Happiness

1. Dr. Suresh Kumar
Murugesan PhD Happiness
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2. About the Presenter
● Dr.Suresh Kumar Murugesan is a passionate
professor, researcher and Positive psychologist from
Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India
● He is heading the department of Psychology, The
American College, Madurai
● He is very keen in learning new research studies in
behavioural sciences and always open to learn.
● His ultimate aim is to make impression in the field of
Knowledge and Education
● His area of specializations are Psychometry and
Positive Psychology
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3. Introduction
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1. What is Happiness?
2. Is happiness the same thing to you and others?
3. Why happiness is important in life?

4. Happiness
● a state of well-being and
contentment
● a pleasurable or satisfying
experience
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5. Happiness
Happiness is characterized by experiencing
positive emotions while simultaneously perceiving
one’s life as meaningful and worthwhile.
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6. Happiness is ● Joy
● Excitement
● Gratitude
● Pride
● Optimism
● Contentment
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7. Happiness is ● Joy: A often relatively brief feeling that is
felt in the present moment
● Excitement: A happy feeling that involves
looking forward to something with positive
anticipation
● Gratitude: A positive emotion that
involves being thankful and appreciative
● Pride: A feeling of satisfaction in
something that you have accomplished
● Optimism: This is a way of looking at life
with a positive, upbeat outlook
● Contentment: This type of happiness
involves a sense of satisfaction
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8. Components of
happiness
Two key components of happiness (or subjective well-being) are:
1. The balance of emotions
2. Life satisfaction
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9. 1. The balance
of emotions
1. Everyone experiences
both positive and negative
emotions, feelings, and
moods.
2. Happiness is generally
linked to experiencing
more positive feelings
than negative.
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10. 2. Life satisfaction
This relates to how satisfied and feel with different
areas of our life including our
1. relationships,
2. work,
3. achievements, and
4. other things that we consider important.
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11. Happiness is not?
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12. Happiness is
Not: Feeling
Good All The
Time
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13. Happiness is
Not: Being Rich
or Affording
Everything we
Want
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14. Happiness is
Not: A Final
Destination
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15. Misconceptions about Happiness
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16. Misconception -1
"I’ll be happy when I’m rich and successful."
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17. Misconception -2
"I’ll be happy when I’m married to the right person."
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18. Misconception - 3
"Landing my dream job will make me happy."
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19. Misconception - 4
"I can’t be happy when my relationship has fallen apart."
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20. Misconception - 5
"I will never recover from this diagnosis."
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21. Misconception - 6
"The best years of my life are over."
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22. Signs / Traits of a
Happy Person
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23. Feeling satisfied with
life
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24. Feeling positive more
than negative
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25. Feeling accomplished
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26. Feeling good in life
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27. Open to learning new
things
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28. High in humility and
patience
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29. Smiles and laughs
readily
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30. Goes with the flow
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31. Grateful in nature
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32. Exercises self-care
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33. Enjoys healthy
relationships
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34. Happy for other people
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35. Gives and receives
without torment
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36. Lives with meaning and
purpose
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37. Does not feel entitled
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38. Has fewer expectations
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39. Not spiteful or insulting
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40. Does not hold grudges
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41. Does not register small
annoyances
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42. Does not angst over
yesterday and
tomorrow
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43. Does not play games
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44. Is not a victim
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45. Why Happiness?
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46. Happiness is good for our health
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47. Happy people are less likely to get sick
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48. Happy people live longer
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49. Happiness is good for our relationships
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50. Happy people are more likely to get married
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51. Happy people have more friends
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52. Happy people make more money
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53. Happy people are more productive at work
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54. Happy people are more generous
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55. Happy people cope better with stress
and trauma
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56. Happy people are more creative
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57. Happy people see big picture
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58. Determinants of Happiness
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60. Relationship between Happiness, Gene,
Neurotransmitter
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61. Effects of genes on happiness neurotransmitters
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62. The Psychology Behind Human Happiness
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63. Theories of
Happiness
There are many different theories of happiness,
but they generally fall into one of two categories
based on how they conceptualize happiness (or
well-being):
1. Hedonic
2. Eudaimonic
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64. Hedonic
happiness
Hedonic happiness/well-being is happiness conceptualized
as experiencing more pleasure and less pain;
it is composed of
● an affective component (high positive affect and low
negative affect) and
● a cognitive component (satisfaction with one’s life);
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65. Hedonia
Hedonic happiness is derived from pleasure.
