Here’s a short list of the happy online destinations we explored. We’ll add more links in our continuing pursuit, and welcome your tips for others we may have overlooked. Please email your suggestions for reciprocal links to webmaster@whatisyourhappiness.com.
Happy trails to you…
LINKS TO THE EXPERTS AND OTHER HAPPINESS SEEKERS INTERVIEWED IN “H-FACTOR”
Christopher Peterson, Professor of Psychology at the University of Michigan, has a long-standing interest in personality and adaptation and has authored more than 200 publications. His most recent book, with Martin Seligman, is Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification. It focuses on defining and studying how human strengths and virtues such as generosity, humor, gratitude and zest relate to happiness. Why do exercising gratitude, kindness and other virtues provide a lift? "Giving makes you feel good about yourself," says Peterson. "When you're volunteering, you're distracting yourself from your own existence, and that's beneficial. More fuzzily, giving puts meaning into your life. You have a sense of purpose because you matter to someone else." Virtually all the happiness exercises being tested by positive psychologists, he says, make people feel more connected to others—a key finding in the science of happiness. http://www.coachingtowardhappiness.com/archive/peterson.htm
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Director
of The Quality of Life Research Center and a Professor of Psychology and Management
at Claremont Graduate University.
Csikszentmihalyi’s 1990 bestseller, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal
Experience defined and explored the concept of flow as the experience of optimal
fulfillment and engagement. Whether in creative arts, athletic competition,
engaging work, or spiritual practice, Professor Csikszentmihalyi says that
flow is a deep, uniquely human motivation to excel, exceed, and triumph over
limitation. He describes his life's work as the effort "to study what
makes people truly happy," but, he says, happiness is not simply flow
nor an emotional state or even the experience of pleasure. Happiness involves
the continual challenge to go beyond oneself as part of something greater
than one's own self-interest. The Professor shares unique insights on the
flow experience in “H-Factor.” Additional sharp-eyed observations
from the Professor can be found here:http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Mihaly_Csikszentmihalyi/
http://www.wie.org/j21/csiksz.asp
Professor Ruut Veenhoven, University of Rotterdam, Netherlands, maintains a continuous register of scientific research on subjective appreciation of life at the World Database of Happiness. This well-organized trove of knowledge includes a happiness bibliography, correlational findings that facilitate comparisons over time and across nations, special groups (e.g., students, the elderly); a directory of happiness investigators; national level data combined with background information on nations (e.g., economic development and growth); and key literature on the happiness: http://worlddatabaseofhappiness.eur.nl/
Clinical psychologist Robert Biswas-Diener’s fascination with people began in the third grade when his parents took him out of school to travel down the Amazon in a dugout canoe. Interacting with tribal people instilled in him a lifelong curiosity about culture. His scientific pursuit of the emotional good life led him to study happiness in India, Greenland, Israel, Kenya, and Spain. Biswas-Diener serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Positive Psychology, teaches at Portland State University and at the Center for Applied Positive Psychology in the U.K. He authored Positive Psychology Coaching: Putting the Science of Happiness to Work for Your Clients with Master Coach Ben Dean. “Although the most obvious aspects of culture are our differences—variation in dress, cuisine, language, and religion—I have come to realize that there are important commonalities as well: most folks seek meaningful work and hope to cultivate trusting relationships.” http://www.intentionalhappiness.com/about.htm
Dr. Ellen Langer,
Professor of Psychology, Harvard University.
Dr. Ellen Langer’s work on the illusion of control, aging, decision-making,
and mindfulness theory is described in over 200 research articles. She has
authored numerous books, including On Becoming an Artist: Reinventing Yourself
Through Mindful Creativity (http://www.randomhouse.com/acmart/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780345456304),
The Power of Mindful Learning (http://www.amazon.com/Power-Mindful-Learning-Ellen-Langer/dp/0201339919)
and Mindfulness (http://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-Ellen-J-Langer/dp/0201523418),
in which she discusses the profound psychological and physical advantages
of mindful information processing. Listen to Dr. Langer expound on mindful
creativity in a 2005 public radio interview (http://www.nhpr.org/node/9160),
or test your ability to be mindful with the Langer Mindfulness Scale, a 21-item
questionnaire useful as a self-discovery or research tool (http://www.wjh.harvard.edu/~langer/).
