Happiness Formulas

How to assess our subjective well-being?

How to live joyfully in the 21
st
century?

Beta Version - Publishe on 1!th "uly 2#1#
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Letter to the reader 3
Chapter 1 AmAre Way 5
Happiness = Aware (Being) + Meditating + Active
(Being) + Respectful (Being) + Eating (Properly)
Chapter 2 Oxford Happiness Questionnaire 8
Happiness = A - R
Chapter 3 Positive Psyho!o"y Questionnaires 12
Happiness = Pleasure + flow + eaning
Chapter # $atisfation With Life $a!e 1#
Happiness = social relations!ips + wor"#study
satisfaction + confidence
Chapter 5 %ae&oo' Co!!etive Happiness 1(
Happiness = (positive words) $ (non-positive words)
Chapter ) *a!!up+Hea!th,ays W-. 1/
Happiness = %ife Evaluation + Eotional Healt! +
P!ysical Healt! + Healt!y Be!avior + &or"
Environent + Basic Access
Chapter ( *ross 0ationa! Happiness 1-uthan2 21
Happiness = Econoic + Environental + P!ysical +
Mental + &or"place + 'ocial + Political &ellness
Chapter 8 $W-3 $iene of happiness 23
Overture to future re!eases 34
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%etter to the reaer
(!roug! our awareness and actions) we gain t!e courage to c!ange t!e
t!ings we can c!ange* t!e serenity to accept t!e t!ings we cannot c!ange*
and t!e wisdo to "now t!e difference+
&ear frien'
than(s for ownloaing this eBoo( about subjective well-being
an living joyfully) *ur goal is to ma(e you thin( about ,hat happiness
means for you+ it is also to ma(e you consier ho, the different varia&!es
1mentioned in the desri&ed happiness formu!as2 fai!itate your 5oyfu!
!ivin"$ ,hese are' in a nutshell' the main points emerging from our research-
&ein" happy is a hoie ,e ma'e ri"ht here and no,' by living
joyfully$ .t is not a place to reach in the future$
there are ,ays ,e fai!itate happiness' they can be summari/e with
the acronym 0m0re- being 0ware' 1eitating' being 0ctive' being
2espectful' 3ating properly$
there are ,ays ,e measure su&5etive ,e!!+&ein" an thin(ing
about what such formulas mean for us' is even more important than the
numbers we get out of them$
,e "et happier &y ma'in" other peop!e happier6 living joyfully
starts from each of us' an materiali/e with share happiness
there are severa! 7frin"e7 &enefits to !ivin" 5oyfu!!y6 for e4ample
happier people are more sociable an energetic' more caring an
cooperative' better li(e by others' more li(ely to get marrie an stay
marrie' to have wier social networ(s an receive support from friens'
show more fle4ibility an creativity in their thin(ing' are more prouctive
an wor(' are recogni/e as better leaers an negotiators' an so earn
accoringly$ ,hey are more tenacious when times are not pleasant' have
stronger immune systems' are healthier both physically an mentally' an
live longer$
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share this &oo' ,ith at !east 8 friends6 who are intereste in living
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share your opinion and input for future re!eases' by write us an
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!oa!i8e this e-oo'6 an ma(e it available in your native language$
5ome chapters may nee to be e4pane' some to be remove because not
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you are intereste$
adapt this e-oo'6 to fit specific purposes$ 9oul you li(e to eit a
:Happiness formulas for e4pats;' :Happiness formulas for sophomores;'
etc? .n this case' too' please get in touch with us 6eboo(8iswb$org7$

0n' above all' let<s ta(e a big breath' an start living
joyfully right here an now)

fran"
www$amareway$org
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Chapter 1 9 AmAre Way
Happiness = Aware (Being) + Meditating + Active (Being) + Respectful
(Being) + Eating (Properly)
1$1 Ho, to a!u!ate it:
A,are ;editatin" Ative <espetfu! =atin"
9 > 9 > 9 > 9 > 9 >
34planation of variables-
A- 0ware 6being7 of each other an couple?s feelings' thoughts' nees an
wants
;- 1eitating together' or at least sharing thoughts
A1-0ctive 6being7 together' o things together
<- 2espectful 6being7 of each other an couple?s feelings' thoughts' nees
an wants
=- 3ating properly an support each other healthy lifestyle' an also fee the
relationship with positive feelings an thoughts
6@7- if there are aitional aspects consiere too important to be inclue
in the rest of the formula' they can be weighte an grae here
For each variable' please specify-
w- weight' importance given to each aspect 6sum of all weights shoul be
1##7
g- grae' rating given to each aspect 6each grae is a value between # an 17
.f you want to use a spreasheet' where you can insert the values an see
them automatically calculate' you can use- http-AAspsh$amareway$orgA