It is most often associated with
● doing what feels good,
● self-care,
● fulfilling desires,
● experiencing enjoyment, and
● feeling a sense of satisfaction.
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66. Eudaimonic happiness
Eudaimonic happiness/well-being conceptualizes happiness as the
result of the pursuit and attainment of life purpose, meaning, challenge,
and personal growth; happiness is based on reaching one’s full potential
and operating at full functioning (AIPC, 2011).
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67. Eudaimonia
Eudaimonia happiness is derived from attainment of life
purpose.
It is most often associated with
● seeking virtue and meaning.
● feeling that our life has meaning, value, and
purpose.
● fulfilling responsibilities,
● investing in long-term goals,
● concern for the welfare of other people, and
● living up to personal ideals.
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68. What sources create true personal happiness?
Taking together all the various theories and findings on happiness, we know that there are at least a few
factors that are very important for overall happiness:
● Individual income;
● Labor market status;
● Physical health;
● Family;
● Social relationships;
● Moral values;
● Experience of positive emotions (AIPC, 2011).
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69. Benefits of Happiness
June Silny at Happify outlines 14 answers to the question, “What’s so great about happiness, anyway?”
1. Happy people are more successful in multiple life domains, including marriage, friendship, income, work performance,
and health.
2. Happy people get sick less often and experience fewer symptoms when they do get sick.
3. Happy people have more friends and a better support system.
4. Happy people donate more to charity (and giving money to charity makes you happy, too).
5. Happy people are more helpful and more likely to volunteer—which also makes you happier!
6. Happy people have an easier time navigating through life since optimism eases pain, sadness, and grief.
7. Happy people have a positive influence on others and encourage them to seek happiness as well, which can act as
reinforcement.
8. Happy people engage in deeper and more meaningful conversations.
9. Happy people smile more, which is beneficial to your health.
10. Happy people exercise more often and eat more healthily.
11. Happy people are happy with what they have rather than being jealous of others.
12. Happy people are healthier all around and more likely to be healthy in the future.
13. Happy people live longer than those who are not as happy.
14. Happy people are more productive and more creative, and this effect extends to all those experiencing positive
emotions.
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70. How to cultivate
Happiness?
Specific, science-based activities for cultivating
happiness:
● Awe Narrative: Recall and describe a time when
experienced awe.
● Best Possible Self: Imagine our life going as well as
it possibly could, then write about this best possible
future.
● Best Possible Self for Relationships: Imagine your
relationship going as well as it possibly could.
● Mental Subtraction of Positive Events: Visualize
what your life would be like without the good things
you have.
● Meaningful Photos: Photograph, then write about,
things that are meaningful to you.
● Gift of Time: Invest in your relationships by spending
quality time with people you care about.
● Time Capsule: Create a collection of positive
experiences to surprise your future self.
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71. Build relationships
● Perhaps the dominant finding from
happiness research is that social
connections are key to happiness.
● Studies show that close
relationships, including romantic
relationships, are especially
important
● Suggesting we should make time for
those closest to us—people in whom
we can confide and who’ll support us
when we’re down.
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72. Pursue happiness indirectly
Rather than constantly monitoring our emotions and striving to feel better, try
to organize our daily life around activities that are naturally enjoyable.
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73. Practice savoring
The art of maintaining and deepening
positive feelings by becoming more aware
of them.
Research suggests that our ability to
savor impacts how much of a mood boost
we get from happy events.
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74. Express Gratitude
● Research by Michael McCullough, Robert
Emmons, Lyubomirsky, and others has revealed
the power of simply counting our blessings on a
regular basis.
● People who keep “gratitude journals” feel more
optimism and greater satisfaction with their lives.
● Research shows that writing a “gratitude letter” to
someone you’ve never properly thanked brings a
major boost of happiness.
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75. Practice
kindness
Research by Elizabeth Dunn and her colleagues finds that
people report greater happiness when they spend money on
others than when they spend it on themselves, even though they
initially think the opposite would be true.
Similarly, neuroscience research shows that when we do nice
things for others, our brains light up in areas associated with
pleasure and reward.