In H-Factor, Professor Langer shares deep insight on the practice of mindfulness
and how it affects an individual’s perception of personal happiness.
Dr. Robert Mauer’s unique approach to personal happiness and success is reinforced by his commitment to scientific research. His work at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center, training family practice physicians in communication and counseling skills, provided fertile ground for Dr. Mauer’s development of effective techniques to help physicians intervene and assist families coping with the emotional problems that cause or accompany illness. His entertaining audiovisual presentations provide practical, effective strategies for creating and sustaining healthy change when facing a health crisis: http://www.scienceofexcellence.com/
Mister Cartoon. Even if you don't know the name, you’ve probably seen his handiwork. His illustration skills on the skin of the rich and famous are legendary. This gifted tattoo artist and muralist explores new territory in his poignantly irreverent H-Factor interview, skillfully illustrating what he’s learned about happiness through his own life lessons and what he hopes to teach his children: http://www.mistercartoon.com
Gretchen Rubin lives her Happiness Project. This New York City author and self-described happiness seeker is writing a memoir about the year she spent test-driving every principle, tip, theory, and scientific study she could find on how to be happier—from Aristotle and St. Therese to Martin Seligman and Oprah. Her book will gather these rules for happier living and report on what works and what doesn’t. Gretchen’s lively blog details these adventures and grapples with the challenges inherent in the pursuit of happiness: http://www.happiness-project.com/happiness_project/
Dr. Cathy L. Greenberg (featured in H-Factor), and network partner and coauthor Dr. Daniel Baker, demonstrate their personal and professional commitment to the importance of developing leadership excellence through the new science of happiness and Positive Psychology at h2c, Happy Companies, Healthy People. They are co-authors of What Happy Companies Know: How the New Science of Happiness Can Change Your Company for the Better and offer dynamic executive coaching. http://www.h2cleadership.com/
Drs. Ron and Mary Hulnick, President and Academic
Vice President of the University of Santa Monica, where Lisa Kamen,
the filmmaker, earned her Master’s Degree in Spiritual Psychology.
Founded in 1976, USM has more than 500 students enrolled in its Graduate Programs
each academic year. The University provides an educational environment which
blends universal spiritual values with academic excellence and practical skills
development. Students and teachers alike discover their own answers about
who they truly are while at the same time developing the skills and strategies
to be personally effective in the current global reality. http://universityofsantamonica.edu/
Invisible Children
In the spring of 2003, three young Americans traveled to Africa in search
of such a story. What started out as a filmmaking adventure in
Africa transformed into much more, when these young men from Southern California
found themselves stranded in Northern Uganda. They encountered a tragedy that
disgusted and inspired them – a story where children are the weapons
and the victims, abducted from their homes and forced to fight as child soldiers.
The “Invisible Children: Rough Cut” film exposes the effects of
a 20-year-long war on the children of Northern Uganda. They originally screened
the film
in June 2004 for friends and family and soon expanded to high schools, colleges
and religious institutions. From suburban living rooms to Capitol Hill, with
coverage
on Oprah, CNN, the National Geographic Channel, and more, the film took on
a life of its own. This wonderfully reckless documentary with its fast-paced,
MTV beat
is truly unique. See Africa through young eyes—humorous and heartbreaking,
quick and informative—all in the same breath. Lisa was deeply moved
and inspired by this film, contacted the filmmakers and will include their
commentary in the feature-length version of H-Factor. http://www.invisiblechildren.com
Nature's Notebook
Born of a spiritual connection to the ocean and its beaches, artist Courtney
Noelle was always drawn to the soft sandy edges of the sea, and found great
pleasure in inscribing words, names, thoughts, and dreams into the ever-changing
landscape of the beach. Something about its tumultuous fate, an uncertainty
that parallels our own lives, makes sea sand the perfect tablet for expression.