1$2 What does it mean:
0m0re formula is meant to be escriptive an preventive' but not
preictive$ ,hat is' it Buantifies the current situation' an the strengths an
wea(nesses we shoul be aware of an act upon$ 2egarless of what the
number says' we are always responsible' here an now' for our happiness' so
a high result means we shoul (eep builing our happiness as we have
successfully one so far' an a lower result means there are aspects to act
upon to improve our lives$
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*ne of the formula?s strengths is its unli(eness to reach *ne' the perfect
score' or Dero$ ,his formula is useful so we can improve our awareness
about the situation so far' an buil a better present$ *nce the formula
serve its purposes' we can move on$ Because the ultimate happiness is not
reaching number 1' it is in fining an renewing the appropriate life-
ynamics$ .f we can accept the way life is' an the fact that ifferent people
assign ifferent weights an graes to the pillars of their happiness' an still
respect an care about all of us' oing our best for the mutual happiness' we
are on the way to buil together a lasting happy living$
,his is a scale to interpret the overall result of the formula-
4+4>33 ,his is a very unli(ely result' so please ouble chec( each values
inserte$ .f values are correct' it is very li(ely the perception of your 59B
tens towar emphasi/ing the non-positive aspects' or that you ha a short-
term serious issue$ ,his means there is a nee to wor( on all your priorities
to ma(e them more satisfying to you in the meium term$
4>31+4>)43 Eour level of 59B coul be higher' if you are closer to #$!1
result$ .f you are closer to #$C' you are near an e4act average value where
you perceive the same value of positive an non-positive components in
your life$ .n both cases' by wor(ing on the 0m0re variables 6starting from
the ones with higher weight an lower grae7' you can substantially improve
your well-being$
4>)1+4>/43 Eou ten towars an optimal level of 59B$ Eou feel happy' an
li(ely e4perience most or at least many of the happiness Ffringe benefitsF$
Eou li(ely live joyfully everyay- no matter the ups an owns we all have'
you can ma(e the best of them for yourself an the people aroun you$
4>/1+13 ,his result is very unli(ely to be reache' so please ouble chec(
each values inserte$ .f values are correct' you achieve the ma4imum level
of 59B$
,o interpret the value of each 0m0re variable' you can use the same scale$
.f a variable is high in weight' an low in grae' then it reBuires attention
an action to improve it$ .f a variable is low in weight' an high in grae'
then you may as( yourself if its grae is slightly over estimate$
9e suggest to calculate your 0m0re .ne4 once per wee( for the first C
wee(s$ ,hen' to calculate it once per month$ Please ma(e sure to start from
scratch at each calculation' meaning you shoul not chec( values assigne in
the past+ after calculating your current 0m0re .ne4' you can then chec(
what change compare to the previous calculations$ .f you want to be
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remine about monthly calculation' you can register the 0m0re newsletter
on$ http-AAwww$amareway$orgA
1>3 Where are referenes and further information:
http-AAwww$amareway$orgA
62eirect to official website7
http-AAwww$amareway$orgApersonal-evelopment-free-personal-evelopment-eboo(sA
6Free eBoo(s- 0m0re applie to blogging' social meia' etc$7
http-AAwww$faceboo($comAaawpersonalevelopment
6Faceboo( profile7
http-AAhubpages$comAhubAHow-to-(eep-your-Hew-Eear-resolution
6Ising 0m0re for new year resolutions7
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Khapter 2 L *4for Happiness
Muestionnaire
Happiness = A - R
2>1 Ho, to a!u!ate it:
,he Muestionnaire is also available on
http-AAwww$meaninganhappiness$comAo4for-happiness-BuestionnaireA21=A
,his whole chapter is copie verbatim from it$
.nstrutions3 Below are a number of statements about happiness$ Please
inicate how much you agree or isagree with each by entering a number in
the blan( after each statement' accoring to the following scale-
1 N strongly isagree
2 N moerately isagree
! N slightly isagree
= N slightly agree
C N moerately agree
G N strongly agree
Please rea the statements carefully' because some are phrase positively
an others negatively$ &on?t ta(e too long over iniviual Buestions+ there
are no :right; or :wrong; answers 6an no tric( Buestions7$ ,he first answer
that comes into your hea is probably the right one for you$ .f you fin some
of the Buestions ifficult' please give the answer that is true for you in
general or for most of the time$
?he Questionnaire3
1$ . on?t feel particularly please with the way . am$ 627 OOOOO
2$ . am intensely intereste in other people$ OOOOO
!$ . feel that life is very rewaring$ OOOOO
=$ . have very warm feelings towars almost everyone$ OOOOO
C$ . rarely wa(e up feeling reste$ 627 OOOOO
G$ . am not particularly optimistic about the future$ 627 OOOOO
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J$ . fin most things amusing$ OOOOO
P$ . am always committe an involve$ OOOOO
Q$ %ife is goo$ OOOOO
1#$ . o not thin( that the worl is a goo place$ 627 OOOOO
11$ . laugh a lot$ OOOOO
12$ . am well satisfie about everything in my life$ OOOOO
1!$ . on?t thin( . loo( attractive$ 627 OOOOO
1=$ ,here is a gap between what . woul li(e to o an what . have one$
627 OOOOO
1C$ . am very happy$ OOOOO
1G$ . fin beauty in some things$ OOOOO
1J$ . always have a cheerful effect on others$ OOOOO
1P$ . can fit in 6fin time for7 everything . want to$ OOOOO
1Q$ . feel that . am not especially in control of my life$ 627 OOOOO
2#$ . feel able to ta(e anything on$ OOOOO
21$ . feel fully mentally alert$ OOOOO
22$ . often e4perience joy an elation$ OOOOO
2!$ . on?t fin it easy to ma(e ecisions$ 627 OOOOO
2=$ . on?t have a particular sense of meaning an purpose in my life$ 627
OOOOO
2C$ . feel . have a great eal of energy$ OOOOO
2G$ . usually have a goo influence on events$ OOOOO
2J$ . on?t have fun with other people$ 627 OOOOO
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2P$ . on?t feel particularly healthy$ 627 OOOOO
2Q$ . on?t have particularly happy memories of the past$ 627 OOOOO
Ca!u!ate your sore3
5tep 1$ .tems mar(e 627 shoul be score in reverse-
.f you gave yourself a :1'; cross it out an change it to a :G$;
Khange F2F to a FCF
Khange F!F to a F=F
Khange F=F to a :!F
Khange FCF to a :2F
Khange :GF to a :1F
5tep 2$ 0 the numbers for all 2Q Buestions$ 6Ise the converte numbers
for the 12 items that are reverse score$7
5tep !$ &ivie by 2Q$ 5o your happiness score N the total 6from step 27
ivie by 2Q$
. recommen you recor your score an the ate$ ,hen you?ll have the
option to compare your score now with your score at a later ate$ ,his can
be especially helpful if you are trying some of the e4ercises' an actively
wor(ing on increasing your happiness$
2>2 What does it mean:
,his part is copie verbatim from
http-AAwww$meaninganhappiness$comAo4for-happiness-BuestionnaireA21=A
. suggest you rea all the entries below regarless of what score you got'
because . thin( there?s valuable information here for everyone$
1+23 0ot happy> .f you answere honestly an got a very low score' you?re
probably seeing yourself an your situation as worse than it really is$ .
recommen ta(ing the &epression 5ymptoms test 6K35-& Muestionnaire7 at
the Iniversity of Pennsylvania?s :0uthentic Happiness; ,esting Kenter$
Eou?ll have to register' but this is beneficial because there are a lot of goo
tests there an you can re-ta(e them later an compare your scores$
2+33 $ome,hat unhappy> ,ry some of the e4ercises on this site li(e the
>ratitue "ournal R >ratitue %ists' or the >ratitue Visit+ or ta(e a loo( at
the :0uthentic Happiness; site mentione immeiately above$
www$iswb$org Page 1#
3+#3 0ot partiu!ar!y happy or unhappy> 0 score of !$C woul be an e4act
numerical average of happy an unhappy responses$ 5ome of the e4ercises
mentione just above have been teste in scientific stuies an have been
shown to ma(e people lastingly happier$
#3 $ome,hat happy or moderate!y happy$ 5atisfie$ ,his is what the
average person scores$
#+53 <ather happy@ pretty happy> Khec( other score ranges for some of
my suggestions$
5+)3 Aery happy> Being happy has more benefits than just feeling goo$ .t?s
correlate with benefits li(e health' better marriages' an attaining your
goals$ Khec( bac( L .?ll be writing a post about this topic soon$
)3 ?oo happy> Ees' you rea that right$ 2ecent research seems to show that
there?s an optimal level of happiness for things li(e oing well at wor( or
school' or for being healthy' an that being :too happy; may be associate
with lower levels of such things$

2$! Where are referenes and further information:
Hills' P$' R 0rgyle' 1$ 62##27$ ,he *4for Happiness Muestionnaire- a
compact scale for the measurement of psychological well-being$ Personality
an .niviual &ifferences' !!' 1#J!L1#P2$
www$iswb$org Page 11