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76. Give up grudges
Groundbreaking studies by Everett
Worthington, Michael McCullough, and their
colleagues show that when we forgive those
who have wronged us,
○ we feel better about ourselves,
○ experience more positive emotions, and
○ feel closer to others.
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77. Get physical
1. Exercise isn’t just good for our bodies, it’s good for
our minds.
2. Studies show that regular physical activity increases
happiness and self-esteem, reduces anxiety and
stress, and can even lift symptoms of depression.
3. “Exercise may very well be the most effective instant
happiness booster of all activities,” writes
Lyubomirsky in The How of Happiness.
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78. Spend time in nature
People who are more connected to nature tend
to experience
● more positive emotions,
● vitality, and
● life satisfaction.
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79. Get rest Research has consistently linked lower sleep to lower happiness.
What’s more, a study of more than 900 women, led by Nobel
Prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman, found that getting
just one more hour of sleep each night might have a greater
effect on happiness than a $60,000 raise.
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80. Pay attention
Studies show that people who practice mindfulness—the
moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings,
and external circumstances—not only have stronger
immune systems but are more likely to be happy and
enjoy greater life satisfaction, and they are less likely to be
hostile or anxious.
Pioneering research by Richard Davidson, Jon Kabat-
Zinn, and others has found that a basic eight-week
mindfulness training program can significantly improve our
physical and psychological well-being.
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81. Spend money
Spend money in the right ways by buying social experiences, giving to others,
and expressing our identity.
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82. Don’t focus on material
wealth
After our basic needs our met, research
suggests, more money doesn’t bring us more
happiness—in fact, a study by Kahneman
found that Americans’ happiness rose with
their income only until they’d made roughly
$75,000; after that, their happiness plateaued.
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83. Don’t focus on material
wealth
● Research by Richard Easterlin has
found that in the long run, countries
don’t become happier as they
become wealthier.
● Perhaps that’s why, in general,
people who prioritize material things
over other values are much less
happy, and comparing ourselves
with people who have more is a
particular source of unhappiness.
● It also suggests why more
egalitarian countries consistently
rank among the happiest in the
world.
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84. Find the right fit
● All happiness-boosting activities don’t
work equally well for everyone.
● Understanding ourself better can
help us choose habits that align with
our personality, our situation, and our
goals.
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85. Pitfalls and Limitations of Happiness
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86. 1. Pursuing happiness
isn’t always so
straightforward.
2. Paradoxically, it may
require making room
for negative emotions
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87. High emodiversity -
experiencing many positive
and negative emotions—is
linked to less depression, more
than high levels of positive
emotion alone.
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88. It’s better for our overall
happiness and mood to feel
emotions like anger, sadness,
and disgust at appropriate
times—and not to fake a smile.
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89. Experiencing
major adversity
can actually help
us better savor the
present moment.
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90. Moderately happy people
go on to have higher
income, academic
achievement, and job
satisfaction than very
happy people, perhaps
because they’re more
motivated to improve.
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91. Intense or manic levels of
happiness may not afford
us the same creativity
boost and cognitive
flexibility that happiness
typically does
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92. When we pursue
happiness the wrong
way—obsessively seeking
to feel good all the time, or
not emphasizing social
relationships—we’re less
likely to achieve
happiness, or its benefits
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93. Reference
1. Rose Nabi Deborah Karimi Muthuri and Flavia Senkubuge & Charles Hongoro (16 September 2020). Determinants of
happiness among healthcare professionals between 2009 and 2019: a systematic review.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-020-00592-x

94. References:
1. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/happiness
2. https://positivepsychology.com/what-is-happiness
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happiness
4. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/happiness/definition#what-is-happiness
5. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/happiness
6. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/happiness/
7. https://www.happify.com/hd/what-is-happiness-anyway/
8. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-happiness-4869755
9. https://www.nytimes.com/guides/well/how-to-be-happy
10. https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/happy-life.html
11. https://hbr.org/2012/01/the-history-of-happiness
12. https://www.oprahmag.com/life/health/a25372009/tips-to-be-happy/
13. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4449495/
14. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3008658/
15. https://www.heysigmund.com/brain-and-happiness/
16. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/where_does_happiness_reside_in_the_brain
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