Being happy

I will not pretend to be an expert at what makes people happy, but I am slowly beginning to learn what makes ME happy...It's only taken 27 years to do so! Just read about this new study from UNC that basically says that they key to happiness is to focus on the small, everyday things that make you happy.

For instance, waking up in the morning and having the change to share a morning cup of coffee with my husband makes me insanely happy. Going to the gym makes me happy. The sound of my mother's voice makes me really happy (except when she's lecturing me on my shopping habit ;-). Having time to lay on the couch and read for an uninteruppeted period of time makes me happy. Snuggling up with my husband to watch tv before bed makes me happy. Being outside makes me happy...especially during the periods between winter and spring and between summer and fall when the weather is perfect.

From The Chapel Hill News
UNC study: To build resilience, don't worry, see happyPatric Lane, UNC News Services
CHAPEL HILL - People who seed their life with frequent moments of positive emotions increase their resilience against challenges, according to a new study by a UNC psychologist and colleagues. The study, "Happiness Unpacked: Positive Emotions Increase Life Satisfaction by Building Resilience," appears in the June issue of the bimonthly journal Emotion.

"This study shows that if happiness is something you want out of life, then focusing daily on the small moments and cultivating positive emotions is the way to go," said Barbara Fredrickson, Ph.D., Kenan Distinguished Professor of Psychology in UNC's College of Arts and Sciences and the principal investigator of the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Laboratory.

"Those small moments let positive emotions blossom, and that helps us become more open. That openness then helps us build resources that can help us rebound better from adversity and stress, ward off depression and continue to grow."

In the monthlong study, 86 participants were asked to submit daily "emotion reports," rather than answering general questions like, "Over the last few months, how much joy did you feel?"

"Getting those daily reports helped us gather more accurate recollections of feelings and allowed us to capture emotional ups and downs," said Fredrickson, a leading expert in the field of positive psychology. Building up a daily diet of positive emotions does not require banishing negative emotions, she said. The study helps show that to be happy, people do not need to adopt a "Pollyannaish" approach and deny the upsetting aspects of life.

"The levels of positive emotions that produced good benefits weren't extreme. Participants with average and stable levels of positive emotions still showed growth in resilience even when their days included negative emotions."

What little things make you happy?