Khapter ! L Positive Psychology
Muestionnaires
Happiness = Pleasure + flow + eaning
3>1 Ho, to a!u!ate it:
1artin 5eligman' leaing positive psychologists' offer a wealth of
Buestionnaires in their boo(s an websites' more information are provie in
!$!$ Konsiering such Buestionnaires are self-calculate using their online
version' here we just provie e4tremely simplifie versions-
Happiness (Seligman) = Pleasure + flow + meaning
Simplified version = [(Hours spent doing pleasant activities) + (Hours
spent in total immersion) + (Hours spent doing meaningful activities)] /
Number of das considered
P!easant ativities ?ota! immersion ;eanin"fu! ativties ?ota! hours 0um&er of days Happy hours per day
For simplicity' you can calculate this by aing the average amount of hours
you spen in one ay oing what brings you pleasure' what starts a flow an
what really gives a meaning to your life$
For e4ample- !# minutes spent eating S 12# minutes spent spea(ing on the
phone with clients S G# minutes spent volunteering
*r you can have a more etaile view' for e4ample by (eeping a iary for
one month where you write the way you allocate your time aily' an then
ivie it by the number of ays in that month$
3>2 What does it mean:
1artin 5eligman' than(s to four ecaes of research in the fiel' foun
there are three main pillars for happiness$ Pleasure is the most commonly
e4perience' an also the least lasting+ for e4ample' the pleasure erive
from eating an ice-cream' with eclining marginal benefit erive from each
bite$ Flow is about total absorption in a specific tas(' which can be as short
as writing an important email or as long as wor(ing on a boo($ 1eaning is
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the life with a purpose which' for its own efinition' is not happening often
an is the longer lasting$
0nother positive psychologist' 5onja %yubomirs(y' offers an
eBuation where Happiness N >enetic 5et Point S %ife Kircumstances S
.ntentional 0ctivities' which can be e4presse visually as-
5ource- 9i(ipeia
!$! Where are referenes and further information:
0bout 1artin 5eligman<s research-
http-AAwww$authentichappiness$sas$upenn$euA&efault$asp4
http-AAwww$stanfor$euAclassAmsane2J1AonlinetoolsA%earne*pt$html
0bout 5onja %yubomirs(y<s research-
http-AAwww$faculty$ucr$euATsonjaA
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Khapter = L 5atisfaction 9ith %ife 5cale
Happiness = social relations!ips + wor"#study satisfaction + confidence
#>1 Ho, to a!u!ate it:
Below are five statements that you may agree or isagree with$ Ising the
1 - J scale below' inicate your agreement with each item by placing the
appropriate number on the line preceing that item$ Please be open an
honest in your responing$
17 J - 5trongly agree
27 G - 0gree
!7 C - 5lightly agree
=7 = - Heither agree nor isagree
C7 ! - 5lightly isagree
G7 2 - &isagree
J7 1 - 5trongly isagree
OOOO .n most ways my life is close to my ieal$
OOOO ,he conitions of my life are e4cellent$
OOOO . am satisfie with my life$
OOOO 5o far . have gotten the important things . want in life$
OOOO .f . coul live my life over' . woul change almost nothing$
#>2 What does it mean:
,he 59%5 is a short C-item instrument esigne to measure global
cognitive jugements of satisfaction with one<s life$ ,he scale usually
reBuires only about one minute of a responent<s time$
34 9 35 Aery hi"h sore@ hi"h!y satisfied
2esponents who score in this range love their lives an feel that things
are going very well$ ,heir lives are not perfect' but they feel that things are
about as goo as lives get$ Furthermore' just because the person is satisfie
oes not mean she or he is complacent$ .n fact' growth an challenge might
be part of the reason the responent is satisfie$ For most people in this
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high-scoring range' life is enjoyable' an the major omains of life are going
well L wor( or school' family' friens' leisure' an personal evelopment$
25+ 2/ Hi"h sore
.niviuals who score in this range li(e their lives an feel that things
are going well$ *f course their lives are not perfect' but they feel that things
are mostly goo$ Furthermore' just because the person is satisfie oes not
mean she or he is complacent$ .n fact' growth an challenge might be part of
the reason the responent is satisfie$ For most people in this high-scoring
range' life is enjoyable' an the major omains of life are going well L wor(
or school' family' friens' leisure' an personal evelopment$ ,he person
may raw motivation from the areas of issatisfaction$

24 9 2# Avera"e sore
,he average of life satisfaction in economically evelope nations is in
this range L the majority of people are generally satisfie' but have some
areas where they very much woul li(e some improvement$ 5ome
iniviuals score in this range because they are mostly satisfie with most
areas of their lives but see the nee for some improvement in each area$
*ther responents score in this range because they are satisfie with most
omains of their lives' but have one or two areas where they woul li(e to
see large improvements$ 0 person scoring in this range is normal in that they
have areas of their lives that nee improvement$ However' an iniviual in
this range woul usually li(e to move to a higher level by ma(ing some life
changes$
15 9 1/ $!i"ht!y &e!o, avera"e in !ife satisfation
People who score in this range usually have small but significant
problems in several areas of their lives' or have many areas that are oing
fine but one area that represents a substantial problem for them$ .f a person
has move temporarily into this level of life satisfaction from a higher level
because of some recent event' things will usually improve over time an
satisfaction will generally move bac( up$ *n the other han' if a person is
chronically slightly issatisfie with many areas of life' some changes might
be in orer$ 5ometimes the person is simply e4pecting too much' an
sometimes life changes are neee$ ,hus' although temporary issatisfaction
is common an normal' a chronic level of issatisfaction across a number of
areas of life calls for reflection$ 5ome people can gain motivation from a
small level of issatisfaction' but often issatisfaction across a number of
life omains is a istraction' an unpleasant as well$
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14 9 1# Bissatisfied
People who score in this range are substantially issatisfie with their
lives$ People in this range may have a number of omains that are not going
well' or one or two omains that are going very baly$ .f life issatisfaction
is a response to a recent event such as bereavement' ivorce' or a significant
problem at wor(' the person will probably return over time to his or her
former level of higher satisfaction$ However' if low levels of life satisfaction
have been chronic for the person' some changes are in orer L both in
attitues an patterns of thin(ing' an probably in life activities as well$ %ow
levels of life satisfaction in this range' if they persist' can inicate that things
are going baly an life alterations are neee$ Furthermore' a person with
low life satisfaction in this range is sometimes not functioning well because
their unhappiness serves as a istraction$ ,al(ing to a frien' member of the
clergy' counsellor' or other specialist can often help the person get moving
in the right irection' although positive change will be up the person$ C L Q
34tremely &issatisfie .niviuals who score in this range are usually
e4tremely unhappy with their current life$ .n some cases this is in reaction to
some recent ba event such as wiowhoo or unemployment$ .n other cases'
it is a response to a chronic problem such as alcoholism or aiction$ .n yet
other cases the e4treme issatisfaction is a reaction ue to something ba in
life such as recently having lost a love one$ However' issatisfaction at this
level is often ue to issatisfaction in multiple areas of life$ 9hatever the
reason for the low level of life satisfaction' it may be that the help of others
are neee L a frien or family member' counseling with a member of the
clergy' or help from a psychologist or other counsellor$ .f the issatisfaction
is chronic' the person nees to change' an often others can help$
#>3 Where are referenes and further information:
3 &iener' 2obert 0$ 3mmons' 2any "$ %arsen an 5haron >riffin as
note in the 1QPC article in the "ournal of Personality 0ssessment
5cale of Positive an Hegative 34perience 65P0H37
http-AAwww$psych$illinois$euATeienerA5P0H3$html
Flourishing 5cale
http-AAwww$psych$illinois$euATeienerAF5$html
www$iswb$org Page 1G

Khapter C L Faceboo( Kollective
happiness
Happiness = (positive words) $ (non-positive words)
5>1 Ho, to a!u!ate it:
Faceboo( itself calculates the ine4' by automatically an anonymously
analy/ing the number of positive an negative wors in status upates for
selecte Kountries$ *f course' this means that' even when faceboo(ers are
just passing along a story' the wors containe in a brea(ing-news can
influence the ine4$ For e4ample' the 0ustralia<s ine4 was lowest on Feb$
1!' 2##P' the ay Prime 1inister Uevin 2u apologi/e in Parliament to
inigenous 0ustralians' reflecting the = percent of 0ussie status upates
containing the wor Fsorry$F
&ata is aggregate in graphs' containing several metrics$ >HH' represents
Faceboo( measure of >ross Hational Happiness$ Positivity an Hegativity
represent the two components of >HH- the e4tent to which wors use on
that ay were positive an negative$ >ross Hational Happiness is the
ifference between the positivity an negativity scores' though they are
interesting to view on their own$ ,he same moel is applie separately to
each country analy/e$ 3ach moel is thus calibrate ifferently' which
eliminates effects ue to ifferences in the countries< population an
language use$ $
5>2 What does it mean:
,hese are some finings' as publishe on 1arch 2#1# by Faceboo(
&ata ,eam-
V Khristmas' Hew Eear<s 3ve an Valentine<s &ay are still among the
happiest ays for all of these nations' an Friay' 5aturay an 5unay are
happiest ays of the wee($
V Kanaians are happier the ay before Kanaian ,han(sgiving 6a
5unay7 than on the actual Kanaian ,han(sgiving &ay 6a 1onay7$
V Happiness levels in the IU seem to have the least variation' with the
fewest large pea(s among all the graphs ue to holiays$
www$iswb$org Page 1J

