https://padlet.com/stevencos6693/jnk9mpg1qpfw en-us 2018-04-03 17:32:31 UTC 2025-12-15 15:21:15 UTC hello@padlet.com https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRSkXY3TaRwI2Szqc9MvuhjAR8CVIX_HCFmAmXORu85TP1QIcPl stevencos6693 https://padlet.com/stevencos6693/jnk9mpg1qpfw/wish/249926244 2018-04-09 17:07:04 UTC https://padlet.com/stevencos6693/jnk9mpg1qpfw/wish/249926244 stevencos6693 https://padlet.com/stevencos6693/jnk9mpg1qpfw/wish/252263623 Merriam-Webster has two definitions for happiness: "A state of well-being and contentment" and "A pleasurable or satisfying experience." By this definition, happiness is not something that can last forever; happiness is a state one obtains only at specific moments or experiences.]]> 2018-04-16 17:35:33 UTC https://padlet.com/stevencos6693/jnk9mpg1qpfw/wish/252263623 stevencos6693 https://padlet.com/stevencos6693/jnk9mpg1qpfw/wish/254512119 I created a three-question survey asking people to define the most important source of happiness in one word. Of the 15 responses, 6 people said family, 3 people said friends, and 2 people said yourself. I found this interesting because those three responses made up nearly 70% of peoples' answers. This means that the majority of the survey takers thought the ultimate source of happiness came from people, whether it be oneself or the others around them. My survey also asked if people thought one had to be happy all the time in order to obtain true happiness, and it asked if it is possible to have true happiness. All but one person thought that one did not need to be constantly happy in order to obtain true happiness, and everyone thought that it is possible to have true happiness.]]> 2018-04-23 17:14:17 UTC https://padlet.com/stevencos6693/jnk9mpg1qpfw/wish/254512119 stevencos6693 https://padlet.com/stevencos6693/jnk9mpg1qpfw/wish/254522002 2018-04-23 17:31:57 UTC https://padlet.com/stevencos6693/jnk9mpg1qpfw/wish/254522002 stevencos6693 https://padlet.com/stevencos6693/jnk9mpg1qpfw/wish/254526948 This article looks into what may be causing people to be unhappy. It says that there are many difficulties in life that we can not control, but there are a lot of things that we can control that may be making us unhappy. Most of these controllable life factors involve being too harsh on yourself, not accepting your own mistakes or faults, making poor decisions, or negatively comparing yourself to others. I agree with the central message in this article: there are many things that we do that cause our own suffering. Everyone would be a lot happier if they acknowledged that they can never be perfect, but they can improve how they act and think. No one is immune to unhappiness, but everyone is able to make decisions that make them more happy overall.]]> 2018-04-23 17:40:13 UTC https://padlet.com/stevencos6693/jnk9mpg1qpfw/wish/254526948 stevencos6693 https://padlet.com/stevencos6693/jnk9mpg1qpfw/wish/260024421 I found this image interesting because I think that a lot of our happiness does come from hope and anticipation for something exciting. However, when we actually do get to experience whatever we are waiting for, we often are not quite as happy as we thought we would be. This relates to The Great Gatsby because Gatsby spent 5 years waiting for the moment he would get to meet Daisy again. Despite his immense excitement he had for their meeting, when they finally did see each other again, the novel said Daisy did not quite live up to his wildest dreams. In the end, he never was able to obtain his dreams of spending the rest of his life with her. Gatsby was more happy during the 5 years of planning and hoping for the moment he would get to meet Daisy than when he finally did meet her.]]> 2018-05-11 17:12:18 UTC https://padlet.com/stevencos6693/jnk9mpg1qpfw/wish/260024421 stevencos6693 https://padlet.com/stevencos6693/jnk9mpg1qpfw/wish/260032299 I agree with what this picture says about our own happiness. Everyone should make decisions that will help benefit him or herself in order to be happy. People should not let others' actions, negativity, or words dominate their emotions and order them into sadness. Rather, people should keep in perspective that their life is theirs only and they should do what makes them happy, not just what would make them fit in what society wants them to be.]]> 2018-05-11 17:33:02 UTC https://padlet.com/stevencos6693/jnk9mpg1qpfw/wish/260032299 stevencos6693 https://padlet.com/stevencos6693/jnk9mpg1qpfw/wish/260296571 In this video, an author named Gretchen Rubin explains that the innumerable amount of definitions for happiness are not very helpful to anyone because being "happy" can be such a confusing, daunting, and seemingly impossible task. Since there are so many different ways to view happiness, some people do not even believe it is possible to achieve, but rather it is just an elusive goal. Instead, she says that a much better approach to being "happy" is figuring out ways to be happier. In my mind, this makes perfect sense. Finding ways to be happier is a lot easier and more attainable than figuring out how to be happy and how to define happiness.]]