Tag: happiness

Following the Advice of Ancient Philosophers Can Make You Happier

Via Mercola

Story at-a-glance

  • Reading about how to be happier will not make you happier — you have to practice, ideally every day. The ancient philosophers knew this, and prescribed rituals to train your mind to respond to life in a positive way
  • Techniques that can help raise your level of happiness include changing your perception or belief, asking yourself how you’d advise someone else in the same situation, and postponing your decision to act
  • Having a morning and evening ritual and practicing gratitude are important for happiness; 13 additional strategies that can help boost your happiness level are also reviewed

For many, happiness is elusive at best and at times near impossible. There’s always something (or someone) pushing our buttons, making us feel less than joyful. According to Barbara Fredrickson, a psychologist and positive-emotions researcher, most Americans have two positive experiences for every negative one.

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The Science of Happiness

Guest Post by John Stossel

Are you happy? Many people say they feel happier during the holidays.

But I’m not happy.

Democrats and Republicans keep voting for bigger government. Few people accept the idea that government that governs least — governs best.

It makes me sad.

I once did an ABC special on “The Mystery of Happiness.” We interviewed the “Giggle Twins,” two sisters who were so happy all the time that our film crew found them annoying to be around. The twins laughed all the time. Continue reading “The Science of Happiness”

Happiness Is…

Guest Post by Van Bryan

While the works of Aristotle are numerous, detailed, and profound in their own ways, it is arguable that the philosopher’s most notable contributions are in the realm of Ethics. It was once believed that all you really needed to know about Western philosophy could be found within the pages of Plato’s The Republic and Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics.

While we may be hesitant to dismiss the numerous other philosophical contributions so quickly, this notion does accurately display the profound influence Aristotelian ethics has had on the world of philosophy and beyond. More of a guide to self improvement rather than a series of abstract musings, Nicomachean Ethics aims at making us better people, or as Aristotle puts it, “excellent people.” It is for this reason that these ideas are of such importance. No longer are we trapped in the realm of theoretical consideration. We are on a mission to find “The Good” and shape ourselves accordingly.

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QUOTES OF THE DAY

“What is good? All that enhances the feeling of power, the will to power, and the power itself in man. What is bad? All that proceeds from weakness. What is happiness? The feeling that power is increasing–that resistance has been overcome. Not contentment, but more power; not peace at any price, but war; not virtue, but competence.

The first principle of our humanism is that the weak and the failures shall perish. And they ought to be helped to perish. What is more harmful than any vice? Active pity for all failure and weakness— christianity.”

Friedrich Nietzsche, The Antichrist

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

Ephesians 6:12

“A true opium of the people is a belief in nothingness after death— the huge solace of thinking that for our betrayals, greed, cowardice, and murders that we are not going to be judged.”

Czesław Miłosz

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An 80-year-long Harvard study claims to have found the secret to health and happiness

Guest Post by Quetin Fottrell

This study started tracking 268 Harvard sophomores in 1938 during the Great Depression

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There are some things that money can’t buy. True friends and happiness are among them. In fact, an 80-year-long study at Harvard University claims good pals are the key to a happy life.

Scientists began tracking the health of 268 Harvard sophomores in 1938, and have continued the study over the past eight decades. The original participants included President John F. Kennedy and longtime Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee, according to the Harvard Gazette. The study originally only included men, as Harvard didn’t not admit women at that time, but the ongoing research has expanded, and now includes 1,300 of the original participants offspring. In the 1970s, 456 Boston inner-city residents were also included in the study.

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Are We Happy?

Guest Post by The Zman

Generally speaking, it is pretty easy for you to know if you are happy. While happiness is not a binary condition, you know if you are not happy. You may not be able to describe why it is you are happy, but the lack of complaints is usually a good enough answer. For the most part, you can tell if your wife and family is happy too. It is once you get past your close circle of friends, that it gets hard to know. Richard Cory, whenever he was in town, seemed like he was living a happy life, but you never can know for sure.

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Stucky Sunday QOTD: Pursuit Of Happiness

Please take a few minutes to think about and then answer today’s questions (at least in your head) BEFORE reading the article.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

We often discuss at length the “life” and especially “liberty” aspects of this most important phrase in our Constitution, and rightfully so. But, “happiness” is often overlooked. Perhaps because it’s such an individual thing, somewhat nebulous, and whereby consensus is practically impossible? So, then …


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HOPE & SORROW – THE CIRCLE OF LIFE

REPOST OF ARTICLE FROM AUGUST 2014

 

“Actual happiness always looks pretty squalid in comparison with the overcompensations for misery. And, of course, stability isn’t nearly so spectacular as instability. And being contented has none of the glamour of a good fight against misfortune, none of the picturesqueness of a struggle with temptation, or a fatal overthrow by passion or doubt. Happiness is never grand.” – Aldous Huxley, Brave New World


When you drive the PA Turnpike for 7 hours you have a lot of time to think. Our trip to Altoona was bittersweet. My oldest son is beginning his senior year at Penn State. He has his whole life ahead of him. But you never know for sure. His best friend was killed in a car accident one year ago. That tragic event has changed him. He is more serious and introspective. He is searching for a deeper meaning to life. He has downloaded a number of books about spirituality this summer.

He is worried about getting a job after graduation. His degree in Information Technology doesn’t guarantee a job. No degree guarantees a job anymore. I hope he is able to land a decent job with a decent company. He won’t be burdened with any student loan debt. That’s my gift to him. He also understands what is going on in this country. He doesn’t trust the government or the police. He has a healthy skepticism about everything in the media. Driving in a car with me for two hours a day will do that to you.

