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Happiness: Home

A guide to happiness, including information on the brain, religion, economics, environment, gratitude, children, and more.

Happiness Defined

The Oxford English Dictionary defines happiness at "The quality or condition of being happy." In more detail, happiness is, "Good fortune or good luck in life generally or in a particular affair; success, prosperity. Now rare." This guide covers topics related to happiness, with direct links to online resources, research, books, and films. 

Credo Reference

Online Resources

The New Science of Happiness

Learn about the new field of positive psychology, and how mindfulness practices foster empirically-supported paths to happiness. Consider the many things that we mistakenly assume will produce happiness, and the alternative of a reliable avenue to well-being, grounded in attention to the present moment, engagement in life, gratitude, and connectedness to others.

Source: Kanopy

Perspectives

The Happiness Project

New York Times #1 Bestseller More Than 1 Million Copies Sold Updated With New Material "This book made me happy in the first five pages." --AJ Jacobs, author of The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible Award-winning author Gretchen Rubin is back with a bang, with The Happiness Project. The author of the bestselling 40 Ways to Look at Winston Churchill has produced a work that is "a cross between the Dalai Lama's The Art of Happiness and Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love." (Sonya Lyubomirsky, author of The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want) In the vein of Julie and Julia, The Happiness Project describes one person's year-long attempt to discover what leads to true contentment. Drawing at once on cutting-edge science, classical philosophy, and real-world applicability, Rubin has written an engaging, eminently relatable chronicle of transformation.

Street of Eternal Happiness

An unforgettable portrait of individuals who hope, struggle, and grow along a single street cutting through the heart of China's most exhilarating metropolis, from one of the most acclaimed broadcast journalists reporting on China today.   Modern Shanghai: a global city in the midst of a renaissance, where dreamers arrive each day to partake in a mad torrent of capital, ideas, and opportunity. Marketplace's Rob Schmitz is one of them. He immerses himself in his neighborhood, forging deep relationships with ordinary people who see in the city's sleek skyline a brighter future, and a chance to rewrite their destinies. There's Zhao, whose path from factory floor to shopkeeper is sidetracked by her desperate measures to ensure a better future for her sons. Down the street lives Auntie Fu, a fervent capitalist forever trying to improve herself with religion and get-rich-quick schemes while keeping her skeptical husband at bay. Up a flight of stairs, musician and caf#65533; owner CK sets up shop to attract young dreamers like himself, but learns he's searching for something more. As Schmitz becomes more involved in their lives, he makes surprising discoveries which untangle the complexities of modern China: A mysterious box of letters that serve as a portal to a family's - and country's - dark past, and an abandoned neighborhood where fates have been violently altered by unchecked power and greed.   A tale of 21st century China, Street of Eternal Happiness profiles China's distinct generations through multifaceted characters who illuminate an enlightening, humorous, and at times heartrending journey along the winding road to the Chinese Dream. Each story adds another layer of humanity and texture to modern China, a tapestry also woven with Schmitz's insight as a foreign correspondent. The result is an intimate and surprising portrait that dispenses with the tired stereotypes of a country we think we know, immersing us instead in the vivid stories of the people who make up one of the world's most captivating cities.

The Psychology of Happiness

When Thomas Jefferson placed 'the pursuit of happiness' along with life and liberty in The Declaration of Independence he was most likely referring to Aristotle's concept of happiness, or eudaimonia. Eudaimonia is not about good feelings but rather the fulfilment of human potentials. Fulfilment is made possible by virtue; the moderation of desire and emotion by reason. The Psychology of Happiness was the first book to bring together psychological, philosophical, and physiological theory and research in support of Aristotle's view. It examines the similarity between Aristotle's concept of virtue and modern cognitive theories of emotion. It discusses the discovery of human potentials, the development of virtue and its neurological basis, the mistaken idea that fulfilment is selfish, and several other issues related to the pursuit of a good human life.

The Great Eight

"Scott''s outlook on life continues to influence me in a very positive way, encouraging me to look at challenges in a larger context.  Within the metaphors of his skating career, the wisdom in this book is not only very inspiring and easy to grasp, but surrounded by great story telling.  I''m so glad he recorded it for the rest of us."   --Brad Paisley, Grammy Award-winning Artist "It''s like my bud Scott says..."you can''t just skate through life and expect to be happy!" So anyone choosing not to buy this book is choosing not to be happy.  Shame on you."   --Kevin Nealon Actor, Comedian, Saturday Night Live Alum  "A gold medal literary performance from a true Olympic star." Richard D. Lamm, Governor of Colorado "For twenty five years I have been a close friend and business advisor to Scott.  He is an inspiration to all who know him.  I cannot imagine anyone better suited to write on the topic of happiness than Scott Hamilton.  Through a lifetime of facing incredible odds he has learned the secrets to maintaining a positive attitude and can-do spirit.  Spend time in the pages of this book and you will walk away truly inspired." Bob Kain Former CEO, IMG Current Vice Chairman, Cleveland Browns "After a myriad of setbacks, Scott speaks eloquently about survival in the face of adversity. This book deserves a ''ten'' and a ''Personal Best'' too! Bravo!" Dick Button, Two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, Emmy Award-winning skating analyst "In each successive chapter and challenge in his remarkable life-as Olympic champion, as cancer and brain-tumor survivor, as devoted husband and father and man of faith-Scott Hamilton has forged ahead with unquenchable spirit and uncommon joy, always emerging wiser than before.  This warm and insightful book will allow its readers to experience the blessing I''ve been privileged to enjoy in person: a delightful, practical, bracingly-honest conversation with one of our national treasures."  Ken Durham, Ph.D., Senior Minister, The University Church of Christ at Pepperdine University    