> 2018-05-14 00:53:04 UTC https://padlet.com/stevencos6693/jnk9mpg1qpfw/wish/260296571 stevencos6693 https://padlet.com/stevencos6693/jnk9mpg1qpfw/wish/260297589 This video by The Atlantic interviewed several different professors, writers, and other people from different walks of life to get a broad view on what happiness is. One common thing that the people said was that pleasure is more short-term, where happiness is more long-term satisfaction with life. This happiness comes more from finding meaning and fulfillment in life, which often can come from strong relationships with others. Also, being content and grateful for what you have and not comparing yourself to people who have more or less than you will also lead to greater happiness. The views on happiness presented in the video leads me to think that happiness is a result of our own decisions, which is the same conclusion met by another video I found by Live Happy. They argue that we can choose to be happy and make changes in order to do so, which I agree with.]]> 2018-05-14 00:59:20 UTC https://padlet.com/stevencos6693/jnk9mpg1qpfw/wish/260297589 stevencos6693 https://padlet.com/stevencos6693/jnk9mpg1qpfw/wish/260297947 This video reveals that humans have been trying to figure out how to obtain happiness for as long as they have existed. Despite this, the United States, which is one of the healthiest, most educated, and wealthiest countries in the world, ranked seventeenth on a recent world happiness report. This is ironic because one would expect America to be the most happy country in the world given its wealth and success. This irony may be a result of the  traditional idea that hard work and success lead to happiness. However, research shows that happiness is what leads to hard work, success, and further happiness. Many in America make decisions that will yield them the most money in the hopes of being happy, which is why America is not ranked first in the world happiness report. The video argues that we have to create our own happiness through our attitude and perspective in order to be more successful and content in life. Also, being happy is contagious, so if you are happy, it will make others more happy. Spreading happiness through relationships is another major source of happiness. If we have a positive attitude, we will automatically be more happy and make better decisions that will lead us to success and happiness, not just success. After all, is the modern definition of obtaining a lot of money as "success" really a fitting definition if it does not lead to happiness? ]]> 2018-05-14 01:02:25 UTC https://padlet.com/stevencos6693/jnk9mpg1qpfw/wish/260297947 stevencos6693 https://padlet.com/stevencos6693/jnk9mpg1qpfw/wish/260297977 This video talks about how people could be happier. One way is by slowing down and taking time to relax. Another way discussed was to strengthen relationships with other people. Also, the video points out that people in poorer places often seem happier because of their attitude. They have what they need, but they are not surrounded by material goods and constantly wanting more of them. Finally, one speaker in the video said that we should stop looking for happiness, but rather just be grateful when we are happy. The central message of the video is that there are a lot of things we can do to increase our general happiness, especially by changing how we think and what we do.]]> 2018-05-14 01:02:39 UTC https://padlet.com/stevencos6693/jnk9mpg1qpfw/wish/260297977 stevencos6693 https://padlet.com/stevencos6693/jnk9mpg1qpfw/wish/260301123 Money and greed affect the happiness of many people around the world. The constant obsession for more and more things leaves people unsatisfied. For many, the persistent urge to make more money hurts their overall happiness. By working more to increase their salary, people have less time to be with friends and family. Also, many people focus more on buying material goods rather than experiences, which often have a greater impact on identity and happiness. I agree that greed and society's obsession with money hurts individual's happiness. If people were more grateful for what they had and less greedy for more, they would be happier by nature. For example, in The Great Gatsby, James Gatz devotes his life to making more money just to impress Daisy. Despite him becoming incredibly wealthy, he was never able to live happily ever after with Daisy. Money can't buy love or happiness. Gatsby should have realized this earlier and focused on finding love elsewhere through more personal methods instead of trying to use money to impress his way into love. ]]> 2018-05-14 01:23:02 UTC https://padlet.com/stevencos6693/jnk9mpg1qpfw/wish/260301123 stevencos6693 https://padlet.com/stevencos6693/jnk9mpg1qpfw/wish/261455047 2018-05-17 04:39:27 UTC https://padlet.com/stevencos6693/jnk9mpg1qpfw/wish/261455047