Bliss, Nirvana, Happiness, Joy

God is a Happiness Psychologist

Happiness can be a lot of things. It might have nothing to do with "things."

First of all, as the Buddhists say, happiness is the absence of suffering.

Secondly, I say, happiness is a state of contentment and satisfaction, such as reading a good book, or (for me) watching an interesting documentary, or listening to good music, or eating a good meal, or making someone else happier, or simply quieting your mind, such as sitting in the sun or meditating. I like the birds in the morning, here. A feeling of well-being. Chew on this: meditate on the difference between contentment, satisfaction, and well-being.

Thirdly, I say, happiness is a state of arousal, whether laughter or sexual or a rollercoaster or mountain climbing or getting juiced from exercise, feeling good from endorphins. It usually involves other people. I watched this incredible video on mountain climbing once, from the library. And Surfers seem to be a really happy bunch. A daily walk helps, for me. It's good to sweat.

People who volunteer to make their community better have a higher sense of self-worth, I've been told. Then again, I've also been told that people with pets are happier, on average, which isn't true. Try it for yourself, and see. Just as classes enjoyability largely depends on the teacher (often more than the subject), finding the right people/volunteer opportunity might make all the difference.

People who give money to charity, even if only a little, reap a high reward in happiness.
Read: http://health.yahoo.com/news/healthday/giveandbehappy.html
and: http://pewresearch.org/pubs/301/are-we-happy-yet
Keeping a journal is usually good, it seems. Make a list of what makes you happy!

On Work
People who enjoy their jobs, of course, generally make more money. You have to do what you love. Why have money if making it makes you miserable. Money is supposed to be for happiness, in my opinion. You only live once. Money should be for happiness, from happiness. Your life should be happy.

I find it telling that people are happier not necessarily if they a have more money, but if they have more money THAN OTHERS. That seems sick, in my opinion. Maybe we're all a bunch of vampires. Subconscious sadists who thrive on each other's (relative) misery. Maybe that's why giving money to the less well off makes us feel good (because it makes us feel more successful, superior, dominant, more so than joy in alleviating another's misfortune). Just a thought. Try moving to a poor country, maybe?

Did you know, surprisingly, that beautiful people are not, on average, happier? Or that couples with and without children rank the same (on average). Or that tv doesn't make people happier?
1.http://harvardmagazine.com/2007/01/the-science-of-happiness.html
2.http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/images/TimeMagazine/Time-Happiness.pdf

There's one thing I need to say. What's with the terms 'positive' and 'negative'? Batteries have positives and negatives, like ions, but what the heck does that have to do with happiness? And why is light good but dark bad? Or rainy weather bad but sunny weather good? This is just mind control, in my opinion. If you want to be happy, make it all good.

Regarding tv, though, for me I find that muting the commercials helps with being able to think, which is something that makes me happy. They say thinking less can be a positive, too. Also, I like to talk to whoever's at the tv with me. Commercials, as you probably know, are designed to arrest your attention. Does anyone know if there is a product that automatically mutes commercials?

Studies indicate commuters are generally unhappy. This doesn't make sense to me. As for road rage at traffic infractions, just forgive and forget, I would say. I mean really, who cares. Getting angry probably won't do anything to change their behavior. If you get angry at them, they might even feel justified at the infraction, anyway. Remember, the other driver can't hear you. You can get cd's at the library, and listen to more music than you ever realized existed. You can get books on tape. You can have satellite radio. You can play games with license plates, such as creating meaning from the letters and numbers. You can guess who's driving which cars. You can smile at people. You can put on enjoyable bumper stickers or decorations.

As for busses and trams, I don't understand the deafening silence. I think people should be friendly and maybe introduce themselves and make small talk with strangers, and even lie to have a little fun, practice acting or what not, if that is their wont.

If that doesn't work, and you want to turn to the dark side, you can buy Spite, Malice, and Revenge, by M. Nelson Chunder and George Hayduke (the complete guide to getting even). I've never acted on any of the book's recommendations, but it was a fun read.

The Beatles sang Happiness is a warm gun, but the prospect of prison rape or getting shiv'd probably should seriously negate entertaining that idea for very long. The state should not endorse terrorism in it's prisons, though. They should be safe, and even enjoyable, in the sense of educating prisoners with good books, and having programs where they can help society, such as reading books on to tape, or even doing science. There's more than enough work in the world that we could give prisoners to do, that would make them feel productive, useful, good, and give them training for when they get out.

The same goes for drugs. Happiness can definitely be any one or combination of drugs. Food is a drug, you know, so do food. I take food. Prescription drugs and pharmaceuticals and over the counter (otc) medications and illegal narcotics and unhealthy legal drugs like nicotine or abuse of alcohol are immensely big problems. I believe in sobriety. Some people can self-medicate. Many others fail. I recommend the advice of a doctor, if you feel the need to do any kind of drug. Be careful. Be safe. Be healthy. Don't get addicted. Be sure and know what you're doing. Pot can cause/be a factor in schizophrenia, for the genetically predisposed.

Speaking of terrorism, isn't terror a matter of the victim's psychology, not the perpetrators? I thought we aspired to be a nation of phobophobics: "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." If we wouldn't be afraid of death, there would not be any "terrorists". They're just mass murderers, or criminals, and should be treated as such. The term itself seems to be trying to make us afraid of them. In my opinion, suicide bombers are a police problem, not a military problem, and if we would all just respect each other as human beings rather than us-them categories of nationality, religion, race, or whatever, then we'd be okay.

It is argued that what a person says about their own happiness tends to tally with what friends or even strangers might say about them if asked the same question. Happiness seems to have almost magical properties. We have not got proof, but the science suggests it leads to long life, health, resilience and good performance. At the moment scientists cannot prove causation, whether for example people are healthy because they are happy, or whether people are happy because they are healthy. Happy people live longer than depressed people, and one study put the difference at 9 years.It is even suggested that friendship can ward off germs. Our brains control many of the mechanisms in our bodies which are responsible for disease.

Just as stress can trigger ill health, it is thought that friendship and happiness can have a protective effect. The effect of marriage adds an average seven years to the life of a man and something like four for a woman. The wider and deeper your relationships are with those around you, the happier you'll be, it says. Churchgoers are, on average, happier.

That's interesting, because I'm pretty much alone all the time. But I believe I'm in all of your heads already, as the collective unconscious or whatever you want to call it, maybe as a global telepath, which is a pretty deep thought, I admit. Plus, I have dogs and nature and meds, so I'm okay, fairly happy.

If you're born grumpy, are you always going to be grumpy? The best you can do with positive emotion is you can get people to live at the top of their set range. "So I think you've got about 10 to 15% leverage but you can't take a grouch and make him giggle all the time" says positive psychologist Martin Seligman. I actually bet you can, if you're a really talented psychologist. Especially if he or she's got an erogenous or tickle zone.

Regarding contentment, satisfaction, and well-being (or CSW, I'll call it), I found 5 other good csw's: Clinical social worker, commercial sex worker, certified specialist in wine, coordinate seeking weapon, combat submission wrestling. Ponder this, young paduwan grasshopper.