathways, whereas inhibition of this system leads to decreases in all of these variables compared with sham stimulation. These findings support the hypothesis that fronto-striatal function causally mediates both the affective responses and motivational aspects of music-induced reward, and provide insights into how aesthetic responses emerge in the human brain."

In a statement, Ernest Mas Herrero, a postdoctoral fellow, and the study's first author explained the results: "These findings show that the functioning of fronto-striatal circuits is essential for our enjoyment of music. This indicates that the role of these circuits in learning and motivation may be indispensable for the experience of musical pleasure."

The findings of this new fronto-striatal study dovetail with a different February 2017 study from McGill which found that listening to "happy" or "peaceful" songs prompted study participants to vividly recall positive autobiographical memories. Conversely, listening to "sad" or emotionally "scary" music caused study participants to recall negative autobiographical memories. This study, " More Than a Feeling: Emotional Cues Impact the Access and Experience of Autobiographical Memories," was published in the journal Memory & Cognition.

For this study on autobiographical memories and certain types of music, the Canadian researchers tested how musical cues from two different aspects of the musical experience- emotional valence (positive or negative) and psychophysiological arousal (high or low)-influence the way that people recall autobiographical memories. Musical genres and songs were grouped into four retrieval cues: happy (positive emotions, high arousal), peaceful (positive emotions, low arousal), scary (negative emotions, high arousal), and sad (negative emotions, low arousal).

While listening to various musical selections, participants were asked to recall autobiographical memories from specific events associated with each song. As soon as a memory came to mind, participants pressed a computer key and typed in details of their music-triggered 'remembrance of things past.'

The researchers found that musical cues that were both high in arousal and positive in emotion immediately triggered the most vivid and detailed autobiographical memories. This music was generally classified as being "happy" based on positive emotions and high arousal. The relationship between the type of musical cue and whether it triggered the remembrance of a positive or a negative memory was also noted. As would be expected, scary music often triggered anxious memories, whereas sad music generally triggered memories of despair or heartbreak.

Interestingly, another 2014 study published in the Psychology of Music journal found that self-selected "beautiful but sad" music caused people to reminisce in a way that was bittersweet. As we all know, certain sad songs can actually help you feel better when you're feeling blue. Interestingly, the specific sad songs had to be chosen by the individual based on his or her associations and autobiographical memories. Random songs that were negative in valence and low in arousal tended to make people who were already melancholy feel even worse. (Two examples of 'beautiful but sad' songs that always make me verklempt in a comforting way are " Heart of Gold" by Neil Young and " Case of You" by Joni Mitchell. Both singers happen to be Canadian.)

Researching and writing about all of this neuroscience-based empirical evidence caused me to reminisce about specific songs that I find intensely pleasurable. And, how these songs fit into the framework of emotional valence (positive or negative) and psychophysiological arousal (high or low). Out of curiosity: What are some of your all-time favorite songs that never fail to trigger an intense positive emotional response and high levels of arousal? ( Please leave a reply in the comments if you have time.)

For me, the first song that came to mind for having the ability to instantly pump up the volume of my fronto-striatal circuitry is "You Shook Me All Night Long" by AC/DC. Sadly, the band's co-founder and lead guitar player, Malcolm Young, died at the age of 64 on Nov. 18, 2017. In memoriam to Malcolm, I've had my favorite tracks from Back in Black in heavy rotation on my running playlist for the past few days.

Although I don't generally love heavy metal music, there's absolutely no way I can listen to certain AC/DC songs without blasting them at top volume and almost blowing out both my eardrums and speakers. These songs cause the activity of my fronto-striatal circuitry to ignite like high-thrust rocket fuel. Because of my idyllic adolescent autobiographical memories linked to "You Shook Me All Night Long" this song has positive emotional valence and high arousal. Based on the terminology used at McGill, this song would subjectively be classified as "happy" (positive emotion/high arousal) for me.

That said, I just played this unfamiliar AC/DC track for my singer-songwriter loving mom and she thinks it's "scary" (negative emotion/high arousal). ;-P I'm half-kidding. The point is that AC/DC music doesn't affect my mother's fronto-striatal circuitry the same way it activates mine. Nor does she find intense pleasure in this music like I do. Anecdotally, musical preferences seem to be generational. I've observed this with my 10-year-old daughter, who generally dislikes most of the songs that I adore and vice versa.... Just like parents in the 1950s couldn't relate to their kids' fascination with Elvis, parents in the '60s didn't catch Beatlemania, my parents didn't get my obsession with Rocky Horror Picture Show in the '70s, and so on.