5>3 Where are referenes and further information:
%ae&oo' *0H
http-AAapps$faceboo($comAgnhOine4A

*oo"!e .nsi"ht3 a tool similar to Faceboo( >HH' to show where 6please
(eep in consieration people mainly use native language to search online7
an what people are searching for when it comes to Happiness
http-AAwww$google$comAinsightsAsearchAWcatN1QRBNhappinessRateN1X2F2#1#X2#12
mRcmptNB
www$iswb$org Page 1P
Khapter G L >allup-Healthways 9ell-
Being .ne4
Happiness = %ife Evaluation + Eotional Healt! + P!ysical Healt! +
Healt!y Be!aviour + &or" Environent + Basic Access

)>1 Ho, to a!u!ate it:
,he >allup-Healthways 9ell-Being .ne4 measures health an well-
being in I50$ For at least 2C years' the 9ell-Being .ne4 will collect an
measure the aily pulse of I5 well-being$ 5urvey responents are as(e an
in-epth series of Buestions associate with health an well-being about-
- %ife 3valuation
- 3motional Health
- Physical Health
- Healthy Behaviour
- 9or( 3nvironment
- Basic 0ccess
0s reporte on their site http-AAwww$well-beingine4$com :,he >allup-
Healthways 9ell-Being .ne4 segments the ata for responents in both
averse an optimum situations accoring to househol income' location
emographics 6base on /ip coe7' an personal health status$ ,he results
are reporte in continuous aily' wee(ly' an monthly averages$ ,he survey
methos for >allup-Healthways 9ell-Being .ne4 relies on live 6not
automate7 interviewers' ual-frame ranom-igit-ial 62&&7 sampling
6which inclues lanlines as well as wireless phone sampling to reach those
in wireless-only househols7' an a ranom selection metho for choosing
responents within a househol$ 0itionally' aily trac(ing inclues
5panish-language interviews for responents who spea( only 5panish'
inclues interviews in 0las(a an Hawaii' an relies on a multi-call esign
to reach responents not contacte on the initial attempt$ ,he ata are
weighte aily to compensate for isproportions in selection probabilities
an nonresponse$ ,he ata are weighte to match targets from the I$5$
Kensus BureauF$
For corporate use' the same organi/ation esigne the Healthways
9ell-Being 0ssessment$ .t is aministere by Healthways to employers'
health plans an other organi/ations' leveraging >allup-Healthways 9ell-
Being .ne4 Buestions for a baseline comparison against the nation an
www$iswb$org Page 1Q
geographical areas$ .t emphasi/es employee health' employee prouctivity'
wor( environment 6incluing job stress' satisfaction with benefits' employee
engagement7' a culture of health assessing the organi/ation<s support of
healthy lifestyle choices$ ,he Healthways 9ell-Being 0ssessment also
contains aitional epth of measurement on health ris(s an employee
prouctivity$
)>2 What does it mean:

By helping 0mericans unerstan how wor( impacts life an health an
conversely how life affects wor( an health' >allup-Healthways aims to
wor( together to improve well-being for a better way of life$
,his is an overview of the ine4 from 2##P to 2#1#-
)>3 Where are referenes and further information:
http-AAwww$well-beingine4$comA
http-AAwww$well-beingine4$comAnewsroom$asp
www$iswb$org Page 2#
Khapter J L >ross Hational Happiness
6Buthan7
Happiness = Econoic + Environental + P!ysical + Mental + &or"place
+ 'ocial + Political &ellness
)>1 Ho, to a!u!ate it:
,here is no e4act Buantitative efinition of >HH' but elements that
contribute to it are subject to Buantitative measurement$ 1e "ones'
Presient of .nternational .nstitute of 1anagement' introuce an enhance
>HH concept' treating happiness as a socioeconomic evelopment metric$ .t
trac(s socioeconomic evelopment in J areas
- 3conomic 9ellness- measure by irect survey an statistical
measurement of economic metrics 6consumer ebt' average income to
consumer price ine4 ratio' income istribution' etc$7
- 3nvironmental 9ellness- measure by irect survey an statistical
measurement of environmental metrics 6pollution' noise' traffic' etc$7
- Physical 9ellness- measurement of physical health metrics 6severe
illnesses' etc$7
- 1ental 9ellness- measure by irect survey an statistical measurement of
mental health metrics 6usage of antiepressants' riseAecline of
psychotherapy patients' etc$7
- 9or(place 9ellness- measure by irect survey an statistical
measurement of labour metrics 6jobless claims' job change' wor(place
complaints an lawsuits' etc$7
- 5ocial 9ellness- measure by irect survey an statistical measurement of
social metrics 6iscrimination' safety' ivorce rates' complaints of omestic
conflicts an family lawsuits' public lawsuits' crime rates' etc$7
- Political 9ellness- measure by irect survey an statistical measurement
of political metrics 6Buality of local emocracy' iniviual freeom' an
foreign conflicts' etc$7
www$iswb$org Page 21
)>2 What does it mean:
>ross national happiness 6>HH7 was coine in 1QJ2 by then Bhutan<s
Uing "igme 5ingye 9angchuc($ >HH is base on the premise that some
forms of evelopment are not measurable in monetary terms 6a concept that
is avance by the nascent fiel of ecological economics7 while
conventional evelopment moels stress economic growth as the ultimate
objective$
)>3 Where are referenes and further information:
http-AAwww$grossnationalhappiness$comA
www$iswb$org Page 22
Khapter P L 59B - 5cience of happiness
,f , a not for yself) w!o will -e for e. ,f , a only for yself) w!at a
,. And if not now) w!en.
8>4 Bis!aimer
5cientific research about happiness provies a wealth of
information' an facilitates substantially to live a happy life$ .t ma(es
accessible to all the aggregate e4periences of many other human beings'
who are aily living their lives in the best way they can$ .t also provies
several valuable inputs to policy ma(ers' not just iniviuals$
5ome important points to consier' in orer to ma(e the best out of
the positive effects that scientific research has on living joyfully-
- se!f+fu!fi!!in" propheies3 with :e4act; sciences li(e physics' escribing a
phenomenon oesn<t change it' even if of course it influences the way we
loo( at it$ 2egarless of what we measure as the value of the gravity law'
the spee at which stones fall is not affecte$ 2esearch about happiness' an
what ma(es people happy' is boune to influence happiness-reinforcing
actions$
- diminishin" returns and intentions3 what facilitate our happiness toay
may have lower positive impact in the future' because we get use it+ this is
especially true with pleasant activities+ lasting happiness is about our
outloo( about the present' not only about what we o$ 0lso' intentions count
a lot- sharing time an resources with other people ma(es us more happy
than buying something for ourselves+ this is what both our e4perience an
scientific research tells us$ 5till' just base on this' we woul give everything
away an e4pect to become happy for ever' we woul be in for
isappointment$ 5haring facilitates happiness when we feel the importance
of sharing' an not when we pursue sharing li(e a tas( to egoistically
enhance our well-being$

www$iswb$org Page 2!
8>1 Befinin" happiness and su&5etive ,e!!+&ein"
3uaimonia is a classical >ree( wor' commonly translate as
happiness$ Konsisting of the wor FeuF 6FgooF or Fwell beingF7 an
FaimYnF 6FspiritF' use by e4tension one<s fortune7' it often refers to human
flourishing$ .t was a central concept in ancient >ree( ethics' along with the
term FareteF 6FvirtueF7 an phronesis 6practical or moral wisom7$ 9ebster
ictionary efines happiness as :07 state of well-being an contentment' joy$
B7 a pleasurable or satisfying e4perience;$

