official definition of happiness involves peace, contentment and living in har- mony with all creation. Seligman, author of Flourish: A


Visionary New Understanding of Happi- ness and Well-Being, has become a be- liever in GDH. “How can you measure well-being in a person, a family, a coun- try or globally?” he queries. Research by Seligman and his colleagues at the Uni- versity of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, points to four basic elements: positive emotion, relationships, meaning in life and accomplishment, or PERMA. Seligman says there are proven ways


to improve each element. For positive emotion, writing down three “blessings”, or things that went well that day, can increase our feelings of gratitude and well-being. For relationships, actively listening and being present for a loved one and having that attention returned can strengthen those bonds. Increasing meaning in our lives, says Seligman, can be a challenge for Westerners. “We have threadbare spiritual and relation- ship furniture. We have too much ‘I’ and not enough ‘we,’” he says. But getting involved in something that increases the “we” factor will help make us happier.


Nurturing Signature Strengths Self-surveys at AuthenticHappiness. com can help us identify our strengths and realize what we’re especially good at—and we increase our feelings of accomplishment by doing more of them. “You can even figure out how to do the task you like least by using your signature strength,” Seligman advises. He shares an example of a grocery store cashier that disliked bagging groceries, but was exceptional at


If I become happy and it makes you happy, it is like tipping the first domino so the next one falls and that happiness spreads.


~ James Fowler, economic behaviorist, University of California-San Diego


social interaction. She made herself happier by chatting with her customers while she packed their selections. Lara Blair, a portrait photographer


in Camas, Washington, believes in cel- ebrating strengths. “If making things is what you love, give it the space in your brain, home and life that it deserves.” Blair’s seminars and retreats help people tap ways to increase feelings of creativity, accomplishment and mean- ing. “If you nurture it and believe that growing this beautiful thing is worth the effort, the rewards will be more than you ever dreamed,” she says. When, as a happily married lawyer


with children, Rubin thought her life was missing something vital, she used her love for reading and writing to explore that wistful, “What if?” She started researching subjective happiness via Marcus Aurelius, Samuel Johnson, Benjamin Franklin and St. Thérèse de Lisieux, whom Rubin refers to as her “spiritual master.” She decided to test- drive her findings at Happiness-Project. com and began blogging about new ways of thinking and behaving that were bringing her and her readers greater self- realization and contentment. “A great place to start is with your own body,” she counsels. “Are you


getting enough sleep? Are you getting good food to eat? When you take care of those very basic things, you feel en- ergized, and then you can start moving to address other issues.”


Sustaining Happiness Once we’ve upped our happiness quotient, it can still be difficult to stay at that level, says Kennon Sheldon, pro- fessor of psychological sciences at the University of Missouri, in Columbia. In a recent study conducted with research- ers at the University of California-River- side, Sheldon and his colleagues found that by both recognizing that the desire for “more” and “better” in our lives won’t stop and also appreciating what we have, we’ll stay happy. It’s equally vital to continually keep things fresh, with positive new experiences at home, work, play and exercise, as well as in relationships. In other words, sustained happiness takes a little work. “Just before going to bed,” suggests


James, “write down at least one won- derful thing that happened that day. It may be anything from making a child laugh to a big sale. Whatever it is, be grateful for the present day, because it will never come again.” The benefits of individual well-


being radiate to those around us, notes Seligman. “When individuals are flourishing, they are more produc- tive at work, physically healthier and at peace.” He believes that as we find ways to increase positive emotion, relationships, meaning in life and indi- vidual accomplishment, it’s possible for life on Earth to flourish.


Judith Fertig is a regular contributor to Natural Awakenings.


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