Courtney Noelle began sharing these captured moments in photographs with friends
and loved ones through gifts and cards. People encouraged her to make these
gifts available to anyone. Touched, and eager to share this passion with the
world, Courtney Noelle began Nature's Notebook, an online collection of photographs
and cards using the seas' tranquility to express love and emotion. H-Factor
features Noelle’s work in the title sequence.
http://www.naturesnotebook.com
HAPPINESS REPORTS, ARTICLES, AUDIO
& VIDEO
Happy People Are Healthier, Carnegie Mellon
Psychologist Says
Happiness and other positive emotions play an even more important role in
health than previously thought, according to a study published in the journal
Psychosomatic Medicine by Carnegie Mellon University Psychology Professor
Sheldon Cohen.
http://www.cmu.edu/news/archive/2006/november/nov.-6-happy-is-healthier.shtml
Some Dark Thoughts on Happiness
Jennifer Senior explores the burning question: does a New Yorker really want
to be happy? Along the way she takes the Authentic Happiness Inventory survey
and interviews leading experts including Martin Seligman, Tal Ben-Shahar,
Chris Peterson, Ellen Langer, Sociologist Barry Schwartz and many others.
http://nymag.com/news/features/17573/
Happiness: A User's Manual By Ben
Mathis-Lilley
Twenty strategies adapted from the scientific research and applied to New
York living. http://nymag.com/news/features/17574/
Happiness & Philosophy
Matthew Pianalto’s blog is a meditation on the nature and possibility
of a happy life which connects ancient Greek ideas to empirical research on
happiness. He also addresses the skeptical views that happiness is impossible,
inappropriate, or uncontrollable. His intelligent debunking of certain natural-seeming
ideas about happiness are engaging and worth the read. Pianalto is a Ph.D.
student in philosophy at the University of Arkansas, working on his dissertation
on moral theory, and teaching introductory classes in ethics and philosophy.
http://vaindesires.blogspot.com
Can Money Buy Happiness? By David
Futrelle. Surprising new research sheds light on how you can (and can't) spend
your way to a sunnier outlook on life.
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/moneymag_archive/2006/08/01/8382225/
The Science of Happiness—Psychology
Explores Humans at Their Best
By Craig Lambert. A comprehensive overview of the development of positive
psychology featuring interviews with leading happiness experts including Ben-Shahar,
Daniel Gilbert, Nancy Etticoff, and Ellen Langer, among others: http://www.harvardmagazine.com/on-line/010783.html
Set Point Match by Nancy Eticoff explores the studies of identical twins that suggest the blueprint for joy is in our genes and counters that with brain images showing happiness levels can change according to our circumstance, activities, and thought patterns. http://www.science-spirit.org/article_detail.php?article_id=596
NPR/All Things Considered broadcast a radio profile of Harvard University Professor Tal Ben-Shahar’s positive psychology class provides insight into the secrets of happiness. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5295168
Happier is Professor Ben-Shahar’s website and book. Positive psychology pioneer Martin Seligman says the book “shimmers with a rare brand of good sense imbedded in scientific knowledge about how to increase happiness. Easy to see how this is the backbone of the most popular course at Harvard today." http://www.talbenshahar.com
Journal of Happiness Studies
a social psychology journal with studies largely based on subjects' self-reports
http://www.springerlink.com/content/104910/
Martin Seligman, founder of the Positive Psychology movement and Director of the University of Pennsylvania Positive Psychology Center, offers scientifically-tested questionnaires and surveys at www.authentichappiness.org. Immediately see your score so you can compare yours to the scores of others who use this website (almost 700,000 users worldwide). With your own account and password, you can keep a record of your scores and measure your progress in the pursuit of happiness over time. Seligman’s pioneering work focuses on the empirical study of positive emotions, strengths-based character, and healthy institutions. His research has demonstrated that it is possible to be happier—feel more satisfied and engaged with life, find more meaning, have higher hopes, and probably even laugh more—regardless of one’s circumstances. Seligman’s other website is: http://www.reflectivehappiness.com/