As part of a generational "name that pleasurable tune" brain game, what songs would you include on a playlist of anthems that give you intense listening pleasure by exciting your fronto-striatal circuitry? What stage of your life was this music from? One reason I'm taking a survey is because I did an internship for "Chartbeat" at Billboard magazine in college and still love chart-based statistics and music trivia.

Notably, the McGill researchers emphasize that although musical taste is subjective, any song that triggers feelings of intense pleasure for an individual looks the same in a fMRI regardless of the genre. Although the songs themselves will be different, the neurobiological response to any song that someone loves is universally the same in a brain scan.

When I play this fronto-striatal activating name that tune game with myself, the first Top 40 music that comes to mind is from the summer of 1983. Any music from this era immediately causes me to "vividly recall positive autobiographical memories" and makes me feel young again on a molecular level. I was seventeen in '83 and had just discovered my love of running. Luckily, the Walkman had recently been invented. My bright yellow state-of-the-art " Sports" version had both a cassette player and AM/FM radio. So, I could run to my favorite Top 40 hits. It was a life-changing experience. The songs of that summer were pounded into my head on a neurobiological level.

Most memorably, the summer of 1983 Billboard Hot 100 Hits "Flashdance... What a Feeling," "Holiday," and "Little Red Corvette," still evoke the most robust autonomic nervous system (ANS) response and intense listening pleasure for me. Undoubtedly, these songs excite my fronto-striatal circuitry. Like everybody, the music of my adolescence brings back a wave of vivid memories as if it was yesterday. All three of these songs are high arousal/positive emotions and would be classified as "happy," which corroborates the clinical findings mentioned earlier.

Interestingly, the song, "Every Breath You Take," by The Police-which topped the charts for all of July and August in the summer of '83-remains one of my favorite running songs to this day and excites my fronto-striatal circuitry in unexpected ways. Technically, this is a "sad" song as marked by low arousal and negative emotions of the lyrics. Nevertheless, "Every Breath You Take" gives me almost as much oomph as other "disco" songs from this era that have a much higher BPM and energy level.

Lastly, for some reason, even though I love Annie Lennox and most Eurythmics songs, I've always despised " Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)." Unfortunately for me, the majority of people in the world seem to love this song. Therefore, it was played incessantly on the radio in the Summer of '83. This song always gives me the creeps and sounds like nails on a chalkboard in my ears. How about you? Again, most people seem to have a more positive fronto-striatal response to "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" based on the massive popularity of this song which made the Top 10 Year-End Billboard Hits list for 1983.

Below are the YouTube videos of the aforementioned songs for anyone who isn't familiar with this music or wants to activate his or her fronto-striatal circuitry:

"Fronto-Striatal Activating" Playlist | Summer of 1983
"Little Red Corvette" -Prince"You Shook Me All Night Long" -AC/DC
"Beat It" -Michael Jackson

"Flashdance... What a Feeling" -Irene Cara

"Holiday" -Madonna
What all-time favorite personal anthems would you include on your "Fronto-Striatal Activating Playlist"? If you have time, please share other songs that give you intense pleasure (or displeasure!) in the comments. Thanks.
"Every Breath You Take" -The Police

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Neuroscience Reveals Why Favorite Songs Make Us Feel So Good

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A new study by researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital of McGill University in Canada reveals that it's possible to increase or decrease someone's enjoyment of music by enhancing or disrupting certain brain circuits using a non-invasive technique called "transcranial magnetic stimulation" (TMS).

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In my personal opinion to be happy is to be appreciative, optimistic and passionate. There's so much to see and be appreciative of, those who don't value their time tend to miss out on the good side of things. Those who don't value their time dread on the negative and focus all their energy on actions/ thoughts that have already occurred. People who are happy are able to look at their past appreciate everything they've done and get excited for the future. People who are truly happy are able to appreciate everything for what it is, although they strive for more, they don't get caught up on their mistakes. Being passionate and continuously wanting the best for themselves and for others.

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One cannot 'attain' happiness but create it for themselves. Mentally and physically no one but yourself is in control of your emotions, if one wanted to be happy than one would muster the will power to do so. My final response is one can never attain happiness but make it themselves.

