What Makes You Happy?
I asked a bunch of people. And now I’m asking you. Because in order to be happy, we need to know what makes us so.
We humans focus a lot on sadness, grief, anger, worry and frustrations, what happened yesterday and what might come tomorrow. That’s natural. But science finds we’d be wise to spend more time thinking about what makes us happy and then doing more of that thing, right now, today. Easier said than done, right? But hey, we can and should try, since the alternative is more of the same.
Step 1 on any path to happiness is figuring out what actually makes you happy. So I asked a bunch of people that very question. I hope you’ll chime in, or at least glean a little insight into what floats your boat, then surf on the positive vibe.
But first: What is happiness, anyway?
Sonja Lyubomirsky, a psychology professor and author of The How of Happiness, defines happiness as “the experience of joy, contentment, or positive well-being, combined with a sense that one’s life is good, meaningful, and worthwhile.” Very helpful, but kinda longish. Aristotle was more succinct: “Happiness is a state of activity.”
Hmm. Like running? Dancing? Working on a project? Chatting with friends? Probably any of the above, science suggests. But it’s…