On the interminable drive, I thought about my senior year in college. It was a great time. I shared an apartment off-campus with two buddies. I had my academics completely under control, so there was plenty of time for enjoying my final days of freedom with friends. There was softball, basketball, frat parties, concerts, and many nights of drinking. Our apartment was fairly big and perfect for parties. There were many interviews with accounting firms and many rejection letters. Our biggest most drunken party was the rejection letter burning party. There were so many rejection letters among the attendees that we achieved a huge bonfire in our yard.

I graduated from college in 1986 and I had hopes and dreams that seemed achievable. Jobs were plentiful. If you took the necessary steps (CPA, MBA), worked hard, and joined the right company, a successful career in finance was there for the taking. If you invested your money in the stock market consistently, dollar cost averaging would lead to a long-term nest egg. Monetary and fiscal policy was too abstract for someone trying to raise a family and build a successful career. Accounting manager, Treasurer, Controller, Strategic Planning – next stop CFO. Politics was uninteresting to me. Life was progressing nicely until the turn of the century.

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I’M UNHAPPY

Everyone knows that New Yorkers are miserable pricks. Half the country wanted Hurricane Sandy to wash the filthy, disgusting Sodom & Gomorrah off the face of the earth. I would have settled for seeing Bloomberg sucked down a sewer pipe and eaten by rats.

I’m unhappy that my city is in the middle of the pack. It seems PA has a lot of unhappy people. Who would want to live in Erie or Scranton, for Chrissakes?

How could Louisiana be the happiest place in America? Are these rubes too stupid to realize they are poor, ignorant and live in a shithole?

Checkout the chart to see your city’s happiness quotient.

New York City is the most unhappy city in America

July 18, 2014, 12:23 PM ET

 

Cheer up, Big Apple residents — New York City is the most unhappy city in America.

That’s according to data coming from a working paper by Harvard professor Edward Glaeser, Vancouver School of Economics professor Joshua Gottlieb and Harvard doctoral student Oren Ziv. They used data collected in a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey called the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, and then adjusted it for age, sex, race, income and other factors. (Such adjustments are important — women, for instance, are happier than men; the married are happier than single or divorced respondents; and so on.)

In short, New Yorkers are unhappiest on an “adjusted” basis; but scoff at those adjustments as you like, they are still third-most-unhappy region (of the areas where there are at least 200 respondents) out of 177 metro areas on an unadjusted basis.

It’d be blithe to say those who work on Wall Street are scientifically miserable. But remember, money buys happiness. So, probably not.

The happiest five cities are all in Louisiana, with Lafayette taking the crown (Louisiana is also the happiest state). The unhappiest cities, after New York City, are St. Joseph, Miss.; South Bend, Ind.; Erie, Penn.; and the Evansville, Ind.-Henderson, Ky. area.

– Steve Goldstein

http://blogs.marketwatch.com/capitolreport/2014/07/18/new-york-city-is-the-most-unhappy-city-in-america/?mod=MW_home_latest_news

9 Common Pursuits That Rob Us of Happiness

Hat tip Thinker

http://www.becomingminimalist.com/find-happiness/

 

“Happiness is not a destination, it’s a way of life.”

Happiness. We look for it in different places. Some of us hope to buy it. Some think we can earn it. Others look for it in a new job, a new relationship, or a new accomplishment.

But one thing remains: happiness is something we all desire. We were designed to experience it.

Why then, does it appear at times to be so elusive? How can a society search so desperately for something, but still struggle to find it?

Maybe it is because the pursuits we have set before us as a means to find it are actually keeping us from it.

Consider these 9 pursuits and how they may be distracting us from happiness. Each of them are common in our lives and in our world. But rather than contributing to our happiness, they may be robbing us of it.

9 Common Pursuits That Rob Us of Happiness

1. Following the crowd. The crowd rarely has our best interests in mind. Instead, they seek their own benefit. Scientists call this crowd mentality. And more often than not, following the crowd leads to destructive behaviors rather than life-giving. We would be wise to seek input into our lives from other sources than the popular perceptions of the day.

2. Trying to please everybody. Bill Cosby said it this way, “I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.” We are never going to please everybody. At some point, we will hold an unpopular opinion—one that gives us meaning and purpose and passion. And when we do, we ought to hold on to it desperately.

3. Chasing wealth. Studies confirm it over and over again: once our most basic needs have been met, money contributes very little to our overall happiness. And yet, we continue to pursue more as if it holds the secret key to lasting joy. But those who desire riches bring temptation to themselves and are often caught in a trap. Happiness is never the byproduct of chasing wealth.

4. Desiring a picture-perfect life. Happiness is not something we discover only after everything is perfect with our lives (our jobs, our appearance, our relationships). If that were the case, none of us would ever experience happiness. This world is imperfect—always will be. But happiness can still be found once we realize perfection is not a prerequisite.

5. Building our own kingdom. The size of our universe shrinks dramatically when we place ourselves at the center. Living selfishly for our own personal gain will never produce lasting happiness and fulfillment. Our lives are designed to be lived for something far greater. And only those who discover the hidden joy of living for others will find a happiness that truly lasts.

6. Entertaining distraction. Our world has become a constant feed of information, noise, and entertainment. Each distraction enters our mind with one goal: Gain control of our attention and resources. Those who sacrifice their resources to unlimited curiosity will never find the mental or financial capacity to become something greater.

7. Fighting for recognition. Searching for happiness in recognition is a losing endeavor. The world will never give you the respect or accolades you so desperately desire. They are all too busy fighting for their own. You will need to find it elsewhere.

8. Succumbing to fear. If given the chance, fear will always cripple. It will steal your life and potential. Living your fullest life will require courage in the face of fear. Sometimes you will fail. But be strong, most of the time, you will succeed—or become better because of it.

9. Searching for it around the next corner. Happiness is not something to be chased. It is a decision to be made.

And you have everything you need right now to choose it.