The Second Mountain

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * Everybody tells you to live for a cause larger than yourself, but how exactly do you do it? The author of The Road to Character explores what it takes to lead a meaningful life in a self-centered world. "Deeply moving, frequently eloquent and extraordinarily incisive."--The Washington Post Every so often, you meet people who radiate joy--who seem to know why they were put on this earth, who glow with a kind of inner light. Life, for these people, has often followed what we might think of as a two-mountain shape. They get out of school, they start a career, and they begin climbing the mountain they thought they were meant to climb. Their goals on this first mountain are the ones our culture endorses: to be a success, to make your mark, to experience personal happiness. But when they get to the top of that mountain, something happens. They look around and find the view . . . unsatisfying. They realize: This wasn't my mountain after all. There's another, bigger mountain out there that is actually my mountain. And so they embark on a new journey. On the second mountain, life moves from self-centered to other-centered. They want the things that are truly worth wanting, not the things other people tell them to want. They embrace a life of interdependence, not independence. They surrender to a life of commitment. In The Second Mountain, David Brooks explores the four commitments that define a life of meaning and purpose: to a spouse and family, to a vocation, to a philosophy or faith, and to a community. Our personal fulfillment depends on how well we choose and execute these commitments. Brooks looks at a range of people who have lived joyous, committed lives, and who have embraced the necessity and beauty of dependence. He gathers their wisdom on how to choose a partner, how to pick a vocation, how to live out a philosophy, and how we can begin to integrate our commitments into one overriding purpose. In short, this book is meant to help us all lead more meaningful lives. But it's also a provocative social commentary. We live in a society, Brooks argues, that celebrates freedom, that tells us to be true to ourselves, at the expense of surrendering to a cause, rooting ourselves in a neighborhood, binding ourselves to others by social solidarity and love. We have taken individualism to the extreme--and in the process we have torn the social fabric in a thousand different ways. The path to repair is through making deeper commitments. In The Second Mountain, Brooks shows what can happen when we put commitment-making at the center of our lives.

Happiness, Like Water

"Astonishing. Okparanta's narrators render their stories with such strength and intimacy, such lucidity and composure, that in each and every case the truths of their lives detonate deep inside the reader's heart, with the power and force of revelation."--Paul Harding Here are Nigerian women at home and transplanted to the United States, building lives out of longing and hope, faith and doubt, the struggle to stay and the mandate to leave, the burden and strength of love. Here are characters faced with dangerous decisions, children slick with oil from the river, a woman in love with another despite the penalties. Here is a world marked by electricity outages, lush landscapes, folktales, buses that break down and never start up again. Here is a portrait ofNigerians that is surprising, shocking, heartrending, loving, and across social strata, dealing in every kind of change. Here are stories filled with language to make your eyes pause and your throat catch.Happiness, Like Waterintroduces a true talent, a young writer with a beautiful heart and a capacious imagination. "Intricate, graceful prose propels Okparanta's profoundly moving and illuminating book. I devoured these stories and immediately wanted more. This is an arrival."--NoViolet Bulawayo "Okparanta's prose is tender, beautiful and evocative. These powerful stories of contemporary Nigeria are told with compassion and a certain sense of humor. What a remarkable new talent."--Chika Unigwe "A haunting and startlingly original collection of short stories about the lives of Nigerians both at home and in America.Happiness, Like Water is a deeply affecting literary debut, the work of a sure and gifted new writer."--Julie Otsuka

Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness

From the winner of the 2017 Nobel Prize in Economics, Richard H. Thaler, and Cass R. Sunstein: a revelatory look at how we make decisions--for fans of Malcolm Gladwell's Blink and Daniel Kahneman's Thinking Fast and Slow New York Times bestseller Named a Best Book of the Year by The Economist and the Financial Times Every day we make choices--about what to buy or eat, about financial investments or our children's health and education, even about the causes we champion or the planet itself. Unfortunately, we often choose poorly. Nudge is about how we make these choices and how we can make better ones. Using dozens of eye-opening examples and drawing on decades of behavioral science research, Nobel Prize winner Richard H. Thaler and Harvard Law School professor Cass R. Sunstein show that no choice is ever presented to us in a neutral way, and that we are all susceptible to biases that can lead us to make bad decisions. But by knowing how people think, we can use sensible "choice architecture" to nudge people toward the best decisions for ourselves, our families, and our society, without restricting our freedom of choice. More than 750,000 copies sold

Happiness Apps

Ten Percent Happier - Meditation & Sleep

Want to sleep better, be more mindful, improve your relationships, and become just about ten percent happier? This is the app for you. Our guided meditations, videos, talks, and sleep content will help you build (or boost) your meditation practice, and stick with it.
 

Happify

Happify’s science-based activities and games can help reduce stress, overcome negative thoughts, and build greater resilience by providing effective tools and programs to improve emotional well-being.
 

Action for Happiness

Transform your happiness and mental health and create a kinder, happier world while doing it with the Action for Happiness app. You’ll receive simple, daily reminders designed to inspire you to support your own mental health and wellbeing and spread more kindness to others around you too.
 

Three Good Things

Three Good Things is a simple gratitude journal that respects your privacy.

Boost positivity, practice self compassion, and increase well being with the simple habit of gratitude!