I first became aware of the Psychology of Happiness through a CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) documentary of a comedian and a researcher taking a trip through Canada to meet people who scored highly on a “happiness index” questionnaire.
The idea that there are certain attributes of happy people which could be cultivated and practiced was new to me. That happiness was not some illusive thing on the outside that arbitrarily impacted me or that I was chasing—that I could actually do something about my own happiness on a day-to-day basis came as a surprise. I decided to investigate further.
First, I went to the Seligman site at the University of Pennsylvania:
Seligman was my first introduction to this view of things. There are questionnaires on this site which I encourage anyone to do. It will help give you an insight to yourself, as it helps Seligman and his colleagues continue their research on this subject.
I read Seligman’s books: Authentic Happiness and Learned Optimism. Then I read Daniel Gilbert’s Stumbling on Happiness. And have since seen his PBS program in full, regarding some curious aspects of us as humans and our perception of happiness.
And most recently, I have read and listened to Sonja Lyubomirsky’s book on CD, The How of Happiness (both available at the Oshawa Library).
The concepts I have learned from these sources would help everyone, I think, regardless whether one is suffering from a mental health issue or not, to improve the quality of one’s life, one’s coping skills and one’s resilience.
While it may seem “pollyanna” and almost common sense in many respects, there are many things we can do to make our lives better, happier. As simple as many of these practices may seem, they are not always easy to do.
What I find empowering and hopeful, is that in the end: Happiness is a choice.
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