,hese efinitions show that the ifferent aspects of happiness are
given ifferent importance by ifferent people+ the meaning of happiness in
the ears of the listener$ For some' it is an inflate term plastere on self-help
boo(s+ for others' a way of living achieve by living in harmony with
ourselves' events' conitions' people an environment aroun us$
5ubjective well-being is not the same as happiness' even if such terms
are often use as synonymous$ 5ubjective well-being' as efine by 3
&iener' covers Fa broa category of phenomena that inclues people?s
emotional responses' omain satisfactions' an global jugements of life
satisfaction$ 5ubjective well-being consists of two istinctive components-
an affective part 6evaluation guie by emotions an feeling7' which refers
to both the presence of positive affect 6P07 an the absence of negative
affect 6H07' an a cognitive part 6information-base appraisal of one?s life'
evaluate using e4pectations an :ieal life; as benchmar(7$ .t is commonly
abbreviate as 59B$
,he usage of the term :subjective well-being;' or even the term
:joy;' is much less wiesprea then the one :happiness;$ For this reason'
while we use happiness in the title of this eBoo( because that is what people
search for online an it is wiely mentione in the fiel of positive
psychology' a suitable way to rephrase it is' in our opinion' is :living
joyfully; 6when referre to the orinary meaning of the wor7' an to use the
alreay mentione Fsubjective well-beingF which is the accepte stanar
when it comes to scientific research$
8>2 ;easurin" su&5etive ,e!!+&ein"
9e have alreay covere some approaches to measure 59B in the
previous seven chapters$ ,here are several ways 59B has been measure'
both on a collective an iniviual basis$ *ften' countries are ran(e by their
happiness' an cities by how liveable they are$
www$iswb$org Page 2=
,his ran(s how well nations combine level an ifferences in
happiness' for the perio 2###-2##Q' as reporte by Veenhoven' 2$' 9orl
&atabase of Happiness' 3rasmus Iniversity 2otteram 6available at-
http-AAworlatabaseofhappiness$eur$nl accesse on "uly Jth' 2#1#7-
Kosta 2ica JQ
&enmar( JP
5wit/erlan J=
Finlan J!
Hetherlans J2
,his ran(s the most liveable cities in the 9orl' as reporte by
3conomist .ntelligent 5urvey 6available at-
http-AAwww$economist$comAblogsAgulliverA2##QA#GAliveableOvancouver
accesse on "uly Jth' 2#1#7-
8>3 ;aximi8in" su&5etive ,e!!+&ein"
5ince social-sciences ,his is a selection of scientific finings about
59B+ as every selection' more coul have been a' an we can iscover
more about it by reaing in full the boo(s of the authors mentione here' an
their colleagues$
www$iswb$org Page 2C
1infulness- as reporte by psychologist 5onja %yubomirs(y' stuy
participants who appreciate positive moments of their ay' :showe
significant increases in happiness an reuctions in epression;$
1oney aren<t everthing- researchers ,im Uasser an 2ichar 2yan
foun that :,he more we see( satisfactions in material goos' the less we
fin them there$ ,he satisfaction has a short half-lifeZit?s very fleeting$;$
1oney-see(ers also score lower on tests of vitality an self-actuali/ation$
,hese finings are consistent across nations an cultures$
Have 1eaningful >oals- this has been a recurrent them along the
eBoo($ :People who strive for something significant' whether it?s learning a
new craft or raising moral chilren' are far happier than those who on?t
have strong reams or aspirations$ 0s humans' we actually reBuire a sense of
meaning to thrive$; say 3 &iener an 2obert Biswas-&iener$ :Happiness
lies at the intersection between pleasure an meaning$ 9hether at wor( or at
home' the goal is to engage in activities that are both personally significant
an enjoyable; accoring to ,al Ben-5hahar$
34ercising matters- e4ercising elivers a sense of accomplishment'
plus opportunity for interaction with people an environment' releasing
enorphins an boosting self-esteem$ 0n' uner the supervision of a octor'
it may be very effective in healing epression$
Positive outloo(- :Happy people@see possibilities' opportunities'
an success$ 9hen they thin( of the future' they are optimistic' an when
they review the past' they ten to savor the high points'; say &iener an
Biswas-&iener$
8># $ustainin" su&5etive ,e!!+&ein"
.f we pursue a meaningful life' or flow' happiness ten to be
sustainable' an even self-reinforcing$ But if we are on the heonic
treamill' running here an there but in reality always being at point /ero in
terms of living joyfully' then in reality we are just aiming at pleasure 6with
its heonic aaptation which results in eclining value in how we perceive
the same activities other time7$ 0n' in this case' variety oesn<t really help
us+ as &aniel >ilbert 6Harvar Professor of Psychology an author of
F5tumbling on HappinessF7 says- F2esearch shows that people o ten to
see( more variety than they shoul$ 9e all thin( we shoul try a ifferent
oughnut every time we go to the shop' but the fact is that people are
measurably happier when they have their favourite on every visit - provie
the visits are sufficiently separate in time;$ 0s &aniel >ilbert 6Harvar
Professor of Psychology an author of F5tumbling on HappinessF7 says-
F,he main error' of course' is that we vastly overestimate the heonic
conseBuences of any event$ Heither positive nor negative events hit us as
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har or for as long as we anticipate$ ,his Fimpact biasF has prove Buite
robust in both fiel an laboratory settingsF$ He also as- F9e are often
Buite poor at preicting what will ma(e us happy in the future for two
reasons$ First' we have been given a lot of isinformation about happiness
by two sources- >enes an culture$ Both genes an cultures are self-
perpetuating entities that nee us to o things for them so that they can
survive$ Because we are intereste in our own happiness an not theirs' both
entities fool us into believing that<s what is goo for them is also goo for
usF$ &oes this mean we shoul relay only on scientists to (now more about
our happiness? 5urely not' but we also to be aware of the effects gene an
meme have on our assumptions about happiness+ assumptions an beliefs are
formulate when we o not (now' let<s live joyfully so we can then evaluate
by ourselves what are appropriate ways to act in each situation$
8>5 $u&5etive ,e!!+&ein" and "enerosity
3li/abeth 9$ &unn is assistant professor in the &epartment of
Psychology at the Iniversity of British Kolumbia' an is well-(nown for her
research in the fiel of happiness' self (nowlege' affective forecasting'
implicit social cognition$ .n the conclusions of her paper title F5pening
1oney on *thers Promotes HappinessF' she wrote F9hile much research
has e4amine the effect of income on happiness' we suggest that how people
spen their money may be at least as important as how much money they
earn$ 5pecifically' we hypothesi/e that spening money on other people
may have a more positive impact on happiness than spening money on
oneself$ Proviing converging evience for this hypothesis' we foun that
spening more of one?s income on others preicte greater happiness both
cross-sectionally 6in a nationally representative survey stuy7 an
longituinally 6in a fiel stuy of winfall spening7$ Finally' participants
who were ranomly assigne to spen money on others e4perience greater
happiness than those assigne to spen money on themselves$
8>5 $u&5etive ,e!!+&ein" and soia! net,or's
Human relationships are consistently foun to be the most important
correlation with human happiness$ Happier people ten to have goo
relations with family an friens' as sai by &iener an Biswas-&iener' who
also a that :9e on?t just nee relationships' we nee close ones; that
involve unerstaning an caring$ 5tuies' incluing the one publishe on
the British 1eical "ournal' reporte that happiness in social networ(s may
sprea from person to person$ Muoting its conclusions- F9hile there are
many eterminants of happiness' whether an iniviual is happy also
epens on whether others in the iniviual?s social networ( are happy$
Happy people ten to be locate in the centre of their local social networ(s
an in large clusters of other happy people$ ,he happiness of an iniviual is
associate with the happiness of people up to three egrees remove in the
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social networ($ Happiness' in other wors' is not merely a function of
iniviual e4perience or iniviual choice but is also a property of groups of
people$ .nee' changes in iniviual happiness can ripple through social
networ(s an generate large scale structure in the networ(' giving rise to
clusters of happy an unhappy iniviuals$ ,hese results are even more
remar(able consiering that happiness reBuires close physical pro4imity to
sprea an that the effect ecays over time$
*ur results are consistent with previous wor( on the evolutionary
basis of human emotions an with wor( focusing on the fleeting irect
sprea of emotions$ .n aition to their internal an psychological relevance'
emotions have a specifically social role- when humans e4perience emotions'
they ten to show them$ %i(e laughter an smiling' the emotion of happiness
might serve the evolutionarily aaptive purpose of enhancing social bons$
Human laughter' for e4ample' is believe to have evolve from the:play
face; e4pression seen in other primates in rela4e social situations$ 5uch
facial e4pressions an positive emotions enhance social relations by
proucing analogous pleasurable feelings in others' by rewaring the efforts
of others' an by encouraging ongoing social contact$ >iven the organi/ation
of people 6an early hominis7 into social groups larger than pairs' such
sprea in emotions probably serve evolutionarily aaptive purposes$ ,here
are thus goo biological' psychological' an social reasons to suppose that
social networ(s 6both in terms of their large scale structure an in terms of
the interpersonal ties of which they are compose7 woul be relevant to
human happiness$
*ur ata o not allow us to ientify the actual causal mechanisms of
the sprea of happiness' but various mechanisms are possible$ Happy people
might share their goo fortune 6for e4ample' by being pragmatically helpful
or financially generous to others7' or change their behaviour towars others
6for e4ample' by being nicer or less hostile7' or merely e4ue an emotion
that is genuinely contagious 6albeit over a longer time frame than previous
psychological wor( has inicate7$ Psychoneuroimmunological mechanisms
are also conceivable' whereby being surroune by happy iniviuals has
beneficial biological effects$
,he sprea of happiness seems to reach up to three egrees of
separation' just li(e the sprea of obesity an smo(ing behaviour$ Hence'
although the person to person effects of these outcomes ten to be Buite
strong' they ecay well before reaching the whole networ($ .n other wors'
the reach of a particular behaviour or moo cascae is not limitless$ 9e
conjecture that this phenomenon is generic$ 9e might yet fin that a :three
egrees of influence rule; applies to epression' an4iety' loneliness'
rin(ing' eating' e4ercise' an many other health relate activities an
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emotional states' an that this rule restricts the effective sprea of health
phenomena to three egrees of separation away from the ego$
*ur finings have relevance for public health$ ,o the e4tent that
clinical or policy manoeuvres increase the happiness of one person' they
might have cascae effects on others' thereby enhancing the efficacy an
cost effectiveness of the intervention$ For e4ample' illness is a potential
source of unhappiness for patients an also for those iniviuals surrouning
the patient$ Proviing better care for those who are sic( might not only
improve their happiness but also the happiness of numerous others' thereby
further vinicating the benefits of meical care or health promotion$ ,here is
of course a traition of community approaches to mental health' but this
longstaning concern is now being couple with a burgeoning interest in
health an social networ(s$ 1ore generally' conceptions of health an
concerns for the well-being of both iniviuals an populations are
increasingly broaening to inclue iverse :Buality of life; attributes'
incluing happiness$ 1ost important from our perspective is the recognition
that people are embee in social networ(s an that the health an well-
being of one person affects the health an well-being of others$ ,his
funamental fact of e4istence provies a conceptual justification for the
speciality of public health$ Human happiness is not merely the province of
isolate iniviualsF$