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“Compassion is a foundation for sharing our aliveness and building a more humane world.” – Martin Lowenthal

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“Compassion is a foundation for sharing our aliveness and building a more humane world.” – Martin Lowenthal

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It´s human nature to feel good after doing a good deed, or seeing how their help has benefited someone else. This feeling developed from helping others, is remembered and makes it a repetitive behavior so the Brain can experience this time of enjoyment again.

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Last Updated on

Happiness as a human pursuit is ingrained in our actions for as long as we can remember and positive psychology has taken this concept into the realm of scientific research in hopes of gaining a better understanding of global well-being and meaningful living.

Whether on a global or individual level the pursuit of happiness is one which is gaining traction and scientific recognition.

A Definition of Happiness

There are many definitions of happiness which can be cited here however in general, happiness is regarded as the positive emotions we have in regards to the pleasurable activities we take part in through our daily lives.

In scientific literature, happiness is referred to as hedonia (Ryan & Deci, 2001), the presence of positive emotions and the absence of negative emotions. Pleasure, comfort, gratitude, hope, and inspiration are examples of positive emotions which increase our happiness and move us to flourish.

In a more broad understanding, human well-being is made up of both and Eudaimonic principles, the literature on which is vast and describes our personal meaning and purpose in life (Ryan et al, 2001).

Research on happiness over the years has found that there are some contributing correlational factors which affect our happiness. These include (Ryan, 2001):

1) Personality Type

2) Positive Emotions versus Negative Emotions

3)Attitude towards Physical Health

4) Social Class and Wealth

5) Attachment and Relatedness

6) Goals and Self-efficacy

7) Time and Place

There is also recent research by Assistant Professor of Swansee University Katherine Nelson-Coffey which has proven that performing acts of kindness can have powerful effects on our subjective well-being and overall happiness.

Happiness Starts With You: A Study Showing How Acts of Kindness Make us Happier

Feeling stressed after a long day of work? Treat yourself to a bubble bath. Feeling blue? Treat yourself to a decadent dessert. Feeling frustrated after an argument with a friend? Skip your workout and have an extra scoop of ice cream.

The message is clear: If you want to feel happy, you should focus on your own wishes and desires. Yet this is not the advice that many people grew up hearing. Indeed, most of the world's religions (and grandmothers everywhere) have long suggested that people should focus on others first and themselves second.

Psychologists refer to such behaviour as prosocial behavior and many recent studies have shown that when people have a prosocial focus, doing kind acts for others, their own happiness increases.

But how does prosocial behaviour compare to treating yourself in terms of your happiness? And does treating yourself really make you feel happy?

In a recent study published in the journal Emotion, Katherine Nelson-Coffey and her colleagues presented their research answering these questions.

The Study

Participants were divided into four groups and given new instructions each week for four weeks.

One group was instructed to perform random acts of kindness for themselves (such as going shopping or enjoying a favorite hobby); the second group was instructed to perform acts of kindness for others (such as visiting an elderly relative or helping someone carry groceries); the third group was instructed to perform acts of kindness to improve the world (such as recycling or donating to charity); the fourth group was instructed to keep track of their daily activities. Each week, the participants reported their activities from the previous week, as well as their experience of positive and negative emotions.

At the beginning, the end, and again two weeks after the four-week period, participants completed a questionnaire to assess their psychological flourishing. As a measure of overall happiness- the questionnaire included questions asking about psychological, social, and emotional well-being.

The Results

The results of the study were striking. Only participants who engaged in prosocial behavior demonstrated improvements in psychological flourishing.

Participants who practiced prosocial behavior also demonstrated increases in positive emotions from one week to the next. In turn, these increases in feelings such as happiness, joy, and enjoyment predicted increases in psychological flourishing at the end of the study. In other words, positive emotions appeared to have been a critical ingredient linking prosocial behavior to increases in flourishing.

But what about the people who treated themselves?

They did not show the same increases in positive emotions or psychological flourishing as those who engaged in acts of kindness. In fact, people who treated themselves did not differ in positive emotions, negative emotions, or psychological flourishing over the course of the study compared to those who merely kept track of their daily activities.

This research does not say that we shouldn't treat ourselves, show ourselves self-love when we need it or enjoy our relaxation when we have it. However, the results of this study strongly suggest that we are more likely to reach greater levels of happiness when we exhibit prosocial behaviour and show others kindness through our actions.

The Global Pursuit of Happiness

In world economic circles, Richard Easterlin investigated the relationship between money and well-being, the Easterlin paradox 'money does not buy happiness' (Mohun, 2012) sparked a new wave of thinking of wealth and well-being.