TED.com offers stunning video presentations on happiness from some of the
world's greatest thinkers and doers:
Daniel Gilbert: Why are we happy? Why aren't we happy? http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/97
Barry Schwartz: The paradox of choice http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/93
Pastor Rick Warren: Living a life of purpose http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/71
Stefan Sagmeister: Yes, design can make you happy! http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/50
Eve Ensler: Finding happiness in body and soul http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/64
The Science of Happiness is a 6-part documentary produced and broadcast on the BBC. Scientists measure happiness and piece together what they believe truly makes us happy View each episode online at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/happiness_formula/4783836.stm
His Holiness the Dalai Lama shares insight on Cultivating Happiness, and Happiness and Stress as Determinants of Mental Health. Listen to the audio CD of his public talk: http://dalailamacenter.org/multimedia/index.php
Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most
Important Skill
by Matthieu Ricard, Ph.D.
Richard, a biochemist and Buddhist monk, describes in accessible language
how the regular, long-term practice of meditation can significantly enhance
your ability to concentrate, manage stress, and enjoy life. Thirty-five years
ago, Ricard was a cellular geneticist mapping E. coli chromosomes in the Institut
Pasteur lab, but at age 26, in pursuit of "a fulfilled human life,"
he left Paris to study Buddhism in India. Today Ricard lives at the Shechen
Monastery in Nepal where he works on humanitarian projects and serves as the
French interpreter for the Dalai Lama. He recently returned to his scientific
roots, participating in research on the effects of meditation on the brain.
For more on Dr. Ricard’s work visit http://www.ricard.cfis.ubc.ca/mediakit.html
Quirks & Quarks, of CBC Radio One (broadcast in Canada and on Sirius satellite radio) features indepth intervies with several scientists on the cutting edge of happiness research (including Professors Gilbert and Nettle). Listen to the MP3 audio files on their webpage or download the entire program. http://www.cbc.ca/quirks/archives/05-06/may27.html
Happiness through pharmacology? Check
out this link as a starting point...
http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/07/09/antidepressants/index.html
Dr. Herbert Laszlo edits the monthly “Happiness
Observer” newsletter, a publication of IFEG, a Germany-based
scientific research institute exploring happiness through experimental and
meta-experimental protocols http://www.optimalchallenge.com/English.htm
BOOKS ON THE SCIENCE BEHIND YOUR SMILE
Happiness—The Science Behind Your Smile
By Daniel Nettle, Ph.D.
Nettle uses the results of the latest psychological studies to examine what
makes people happy, what happiness really is, and our deep-seated urge to
achieve it. Along the way, he looks at brain systems and how happiness is
marketed as a commodity. Nettle, a psychologist is particularly insightful
about how mind-altering chemicals affect emotion and mood, from serotonin
to D-fenfluramine, which reduces negative thinking in less than an hour. He
shines a virtual light on the part of the brain that, when electrically stimulated,
provides feelings of benevolent calm and even euphoria. In the end, Nettle
suggests that we would probably all be happier if we would trade income or
material goods for more time with people or hobbies we care about.
http://www.psychresearch.org.uk
http://www.amazon.com/Happiness-Science-behind-Your-Smile/dp/0192805592
The Pursuit of Happiness—Discovering
the Pathway to Fulfillment, Well-being,
and Enduring Personal Joy
By David G. Myers, Ph.D.
As a research-oriented social scientist, Myers is not persuaded by anecdotes,
testimonials or inspirational pronouncements, but his book if far from dispassionate.