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*verture to future releases
/ne0s end is anot!er0s start
(!is eBoo" is 1ust t!e -eta version a pat! we !ope you0ll decide to wal"
toget!er+ &e -riefly ention !ere soe topics w!ic! could !ave
copleented t!is -oo") we loo" forward for t!e any ore w!ic! will
coe only if you decide to provide us your feed-ac" and s!are your
!appiness story wit! us+ (!e ne2t version of t!is eBoo" will -e su-stantially
different) your contri-ution in ters of content and inputs is vital to a"e it
relevant to your !appiness story+
$tartin" a paradi"m shift3 de"rees of appropriateness
.n an analogical worl' it was efficient to thin( igitally$ ,hat is' in a
worl without our current technological (now-how' people preferre to
reuce accuracy in favour of thin(ing in terms of right an wrong' iscrete
values' # or 1$ .n a igital worl' it is effective to thin( analogically$ ,hat is'
in a worl where speciali/ation is wie-sprea an processing power easily
available' people can improve accuracy an thin( in terms of egrees of
appropriateness' with continuous values$ 1any ebates are floating in the
air' incluing the ones about 59B' where ifferent schools of thought aim to
prove they are totally right' an everyone else totally wrong$ ,he paraigm
shift is to thin( inclusively- given one opportunity to analy/e' its values may
ten towars one irection in a specific conte4t' an towars another
irection in another conte4t$ By pooling together our e4periences an
e4pertise' we can iscuss which course of actions are more appropriate' or
which outcomes more li(ely to occur' instea of thin(ing in terms of right or
wrong' # or 1$
-ein" happy is a hoie
0 recurrent theme in this eBoo(' an a fact for everyone who is
ta(ing happiness seriously- living joyfully is a choice$ 9e can partially
control what happens with us' we can totally control what happens within us$
%ree+,i!! is a fat6 if ,e are mindfu!
9e are free to act an we can ta(e charge of our lives' as long as we
are minful$ .f we just act base on refle4 an instinct' then we are boune
to :fight or flight; behaviour$
$W- has imp!iations for pu&!i po!iy
Politicians can no longer focus only on monetary inicators when
esigning an implementing their policies$ 5ubjective well-being is
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important for voters' often when they are not even fully aware of it$ For
e4ample' environmental conitions influence voters? moos- what is the
point of a few points increase in >&P' or local business turn-over' if the cost
for that is measure in par(s being wipe away' with much lower air Buality
etc? ,his is not to say monteray inicators are not important' this just means
they are not enough an nee to be integrate with 59B inicators' li(e the
ones provie by >allup$ 0lso' with proper research which estimates the
savings of 59B policies on the health-bill 6for e4ample' :it is estimate that
[ \ED are save every month than(s to policies which facilitate healthy
living;7' an improvement in results' of Kountries' it becomes easier for
policy-ma(ers to ta(e fact-base ecisions$
$W- has imp!iations for internationa! re!ations
5ubjective well-being plays leaing role in 21st century public
iplomacy- woul you be greateful to a foreign Kountry' whose traitions
an current infrastructure allows you to improve your health? Khina an
.nia' with their ,K1 an 0yurvea' are especially well place to
contribute to the 59B of people aroun the 9orl' both in terms of
incoming tourists who are visiting clinics etc$ an foreign citi/ens who can
benefit in their home Kountry from the e4pertise of Khinese an .nian
e4patriates' an their stuents$
$W- a"ents6 o&5ets6 ations an &e !assified as hot6 mi!d6 oo!
,here are :agents;' :objects; an :actions; facilitating 59B- agents
are the proviersAproucersAfacilitators of a given 59B object+ an object is
the physical substance' or the approachAproceure' of a 59B action+ an
action is what is reBuire by a person to embrace a 59B object$ ,o ma(e
some e4amples- a meitation instructor' or a pharmaceutical company' are
agents+ a given approach to meitation' or a pill' are objects+ the act of
meitating' or ta(ingAbeing given a pill' are actions$ 0gents are often subject
to public policy+ objects' to inustryAregulatory agencies stanars+ actions'
to the common sense of the person performingAreceiving them$
:0gents;' :objects; an :actions; can be classifie base on the
ifferent egrees of participation they reBuire from the person who embraces
6or is prescribe7 them$ :Hot; inicates an object which reBuire little
participation from the person choosing it+ it is usually a silver-bullet solution
to aress one specific issue' often appropriate in life-threatening situation$
1eicines are often :hot; objects$ :Kool; inicates an object which reBuire
consierably greater participation from the person choosing it+ it is usually a
holistic solution to aress a wie range of aspects' often appropriate when
immeiate results are not the main goals$ .mproving one?s eating habits is an
e4ample of :cool; object$ :1il; inicates an object' or a bunle of objects'
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which reBuire average participation from the person choosing it+ it usually
brings a mi4 of immeiate an long term results$
-ein" happy to"ether3 mu!ti!eve! happiness
People can be wealthy while other people are starving' unfortunately
that occurs Buite often$ But we cannot be happy in a vacuum' joyful beings
who are an islan to themselves+ as mentione' happiness is social an
contagious$ 9e also fin the iea of 1ultilevel happiness appropriate$ 9hen
it comes to multilevel mar(eting' often early the first movers 6the ones at the
top of the scheme7 are the one profiting' while others are just feeing them+
multilevel happiness creates joy for all' an sometimes the last to join even
benefit from aggregate e4periences an happiness of the friens who
precee them$ %et<s be agents of happiness)
-ein" happy to"ether3 ,ithout dependeny
5ometimes' we may thin( that' by carrying other people on our
shoulers' we are going to ma(e their lives better$ .n reality' we are just
contributing to ma(ing them epenent on us$ ,here are e4ception' but in
most of the cases' people can usually ta(e them of themselves' an are
happier when they o$ 9e shoul be generous with all' without ma(ing them
epenent on us$ 9e shoul help in case of emergency an for long term
projects' but ma(ing other people epenant on us for their aily living
presents angers- to them' because they no longer feel empowere- to us'
because it grows our ego' by ma(ing us feeling so important for others$

