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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.
Ryan, Richard M., and Edward L. Deci. "On Happiness and Human Potentials: A Review of
Using philosopher John Mills’s meaning, “Those only are happy who have their minds fixed on some object other than their own happiness; on the happiness of others,"(McMahon P.11;S.1) which means that the only way one can be happy is by putting forth their attention to the happiness of others, and not themselves. Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” Compassion makes people contented. Giving to others could increase our prosperity more than spending money on ourselves. Giving is the key to
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...
MLA: Wallis, Claudia, et al. “The New Science of Happiness.” Time. 17 Jan. 2005. Academic Search Premier. Yale University Library. 11 Jan. 2006.
We know that the mind clings to the negative — but research also shows us that 3 times more positive things happen to us than negative things every day. At any given time, a lot of things are going right in our lives. Either in our career or in our personal lives. It could be that you enjoy what you do at work, are grateful for the paycheck, or appreciate your organization’s values or benefits. It could be the joy you derive from your family, hobbies, sports, or community service. When we savor our experiences, we derive more pleasure and satisfaction from them. Spending time enjoying and feeling grateful for what is going right in your life will help you weather the rest. Caroline spent hours every week devoted to a community service activity from which she derived the joy and strength with which to face her other
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.
Through a series of assessment tools, she reveals the types of activities that we can commit to doing on a daily basis which will improve our level of happiness. She reinforces the numerous benefits of being happier. Happier people are more sociable and energetic, more charitable and cooperative, and better liked by others. Being happy boosts their immune systems, improves productivity, and can lead to a longer life. It allows them to be more creative and...
Are you more of a glass half-empty type of person or a glass half-full? In the essay “Happiness is a glass half empty” writer Oliver Burkeman would say he is a glass half empty type of person. In his essay he writes, “Be positive, look on the bright side, stay focused on success: so goes our modern mantra. But perhaps the true path to contentment is to learn to be a loser” (Burkeman). I think what he means in this statement is people nowadays are taught to always look on the brighter side of life. When in actuality people should be looking on the negative side of life to realize how great their lives really are. In this essay writer Oliver Burkeman uses rhetorical devices such ethos, pathos, and logos to prove that maybe being negative
Greene, Jack; Pursuits of Happiness; University of North Carolina Press; Chapel Hill, North Carolina; 1988.
Broaden-and-build theory is an alternative model, which was developed by Fredrickson, to catch positive emotion effects. The reason why it is called broaden-and-build is that positive emotions appear to broaden people’s momentary thought-action repertories and build their enduring personal resources. To support the idea, the general question of whether specific positive emotions differentially motivate particular behaviors was tested by CAVANAUGH, L. A., BETTMAN, J. R., and LUCE, M. F.. By testing the novel hypothesis that specific positive emotions may have different effects on prosocial behavior directed toward close versus distant others. The result finally shows that positive emotion will affect people’s behavior and
In the Power of Good Intentions: Perceived Benevolence Soothes Pain, Increase Pleasure, and Improves, there are three major experiments that are conducted to test whether benevolent intensions undergoing stimuli can have a positive effect on how they are perceived (Kurt Gray Social Psychological and Personality Science). These perceived behaviors can be explained from social context and experience, pleasure, taste, and generalizability, benevolence and flexibility to modern research. Topics model the analysis to try and figure out more information in which could contribute to existing one.
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.
Achieving long-term personal happiness is possible with hard work and perseverance by using several methods. Understanding and following various steps to have fulfillment can change your life. By consistently following an assortment of important steps, you will develop a life pattern that is generally happy. Many people throughout history have attempted to find ways to become happier, and share the information with others. While there are occasionally things that should make a person unhappy, it is important to not allow unhappiness to become a lifelong pattern that destroys you mentally and physically. In addition, happy people tend to have more friends and success because they are fun to associate with.
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