He reports playfully and compassionately on representative surveys and experiments
and connects the conclusions of this rigorous research to the lives of real
people. Myers doesn’t presume to possess the answers to the mysteries
of well-being, but rather offers his treatise as a kind of interim report
on a fledgling science. His aim, he writes, “will be accomplished if
these revelations, and my reflections on them, stimulate you to reflect on
where you can find deeper meaning and satisfaction in your own life, and how
all of us together can build a world that enhances human well-being.”
http://www.davidmyers.org/Brix?pageID=20
The Happiness Hypothesis—Finding Modern
Truth in Ancient Wisdom
Why the Meaning of Life is Closer Than You Think
By Jonathan Haidt
Haidt’s witty and comforting book brilliantly syntheses ancient cultural
insights with modern psychology through the exploration of ten “Great
Ideas” discovered by several of the world’s civilizations. Each
chapter savors one idea, questioning it in light of what we now know from
scientific research, and extracting from it lessons to apply to our modern
lives. A very worthwhile read for insight into how to construct a life of
virtue, happiness, fulfillment, and meaning. http://www.happinesshypothesis.com/
On video: http://people.virginia.edu/~jdh6n/
Stumbling on Happiness
By Daniel Gilbert
Harvard psychologist explores the foibles of imagination and illusions of
foresight that cause each of us to misconceive our tomorrows and what might
bring us satisfaction. With the help of the latest scientific research in
psychology, cognitive neuroscience, philosophy, and behavioral economics,
Gilbert reveals what scientists have discovered about the uniquely human ability
to imagine the future and about our capacity to predict how much we will like
it when we get there. http://www.randomhouse.com/kvpa/gilbert/
The Psychology of Happiness
By Michael Argyle
First published in 1987 and updated in 2001, a year before the author’s
death, this book draws on research in the fields of sociology, physiology,
economics and psychology. Professor Michael Argyle offers insight on the effects
of friendship, marriage and other relationships on moods and the impact of
work, leisure, money, class and education on an individual’s perception
of their own happiness. He explores national differences, the role of humor
and religion on happiness, the effects of happiness on health, altruism and
sociability, and how the research can help us enhance our own happiness.
http://www.amazon.com/Psychology-Happiness-Michael-Argyle/dp/0415226651
Happiness—Lessons from a New Science
By Richard Layard
Economist Richard Layard’s anchors his book in hard research and reaches
some conclusions about the causes of happiness that may surprise you. After
a well-crafted summary of the social philosophies that increase happiness
and those that reduce it, Layard offers 12 brief but accurate truths about
happiness. Here’s a pdf file of Layard’s 2003 lecture at the London
School of Economics, highlighting the book’s essential tenets: http://cep.lse.ac.uk/events/lectures/layard/RL030303.pdf
Choose to Be Happy — A Guide to Total
Happiness
By Rima Rudner
“Happy people choose to believe that most people are honest. Happy,
but smart, people believe that most people are honest, but accept that, unfortunately,
some people are dishonest. They will probably lie to you and/or try to cheat
you out of something. But why punish all the other perfectly sincere people
you meet? Being distrustful will only make you unhappy. You are only punishing
yourself by not trusting. To trust someone and then to be betrayed by them
is very painful. Unfortunately, manipulative people with selfish motives do
exist. How do you recognize these wolves in sheep’s clothing?”
Find out more from Rima: http://rimarudner.com/
"Artificial Unhappiness: The Dark Side
of the New Happy Class," by Dr. Ronald Dworkin
Dworkin, an M.D. and senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, laments the rise
among primary care physicians of the viewpoint that "unhappiness is a
disease" to be treated with psychotropic drugs. This view, he argues,
has led doctors to push antidepressants onto patients at an explosive rate.
