You must decide if you are a glass half-full or glass half empty type of person. As Abraham Lincoln stated, “Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.” But how does someone approach even the toughest situations with a glass half full attitude and are there truly benefits to being happy?
Proven by researchers in Great Britain by a study that was published in the Journal of Social Psychology, the researchers provided proof that people who perform daily acts of kindness feel more personal satisfaction and happiness (Dixon). These beautiful acts of kindness can be as simple as holding the door open for someone who is enter a building before you or paying for a stranger’s meal or bag of groceries. Giving people genuine compliments or a sincere smile is a reflection of your mood. All of these actions are “half full” behaviors, which in turn make you feel better about yourself. The beauty in these acts of kindness is that they become habits, which easily transforms your “half empty” behaviors into something that is constructive, effortless and natural.
Through these effortless and natural acts of kindness becoming a habitual it will become easier to overcome the negatives in the world, which are published every day through newspapers and the news on TV. Media primarily focusing on all of the bad in the world - crime, the poor economy and war, but what about all the positives that happen day to day on a national level? On January 12, 2012 Arianna Huffington of the Huffington Post launched “Huff Post Good News.” In Good News, readers absorb uplifting articles that focus on inspiring stories that enrich lives and lead to better attitudes. Good News is a positive reminder to people that there is more going ...
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...u can afford to pay a barista to make your morning pick-me-up.
Half Full is starting small, but with each person that buys into it and celebrates finding the good in bad situations the world will become a better place. Half Full could be the winner of all multi-level marketing techniques. Invest in Half Full and not only will you be a better you, but the world will be a better place too.
Works Cited
Dixon, Alex. "Kindness Makes You Happy… and Happiness Makes You Kind." Greater Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life. University of California, Berkeley, 6 Sept. 2011. Web. 02 Dec. 2013.
Smith, Melinda, and Jeanne Segal. "Laughter Is the Best Medicine." Help Guide. N.p., May 2013. Web. 01 Dec. 2013.
Yates, Diana. "Study: Happiness Improves Health and Lengthens Life." News Bureau | University of Illinois. Inside Illinois, 1 Mar. 2011. Web. 02 Dec. 2013.
Greene, Jack; Pursuits of Happiness; University of North Carolina Press; Chapel Hill, North Carolina; 1988.
When one has a positive outlook in difficult circumstances, it is the most important predictor of resilience; how quickly people recover from adversity. People who are resilient tend to be more optimistic and positive compared to less-resilient people. Resilient people are capable of preserving their optimism and controlling their emotions through some of the most difficult circumstances ("The Benefits of Optimism"). The dean of Mount Sinai School of Medicine Dr. Dennis Charney found resilience in 750 Vietnam War veterans. He examined these war veterans who were held as prisoners of war for six to eight years. These 750 men were remarkably resilient throughout these tortured years. Unlike many of their fellow veterans, they did not develop depression or PTSD after they were released. Even though they experienced enormous stress, they kept a positive attitude. It was found that their secret was ten characteristics that distinguished them from the other men; and the top one was optimism ("The Benefits of Optimism"). These men endured painful conditions and could have ended up with a l...
In the book, The How of Happiness, author and researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky sets her book apart from other self-awareness books by being the first to utilize empirical studies. She uses data gained through scientific method to provide support for her hypothesis. This hypothesis consists mainly of the idea that we have the ability to overcome genetic predisposition and circumstantial barriers to happiness by how we think and what we do. She emphasizes that being happier benefits ourselves, our family and our community. “The How of Happiness is science, and the happiness-increasing strategies that [she] and other social psychologists have developed are its key supporting players” (3).
There has always been a predominant belief in my household that it is important to help others- whether it be volunteering at a food pantry or just keep an elderly neighbor company when no one else is around to do so. The main takeaway from this was that one couldn’t receive good in their life if they never gave any. I have been more eager to follow this through, not necessarily in the spirit of receiving some good in return, but because it gave me a good feeling to know that I was impacting someone’s life in a positive manner. I wanted to be able to foster this feeling and incorporate it into my everyday life, so I could carry that feeling with me wherever I go.
