Forums on Happiness

Week 1: Hello, class! We are going to use this forum to get to know each other. The theme
for this semester is happiness. Post a 10-15 second selfie video here telling us your name,
something about yourself, and what makes you happy. If you can't post a video, post a
picture, selfies are fine, and write a short response telling us what makes you happy.

Hello My name is Hayley Watson. I live a very blessed life. I have a lot of things in my life to be
happy about. I have a great supportive family and boyfriend that I love spending time with.
Bringing home good grades also brings me a lot of happiness. I also find happiness in taking care
of people. My plan to become a nurse would bring me great joy and happiness because I would
be able to take care of people for a living.
Week 3: Compare the "Subjective Happiness Scale" to the "Oxford Happiness
Questionnaire". Do the two questionnaires produce very different results? What are the
advantages and disadvantages of the simple and direct approach of the "Subjective
Happiness Scale"? Answer both questions.
The Subjective Happiness Scale is extremely shorter and way easier to find your score. You
do not have to switch number all you have to do is add up the number you got for each of the
four questions and divide by four. The Oxford Happiness Questionnaire asked twenty-nine
questions and twelve of those once you scored them the score had to be switched. Then you had
to add them all up and divide by twenty-nine. They are similar in they ask about how you feel
about life and happiness, the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire is just more in depth. You also add
up your numbers and divide by the numbers of questions in both.
The two questionnaires gave me both similar outcomes. They were not exact but they were
not drastically different. The Subjective Happiness Scale gave me a score of four whereas the
Oxford Happiness Questionnaire gave me a three and a half. This means that I am pretty much in
the middle, I am not happy but I am also not unhappy.

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A disadvantage of the Subjective Happiness Scale is that it does not go into a lot of depth in
the questions. They ask for generalized questions whereas the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire
asked in depth questions about many different things, such as events in life how you feel about
yourself and people. I feel as though the Subjective Happiness Scale narrows down happiness to
four generalized questions not in depth questions about many different areas in life. An
advantage could be it is more quick than the other as well as easier to calculate the score for. So
if you are in need of a quick rating for happiness and it does not need to be in depth the
Subjective Happiness Scale is the way to go.
Week 4: In the article Can Money Buy Happiness? (pp. 160-173) the authors explain the
happiness formula. In this forum, you will need to respond to the following question: What
examples of uses, abuses, or both of the happiness formula might you provide from our
current cultural climate? Cite evidence from social media, newspapers, and periodicals as
you make your case.
Re: Happiness Formula
by Hayley Watson - Friday, 5 February 2016, 10:29 AM
I believe a huge abuse of the happiness formula is celebrities. Time wrote an article about
seven months ago that talked about celebrities filing for bankruptcy. There is more accounts of
celebrities filing for bankruptcy then we may realize. Many of them say more money, more
problems. Many celebrities have filed more than one time and are millions of dollars in debt.
Toni Braxton is a prime example she has filed for bankruptcy twice and despite her growing debt
she still continues to live beyond her means buying a three million dollar house.
I found a story from the BYU Speeches. They definitely used the happiness formula. This
couple lived in a low-ceiling apartment where they drank powered milk and ate food from the
family storage. They lived within their means they were very happy. Even though where they
lived and what they ate and drank wasn't the ideal situation, they still found happiness together.
They could have lived beyond their means getting food and drink they wanted maybe even a
house they really couldn't afford but this would not have brought them the happiness they
experienced.
Week 5: Before attempting this forum, please read and create a double entry journal for
the article Aversion to Happiness Across Cultures, pp. 267-279 in your text. This week's
forum question: Is "aversion to happiness" caused purely by superstition and fear? Or do
you find valid reasoning, philosophical insight or wisdom in any of this mistrust of
happiness? Explain.
Re: Aversion to Happiness
by Hayley Watson - Wednesday, 10 February 2016, 1:20 PM
I believe "aversion to happiness" is caused mainly by superstition and fear. Throughout the
reading we were assigned it talked about different cultures and their beliefs on happiness. I believe
that fear is something that is taught, you are not born being scared of something your parents or
other peoples reaction to certain things teach youre to fear it. For example a young child might see

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nothing wrong with climbing on the counter and jumping off but as the parent realizes where the child
is and freaks out the child realizes something is wrong and begins to get scared. So I believe that
different cultures and religions instill fear of happiness into their people. Most human beings are
superstitial to some extent. For example a popular superstition is that if you walk under a ladder or
split the pole you will be cursed with bad luck. Most people will avoid doing these things because
they seriously believe that bad luck will be given to them if they do that. I honestly feel that people
from different cultures and religion are taught be averse to happiness by instilling fear into them that
bad things will happen to them. So therefore many people are averse to happiness not because they
hate being happy but because they fear what will happen next.

Week 6: What is the hedonic treadmill? Have you experienced anything like this in your
own life, and/or have you witnessed this in other people's lives?
Re: The Hedonic Treadmill
by Hayley Watson - Wednesday, 17 February 2016, 10:41 PM
The Hedonic Treadmill is the ability to go back to your baseline well-being after a major
positive or negative event happens to you. I have experienced this when getting admitted into
every school I applied to for college. At first I was extremely happy but after I decided where I
was going I returned to my normal life and my well-being returned to its baseline.