Lastin" happiness
Provisional happiness can be influence by e4ternal short-term
events+ lasting happiness' is influence both by objective 6genetics an
natural preispositions7 an subjective 6eucating our emotions+ ensure that'
if they crystalli/e into moos' they are positive ones7 personal factors $ By
(nowing better how to evelop our subjective factors' an how to ma4imi/e
our objective factors' we increase our happiness$
Happiness is a ,ay of !ivin"
Happiness is the result of what we thin( an o$ Happiness is not a
target to aim to' nor a place to reach an blissfully sit there forever$ .f we are
concerne only with happiness' we are going to miss it+ if we live our lives
in ways appropriate the conte4t' we are happy$
Happiness is li(e a garen- it comes in ifferent shapes' si/es' colours+
it grows on ifferent soils' uner ifferent weather conitions+ it brings
ifferent flowers$ 9hat<s common about our garen of happiness is that it
nees to be unerstoo an nurture' cultivate an love$ 0n there is no
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such thing as cultivating our small fence garen in a vacuum- it epens on
how other garens are' which sees are carrie aroun by bees' etc$

Po,er of ontext
9e also nee to unerstan strengths an wea(nesses are never
absolute' an always conte4tual- a shy person ma(es an ieal listener' an
maybe not the most performing social butterfly$ For this reason' shy people
may put themselves in the conte4ts where they can facilitate happiness for
them an other people+ an also let themselves go in more social situation$
5till' happiness is more builing in strengths' an not force ourselves in
filling what we see as vois$
We an han"e3 0europ!astiity and 0euro"enesis
5cience iscovere that our brain can be rewire 6neuroplasticity7$
0n not only that' new neurons can be generate 6neurogenesis7$ 0t any age'
an in almost every conition$ *f course' there are some stages of our lives'
an certain conitions' where neuroplasticity an neurogenesis are
facilitate more+ still' how we thin( an what we o rewires our brain' an
the way our brains are wire influence how we see the worl an what we
o$ 9e can ma(e this a virtual circle' supporting our growth as iniviuals
an member of society$
-ein" a,are of a,areness3 onsiousness matters
5cientific research mae giants steps towar a eeper unerstaning
of consciousness$ 9hile we o not all nee to be e4perts in neuroscience' an
unerstaning of its iscoveries can facilitate our happiness' ma(ing us more
aware of how our awareness wor(s $
=vo!ution exp!ains a !ot a&out our instints
9hy' as iniviuals' our behaviour may be so unpreictable' but as
:crows; patterns are easy to spot? Because' among other reasons' there was
an evolutionary avantage in following the wisom of the crow' especially
in situations of emergency- if a member of the tribe was suenly running'
chances heAshe spotte a potential source of foo' or a preator who was
reay to attac(+ an' in a relatively small community' it was easy for peers to
(now the o case of a tribe-member who was always running for no reason$
9hy is se4 so often present in our mins? Because most of the beings
with low libio are' well' e4tincte ue to lac( of off-springs$
;eme exp!ains a !ot a&out our ustoms
1eme is a label use to ientify units of cultural ieas' symbols or
practices+ meme are' by their own nature' transmittable from one min to
another$ ,his means that customs which are easily transmissible in a given
conte4t' are li(ely to stic( aroun for long regarless of their egree of
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truthfulness' sometimes even when they are objectively etrimental to the
people implementing them$
?he need for more researh
5cience alreay mae remar(able iscoveries in the fiel of
subjective well-being' this justifies investing more resources in research'
both longituinal 6across time7 an latituinal 6across ifferent
emographics7$
?he need for more ,ide+spread a,areness
.nitiatives li(e the >allup-Healthways 9ell-Being .ne4 are
e4tremely important to sprea awareness about 59B' an remin to policy
ma(ers the importance of (eeping 59B into high consieration$ 9e hope
these (in of measurements will become even more prominent$
?he need for ritia! thin'in"
5ubjective well-being reBuires' among other things' to act
accoringly to our interpretation an evaluation of ata' information'
communications' an argumentation$ .t reBuires us to Buantify a egree of
confience with which we embrace' or ecline' the ifferent options
available$ Konsiering the importance' an number of sta(eholers' active in
59B' we o nee to thin( critically about what we o+ there are several
goo points mae by researchers an thin(ers about the pitfalls of a society
which' instea of a genuine interest in 59B' evelops a superficial :feel
goo; approach to life$ 9e<ll suggest some of them' in new releases of this
boo($
A&out re!i"ion6 metaphysis6 spiritua!ity and ethis
2eligions inclue several aspects' li(e theology' metaphysics'
spirituality' ethics' etc$ 1any religions eeply iffers from each other about
theology an metaphysics+ even more in the way they label an escribe
them$ 5pirituality an ethics can be a subset of a religion' with many
similarities across ifferent traitions+ or they can be a way we relate with
ourselves an all the beings' outsie a religious framewor($
2eligious choices' base on what we believe' are not a subject of this
eBoo($ 5pirituality an ethics' base on what we e4perience as appropriate
in given conte4ts' will be iscusse further in future releases$
A&out opportunities6 ha!!en"es6 and pro&!ems
3verything is as it shoul be' given the current components of the
present conte4t$ .f we want to change the outcome of the situation' then we
nee to ta(e action$ .n the case of opportunities' the upsie for us is the most
evient$ 9hen we see challenges' we are focuse on the Buestion mar(s
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raise by a situation+ still' by ta(ing action' we can overcome them$ 9hen
we see problems' then the focus is all on the threats+ problems cannot be
solve with the same min-set which create them' they eman a bran
new approach' otherwise they woul not even be problems in the first place$
Happiness to &e found =ast:
2uyar Uipling<s line from the :,he Balla *f 3ast 0n 9est; is
mentione many times- :*h' 3ast is 3ast' an 9est is 9est' an never the
twain shall meet;$ Infortunately' the rest of the Buotation is often omitte-
:But there is neither 3ast nor 9est' Borer' nor Bree' nor Birth' 9hen two
strong men stan face to face' tho< they come from the ens of the earth);$
3ast an 9est' Horth an 5outh' they can all meet an share the
fruits of their cultures an unerstaning$ .t is important to say that' all along
the history of the :9est;' there were voices who ha a more holistic view
about life an happiness+ also' from the 3ast' there were ual octrines$ ,hat
means to loo( 3ast is not necessary to live joyfully' even if of course the
wealth of wisom evelope in the 3ast can facilitate us$ ,here were
philosophers' li(e 3picurus' who hinte to ways of living happily+
unfortunately' these voices were not consiere supportive to the ruling
classes an status-Buot' an so were ignore' misrepresente or even
represse$
WhatCs in an e-oo' tit!e:
9e li(e to write about our e4periences an opinions in this blog$ 9e
also hope other people can rea them' a their own ta(e an benefit from
them$ ,his means the blog nee to be foun' an search-engines are the way
information is foun nowaays$
Being foun by search-engines means using appropriate (eywors
in titles' escriptions etc$ ,his bring one challenging Buestion- are these
(eywors really an appropriate way to escribe what we write about? For
e4ample' self-evelopment an self-help are popular search terms$ ,hey are
also contraictions in terms --7 1ost of us o not really nee to strenghten
the self' most of us benefit from focusing on real awareness$
,o ma(e another e4ample- the wor happiness is inflate$ .t is use
a lot' often to ientify pleasure an other feelings which aren<t really
happiness$ 5till' people perform happiness-relate searches on >oogle et al'
an a fair amount of friens visit us than(s to such searches$
How i we ecie to balance these ifferent opportunities' for
now? 9e (eep happiness in our posts an tags$ 9e also mention self-
evelopment from time to time$ 0n we also a what we believe is
appropriate to escribe the formula to a happy life- living joyfully$ 0n also
www$iswb$org Page !C
living joy fully$ Because' base on our personal e4periences' happiness is a
way of living- acting in appropriate manners 6because we really are all on
the same boat' an we all eserve respect+ an not because we (now only
because that ma(es us happy7 creates joy' here an now' for all$$
%uture re!eases
,his eBoo( is currently in beta version$ Future publications will
inclue new releases' an also :plug-ins;- short pamphlets' usually focuse
on one topic only$ .f you want to provie suggestions etc$ please sen them
to eboo(8iswb$org