Prager, D. (1997). Happiness is a serious problem: A human nature repair manual. NY: HarperCollins Publishers
Stearns, Peter N. “The History of Happiness. (Cover Story).” Harvard Business Review 90.1/2 (2012): 104-109. Business Source Complete. Web. 6 June 2015.
Bowman, James. "The Pursuit of Happiness." The American Spectator. N.p., Sept. 2010. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.
An individual 's happiness is vital to their overall wellbeing and is affected by numerous factors, all to varying extents.
Happiness is a feeling that everyone aims to accomplish, yet some people seem to only catch a sight of it. Gratifying atonement, a state of well-being, and serenity are the more eminent elements of happiness. David G. Myers and Ed Diener propose the article “Who Is Happy?” which present aspects of happiness, a theory that recognizes adaptation, cultural world view, and personal goals. I believe through word of mouth and through those whom we look up to, we are told many myths about happiness, especially the biggest myth that money can buy happiness. In Daniel Gilbert’s “Reporting Live from Tomorrow”, he argues that the definition of happiness is not defined by wealth and that we rely on super-replicators and surrogates to make decisions that we feel will enhance our happiness. Our economic history has proven the idea of declining marginal utility. If we pursue life and liberty without happiness, our lives, quality, and value will slowly vanish, but the absence of wealth has nothing to do with one’s happiness.
A perfect society would consist of an atmosphere where random acts of kindness were a normal part of everyone’s daily life. Not only does one experience a sensation of relief and joy whenever performing an act of kindness, the deed also affects the person whom the kindness was directed towards. A random act of kindness is a widely known subject. However, the effects of the action are not as well known. In today’s society, between all of the cars, cellphones, money, jobs, new technology etc. it becomes easier to be wrapped up or conceited with one’s self, forgetting about others. A random act of kindness can bring a person out of this conceited stage. A random act of kindness is doing a selfless act, big or small, without expecting anything in return (Random Acts of Kindness). There are a plethora of affects that come along with doing this specific task. For example, by carrying out a random act of kindness, it affects the presenter along with the receiver psychologically as well as physically.
than just "doing," then you can have the joy of not only being in the
“You make the world a better place by making yourself a better person,” was once said by a man named Scott Sorrell. In today’s modern world and age, everything seems to be progressing and getting larger at a mind blowing rate. This includes people’s attitudes on themselves, on other people, and on the world in general. Many people are insecure and spiteful towards their physique or their overall worth, and bitter and disconnected from other people. Scott Sorrell’s quote is conveying that one can make the world a better place both for themselves and for other people simply by changing their attitude and being positive. I agree with Scott Sorrell’s quote because by choosing to be happy from within, people’s positive attitudes can reach other people and eventually the world, making it a “better place”.
The world is made up of optimist and pessimists, and the survival of human beings and our well-being requires a balance between optimism and pessimism. Disproportionate pessimism makes life unbearable; however, too much optimism can advance to dangerously hazardous behaviors. The Optimism and pessimism approach is expecting a positive or negative future outcome, a recognizable way of reasoning is best conceptualized as continuity with many amounts of optimism and pessimism. Successful living requires a great balance between optimism and pessimism. Too much optimism may embolden one to take uncalculated risks that will lead to inadvertent and reckless behaviors, which may conclude in a catastrophe. On the contrary, worrying too much about
Stiendl, David. "Want to be happy? Be grateful." Ted Talks. Ted. Ted Talk, Edinburgh. 1 June 2013. Lecture.
...e way. Apart from success, good health and longevity are associated with happiness. The lightheartedness that accompanies happiness has been said to lower the chance of strokes and heart attacks. Laughter releases tension and add to persons overall sense of well-being. Happiness is not death, or sorrow. It is not gloom, depression or heavy-heartedness. Happiness does not lament nor does it worry. It is neither moody nor pensive, neither wanton nor pessimistic. Happiness does not mourn for what was it instead rejoices in what will be. Happiness comes through good fortune and through loving and being loved. Eating a good meal, being in good health and enjoying the comforts of life can also achieve it. The simple pleasures of life bring happiness, whether it be enjoying a favorite dessert, smelling a rose or running in the rain.