In 1972, Bhutan pursued a policy of happiness versus a focus on economic growth tracked via their gross domestic product (GDPP). Subsequently, this little nation has been among the happiest amongst nations with far superior wealth (Kelly, 2012).

More global organizations and nations are becoming aware and supportive of the importance of happiness in today's world. This has lead to The United Nations inviting nations to take part in a happiness survey, resulting in the 'World Happiness Report', a basis from which to steer public policy. Learn about the World Happiness Report for 2016.

The United Nations also established World Happiness Day, 20 th of March, which was the result of efforts of the Bhutan Kingdom and their Gross National Happiness initiative (Helliwell, Layard & Sachs, 2013).

Organizations such as New Economic Foundation are playing an influential role of an economic think tank which focuses on steering economic policy and development for the betterment of human well-being.

Ruut Veenhoven is a world authority on the scientific study of happiness and was one of the sources of inspiration for United Nations adopting happiness measures (Ki-Moon, n.d). Veenhoven is a founding member of the World Database of Happiness, which is a comprehensive scientific repository of happiness measures world -wide.

The objective of this organization is to provide a coordinated collection of data, with common interpretation according to scientifically validated happiness theory, model, and research.

Measures of Happiness

At this point, you might be wondering: Is it possible to measure happiness? Many psychologists have devoted their careers to answering this question and in short, the answer is yes.

Happiness can be measured by these three factors: positive emotions, the absence of negative emotions, and life satisfaction (Ryan et al, 2001). It is a uniquely subjective experience, which means that nobody is better at reporting on someone's happiness than the individuals themselves. For this reason scales, self-report measures and questionnaires are the most common formats for measuring happiness. The most recognized examples are the following:

1)The PANAS (Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule),

2) The SWLS (Satisfaction With Life Scale) and

3) The SHS (Subjective Happiness Scale)

However, there are many instruments available to measure happiness which prove reliable and valid over time (Hefferon & Boniwell, 2011).

Four Qualities of Life (Veenhoven, 2010): A South African Happiness Case Study

Another measurement of happiness was developed by Ruut Veenhoven. He constructed the model of Four Qualities of Life which positions and describes the construct of happiness in various dimensions (Veenhoven, 2010).

Of the four dimensions, satisfaction is the dimension which our personal subjective measure of happiness as we interpret life as a whole.Veenhoven's global research into happiness suggests that happiness is possible for many (Veenhoven, 2010). This is an overview of his Four Qualities:

Using Veenhoven's Four Qualities it is possible to assess the Happiness of any country. In this case study, we will use the example of South Africa.

Liveability of Environment

This dimension includes factors such as law, freedom, schooling, employment etc. Similar to what Maslow proposed as basic needs (safety, security, shelter, food) (Maslow,1943).

In South Africa, there is still a chronic shortage of housing, water supply, and adequate schooling. For some time now, South Africa has been plagued by resultant 'service delivery riots'.

Corruption shows as a strong negative correlation (-0.69) to happiness in Veenhoven's (2010) research and sadly South Africa is plagued by a high-level of corruption and maladministration.

Life-ability of Individuals

The ability of individuals to deal with life is important; both mental and physical health are identified as important factors, together with social values of solidarity, tolerance, and love (Veenhoven, 2010).

In South Africa, the race divide is widening as this construct is used as a political motivator, to wield power to the detriment of the average individual. Violent crime, intolerance, and poverty also threaten the presence of love and compassion for each other.

Utility of Life

In this dimension, Veenhoven (2010) references a higher order meaning, for example, religious affiliations. The writer would further argue that national patriotism finds a place here.

If we hold strong pride in our nation would that not constitute input to our life's meaning? If we felt proud of our nation, would that not play a significant part in our happiness?

Uchida et al. (2013) found that high levels of national disaster negatively impacted a nation's level of happiness. Recently South Africa has experienced national tragedies such as Marikana mine tragedy and the passing of Nelson Mandela.

South Africa has come through a very unsettled and violent history of imperialism and apartheid. In both accounts, a minority population was 'protected' and experienced a 'good life', whilst the majority fuelled that good life.

The year 1994 was a significant time in history for South Africa, marking the turn of a democracy to serve all equally. There is no doubt that a significant stride has been made to correct past imbalances, however, happiness has not been a focal area for progress in this country.

Suggestions To Increase Happiness In South Africa

It is obvious that many of our challenges in South Africa are of a political and administrative nature.