www$iswb$org Page !G
3edicated to y loving wife) y caring parents) y strong grand-parents)
relatives) ancestors) friends) all t!e people , et so far) and t!e ones ,4ll
eet+ (!an"s for giving your e2aple of 1oy) love) !ope) !u-leness and
deterination to do good+
3edicated to t!e -reat!-ta"ing 5anada) t!e peaceful nature of Estonia) t!e
c!aring good-!eart of ,taly+ (!an"s for giving a conte2t w!ere to live
1oyfully) and flouris!+
6ancouver) 78 9uly :;7;
?han's to
Eou' as a start$$$
1ay you benefit from the (nowlege containe here as much as . i$ 1ay
you ta(e it an transform it into wisom$ 1ay all the people who
contribute' irectly an inirectly' receive all the creit for what is goo in
these pages$ 0ny short-coming you may fin in these pages is my own' your
feebac( is appreciate to improve this eBoo($ Please sen your messages to
eboo(8iswb$org
A&out the author
Fran( is a %ay &harma instructor within the 5eon 6Uorean Den7 traition$ He
hols a iploma in Buhist stuies 69orl Buhist Iniversity' ,hailan7
an also stuie Humanistic Buhism 6Iniversity of the 9est' %os
0ngeles' I507$
Fran( is .talian' has spent most of his ault life in Horth 0merica' 3nglan
an 3stonia' an lives in beautiful British Kolumbia 6Kanaa7$ He has been
wor(ing in eKommunication since late 1QQC' stuie business' grauate in
.nternational 2elations an &iplomacy$ ,ravelling aroun the 9orl an
meeting ifferent cultures' he unerstoo what we nee to be happy is
alreay available here an now+ we just nee to loo( an see the conte4t
with open eyes$ He also thin( that life is the ultimate (oan' with hints can be
foun both within an outsie one<s traition' an the final answer lies only
within oneself L or the lac( of it as unerstoo in the conventional way$ Eou
can contact him through an :art of happiness; blog on
http-AAwww$amareway$orgA
www$iswb$org Page !J
A&out the $u&5etive We!!+&ein" .nstitute
,he .nstitute of 5ubjective 9ell-Being 6http-AAwww$iswb$orgA7 is a non-
sectarian' non-political institute evote to sharing both establishe an
pioneering research in the fiel of subjective well-being' more commonly
(nown as happiness$ 5ubjective well-being is a suitable way to refer to
happiness- subjective' because it is in the eyes? of the beholer+ well-being'
because it is always in progress an not a place to reach an hol for goo$
1embership is free an open to researchers' meitators' philosophers an
the public at large$ .59B publishes pamphlets an white-papers' freely
available on their site+ they also eit a newsletter for meia e4perts who
want to receive upates about evelopments in the fiel of subjective well-
being$
5cientific research has alreay proven happiness is a matter of many factors'
incluing personal choices' environmental influences an genetics+ .59B
aims to (eep the iscussion open$ 0n analogical approach to happiness
6where ifferent factors influencing happiness are weighte accoring to the
conte4t7 has proven more effective than a igital approach 6where the
iscussion is focuse on fining one e4clusive' or leaing' cause for all7+
even of course the yesAno approach seems always the most efficient' the
aitional (nowlege we are gaining an the e4ponential growth in
computing power when it comes to scenarios-builing' ma(es possible to
opt for a more effective approach' with efficiency ta(en care by progress$
&iscussing about ifferent egrees of appropriateness' instea of /ero-sum
right or wrong positions' brings more positive results' at the avantage of all
parties involve in the iscussion$ 2esearch has also shown that happiness is
a two-way street- our brain influences what an how we see+ at the same
time' e4ternal elements L channelle through our senses L can physically
change our brain' rewiring it$ ,his means the brain has a major role in
subjective well-being' but shoul not seen as the only player in the fiel$
A&out AmAre Way
,he verb :0m0re; means :,o %ove; in .talian$ 0s written on the blog
which bears the same name 6http-AAwww$amareway$org7' it also shows we are
unite in an interconnecte universe- there is no 6.7 0m without 69e7 are$
0s an acronym' it summari/es a fivefol approach to happiness-
0ware 6Being7
1eitating
0ctive 6Being7
2espectful 6Being7
3ating 6properly7
www$iswb$org Page !P