Drawing together numerous threads of medical occurrence and social change
during the last half-century, Dworkin weaves a tapestry that portends disaster
as millions of children are treated with mood- and thought-altering drugs
before they can develop personal moral compasses. He lays basic responsibility
for the problem at the feet of primary-care physicians and a de facto mental-health
system in which they, rather than psychiatrists, are treating roughly half
the nation's mentally ill and medicating for mental illness at more than double
the rate that psychiatrists do. Dworkin's concern is not about the treatment
of real depression, but rather the more specious category in the literature
called "minor depression" -- which can mean almost anything —
and how doctors are using it to prescribe psychotropic drugs to just about
anyone.
http://www.amazon.com/Artificial-Happiness-Dark-Happy-Class/dp/0786719338/ref=sr_1_2/105-9112354-2482042?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1188329819&sr=1-2
HAPPINESS CONFERENCES & CONVENTIONS
Happiness & Its Causes, May 8-9,
2008, Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre. Australia’s pre-eminent
forum on the tools and techniques for a happy life—unique event that
encompasses psychology, science, philosophy and religion. Understand the science
behind happiness, learn practical techniques to enhance happiness at home
at work, learn from a panel of leading international experts!
http://www.happinessanditscauses.com.au/
Third International Conference on Gross National
Happiness – Toward Global Transformation: World Views Make a Difference.”
Nov. 22-28, 2007. Thailand. Gross National Happiness (GNH) challenges development
models dominated by GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and un-sustainable economic
growth. This conference offers a creative platform for exchanges, networking
and policy development towards transformation at individual, local, national
and international levels.
http://www.gnh-movement.org/
Gallup International Positive Psychology Summit, Oct. 4-6, 2007. Washington, D.C. Slated as a dynamic exchange between scholars, leaders and decision-makers focusing on global well-being, human strengths, and positive social science. http://www.gallupippi.com/content/?ci=21442
Fourth European Conference on Positive Psychology.
July 1-4, 2008. Opatija, Croatia, Discussion, presentations, and workshops
on well-being, happiness, personal strengths, mindfulness, flow, creativity,
positive environments and positive characteristics of individuals, groups,
institutions and communities.
http://www.ppc.sas.upenn.edu/ppeuropeconference2008.pdf
OTHER INTERESTING HAPPINESS DESTINATIONS
The Happy Guy offers a treasure chest of self-actualization tools to help you find happiness: http://www.TheHappyGuy.com
Pursuit of Happiness promotes the
pursuit of happiness in educational institutions
through a diversity of views on happiness. As members of the global community,
this organization takes a global perspective on human well-being, exploring
the ethical and psychological roots of human happiness.
http://pursuit-of-happiness.org/
The Happiness Club promotes the benefits of being happy through meetings, newsletters, and an informative website to people in your community and around the world. Joint the discussion on their lively blog. http://www.happinessclub.com/
Flourishing Schools is a consulting
and coaching group integrating best practices in education with cutting edge
Positive Psychology research. They offer customized workshops and coaching
for groups and individuals in school communities, and help schools flourish
by identifying, broadening, and building each school’s unique strengths.
http://flourishingschools.com/
Infed hosts a vibrant array of thinkers
and ideas exploring the theory, best practices, and possibilities of putting
happiness at the centre of education.
http://www.infed.org/biblio/happiness_and_education.htm
Happiness quotations to inspire and challenge:
http://www.wisdomquotes.com/cat_happiness.html
HAPPINESS! A cable television talk
show devoted entirely to happiness information and resources. View more than
hundred online shows for free.
http://thehappinessshow.com/
"Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"
is one of the most famous phrases in the United States Declaration of Independence.
Wikipedia offers an analysis of these three aspects, which the founding fathers
considered among the "unalienable rights" of man.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life,_liberty_and_the_pursuit_of_happiness
Dr. Happiness is Dr. Christian Almayrac, a family physician in France who originated a way of teaching his patients how to enjoy their happiness. He calls his method BeHappy. Learn more about this physician who heals with happiness: http://www.1heart.com/behappy.html#Dr.%20Christian%20Almayrac
How to Be Happy and Have Fun Changing the World reveals simple but profound insights for living a more fulfilling, happier life. Michael Anthony's e-book is free for downloading. http://www.howtobehappy.org/