Happiness is a complex construct which cannot be directly controlled, however through policy and individual and organizational action we can endeavor to influence and increase happiness (Veenhoven, 2010). Here are some examples of how happiness in South Africa could be improved:

1. Street Packs -The distribution of food packs inclusive of positive psychology literature for the homeless which motorists can purchase from major retail stores or garages.

2. Happy South Africa movies consisting of what is going well with South Africa as a nation. Insight into each of our South African cultures which could be shown before each main feature at cinemas, or on each DVD.

3. All major newspapers could give a Happy South Africa news story.

4. Positive Psychology consultants could give class or road show teachings of the principles such as gratitude, mindfulness, meaning and purpose.

5. 'If you're happy and you know it clap your hands'-an overarching organization which could provide a consolidated portal to all volunteer and community organizations which are working to make South Africa happier.

6. Create a South African Happiness Community which researches local happiness.

7. 'It's a Gooaalllll'. Help communities scope local projects, to both obtain resources and project manage the initiatives to successful completion.

8. South Africa could engage and actively take part in the world happiness initiatives which are taking off globally.

South Africa is just one example of the many countries in the world that require greater advocacy, and action on an individual, organizational and governmental level. However, happiness is a subjective experience and only once we change the way we perceive the world can we really begin sharing and creating happiness for others. But is it possible to train yourself to be happier?

The answer is yes!

Happiness Comes from Within: Train your Brain for Happiness

At birth, our genetics provide us with a happiness set point that accounts for about 40% of our happiness. Having enough food, shelter, and safety makes up 10%. Then we have 50% that in entirely up to us.

By training our brain through and to think in a happier, more optimistic, and more resilient way; we can effectively train our brains for happiness.

New discoveries in the field of positive psychology show that physical health, psychological well-being and physiological functioning are all improved by how we learn to "feel good". (Fredrickson B. L. 2000)

What Are The Patterns We Need To "Train Out" of Our Brains?

1. Perfectionism- Often confused with conscientiousness which involves appropriate and tangible expectations, perfectionism involves inappropriate levels of expectations and intangible goals. It often produces problems for adults, adolescents, and children.

2. Social comparison-When we compare ourselves to others we often find ourselves lacking. Healthy social comparison is about finding what you admire in others and learning to strive for those qualities. However the best comparisons we can make are with ourselves. How are you better than you were in the past?

3. Materialism- People who attach their happiness to external things and material wealth. This is dangerous was they can loose their happiness if their material circumstances change (Carter, T. J., & Gilovich, T. 2010.).

4. Maximizing- Maximizers search for better options even when they are satisfied. This leaves them little time to be present for the good moments in their lives and with very little gratitude. (Schwartz, B., Ward, A., Monterosso, J., Lyubomirsky, S., White, K., & Lehman, D. R. 2002.)

Misconceptions About Mind Training

Some of the simple misconceptions about retraining your brain are simply untrue. Here are a few myths that need debunking:

We are products of our genetics so we cannot create change in our brains.
Our minds are malleable. Ten years ago we thought brain pathways were set in early childhood, in fact, we now know that there is huge potential for large changes through to your twenties and neuroplasticity is still changing throughout one's life. The myelin sheath that covers your neural pathways gets thicker and stronger the more it is used (think of the plastic protective covering on wires). The more a pathway is used the stronger the myelin, the faster the neural pathway. Simply put, when you practice feeling grateful, you notice more things to be grateful for.

Brain training is brainwashing.
Brainwashing is involuntary change. If we focus on training our mind to see the glass half full instead of half empty, that is a choice (And a healthy one!).

If we are too happy we run the risk of becoming overly optimistic.
There is no such thing as overly-optimistic and science shows that brain training for positivity includes practices like mindfulness and gratitude. No one has ever overdosed on these habits.

How Is The Brain Wired For Happiness?

Our brains come already designed for happiness. We have caregiving systems in place for eye contact, touch and vocalizations to let others know we are trustworthy and secure.

Our brains also regulate chemicals like oxytocin. People who have more oxytocin trust more readily, have increased tendencies to monogamy, and more caregiving behavior. These behaviors reduce stress which lowers production of hormones like cortisol and inhibits the cardiovascular response to stress (Kosfeld, M., Heinrichs, M., Zak, P. J., Fischbacher, U., & Fehr, E. 2005).

Watch the following TED talk provides an insight into how we can overcome our negative mental patterns:

While this TEDtalk, gives a better understanding of how to wire your brain to accept the positivity and happiness in your life.

