psyc

Man, I love psych.

Even though I'd much rather be doing other things than studying at the moment, my psych textbook is kind of interesting :P

It actually talks about happiness in here. Here, I'll share some thoughts with you.

5 popular misconceptions of happiness:

1. The prime determinant of happiness is what happens to us.
2. Money makes us happy.
3. Happiness declines in old age
4. Happiness and negative emotions lie on opposite ends of a spectrum
5. people on the west coast are happiest

There's evidence to support that. See? I do have a basis for these claims.

And of course, what generally makes us happy:

Marriage- apparently married people tend to be happier than unmarried people
Postsecondary education: people that graduate from uni or college tend to be happier
Religion-deeply religious people seem happier
Political affiliation-conservatives appear happies than liberals
Exercise-people who exercise regularly tend to be happier and less depressed than people who don't
Gratitude-being grateful for daily blessings can enhance short-term happiness
Flow-being in a mental state in which we're completely immersed in what we're doing tends to make us happy.

Well, I've got a majority of those things down, oh yeaa.

And the last line in there to sum it all up:

"Happiness lies in the pursuit of the prize, not the prize itself."