A Take Home Message

Happiness is the overall subjective experience of our positive emotions. There are many factors which influence our happiness and ongoing research continues to uncover what makes us our happiest.

This global pursuit of happiness has resulted in measures such as the World Happiness Report while the World Happiness Database is working to collaborate and consolidate the existing happiness pursuits of different nations.

We are living in a time when the conditions for happiness are known. This can be disheartening at times when we consider examples such as South Africa where political strife prevent much of the population from experiencing the Four Qualities of Life as presented by Veenhoven.

There is, however, good news in this situation; neuroplasticity.

The human brain is wired for happiness and positive connections with others. It is actually possible to experience and learn happiness despite what has been genetically hardwired.

In a world where the focus on happiness is growing and the mirror is turning back towards ourselves. The happiness of the world relies on the happiness within each one of us and how we act, share and voice the importance of happiness for everyone. What are the steps you are taking to make yourself and others happier?

About The Authors

Gary is a positive psychology enthusiast and a member of the British Psychological society. He has worked extensively in the technology business arena, but his passion and interest is in the field of human sciences.

Katherine Nelson-Coffey is an assistant professor of Psychology at Sewanee: The University of the South. She earned her bachelor's of science in Psychology in 2008 and her Ph.D. in 2015, where she studied personality and social psychology with Sonja Lyubomirsky. You can read about her research interests here.

References

Hefferon, K., & Boniwell, I. (2011) Positive Psychology: Theory, research, and applications. Open University Press: United States

Helliwell, J., Layard, R., & Sachs, J. (2013) World Happiness Report 2013. United Nations. Retrieved from United Nations.

Kelly, A. (2012) Gross national happiness in Bhutan: the big idea from a tiny state that could change the world. The Guardian: USA. Retrieved from: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/dec/01/bhutan-wealth-happiness-counts?CMP=share_btn_link

Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological review,50(4), 370.

Mohun, J. (2012) The Economics Book. Pages 217-219. DK Publishers: Great Britain

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2001) On Happiness and Human Potentials: A review of research on hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. Annual Reviews Psychology (2001) 52:141-66.

Ryff, C. D., & Singer, B. H. (2006) Know Thyself and Become What You Are: A Eudemonic approach to psychological well-being. Journal of Happiness Studies 9:13 -39, 2008.

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Happiness & All You Need To Know About The Science Behind It

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Last Updated on Happiness as a human pursuit is ingrained in our actions for as long as we can remember and positive psychology has taken this concept into the realm of scientific research in hopes of gaining a better understanding of global well-being and meaningful living.

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A popular trend often displayed by those who are labelled as "happy" would be the stubborn characteristic of hope. Those who portray this trait of seeing a "bad" (situation that didn't turn) in their favor, and the hope/belief it will be better. A strong sense of hope is the ability to stick through that belief that things will turn for the better despite the present upsets. Great Gatsby, a character in the novel; The Great Gatsby, is the center of hope throughout the book. Gatsby patiently waits 5 years for the 'love of his life' and becomes the man she 'needed' to marry. However by the time he finds her again, she's married with children and a reputation. His belief/hope is that she would drop all of her responsibilities to be with him. This passionate belief drives him to carryout extravagant parties and holds a persona to become the rich man her parents would approve of. Although Daisy eventually did pick him over her husband, Gatsby built his entire life and future for daisy over the hope she would fall for him. This ideology of hope is so powerful people block out all of the negativity and become hyper focused on maintaining this feeling of hope of their goal.

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Although I've stated the true feeling of happiness is being content and satisfied, being happy to me is also constantly wanting to better yourself. If one didn't want to continuously try to be better or work harder than their previous self than human life would remain stagnant. This argument is slippery slope since both sides contradict each other. In previous posts I've talked about one being satisfied with where they are in their life ( all aspects ); a feeling of being complete. However in this post I argue that one should stay hungry to be

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Someone who is truly happy is in control of their feelings in conjunction to their actions/reactions. Although they make mistakes they do not let that define them or damper their mood. Not to confuse this with being emotionless or depressed or having no direction in their life. Someone who is truly happy is able to be excited and content with everything they do, if they didn't reach a specific goal they're able to except the outcome and move on.

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To me, someone who is truly happy is completely content with their state of being and everything they do. Their actions they do has no negative affect to their emotional state of being. They feel satisfied with where they are in life and have no regrets financially, educationally or in all aspects of their life. They may have goals but they know whatever they do, they're in control with their feelings and can instantaneously turn a situation around.