Module 3

PRE-TEST

DIRECTION: TRUE OR FALSE. Write TRUE if the statement is correct and FALSE
if it’s is wrong.

_____1. Happiness is about loving who you are and where you’re at in life.

______2. Happiness about loves yourself while constantly changing to become a better you.

______3. happiness is an elusive thing to those that do not understand it.

_____4. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and
gratitude.

_____5. Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.

II. INTRODUCTION

Happiness can never be seen, it can only be felt by the one who get it.

Happiness is said to be an individual’s beliefs, faith, desires and aspirations. Happiness

is connected with things that make you feel happy such as faith, wealth, career,

relationships and love. For many people happiness is much more than career, success

and wealth. For instance, Spiritual leaders like OSHO explain happiness as something

which comes from within us.

Still there are many people around us who claims that they have achieved

everything in life in terms of wealth, career and success. But still they feel unhappy,

unfulfilled, incomplete and anxious & fail to get happiness. It is also said that happiness

is attaining something which is most important to you as compared to all other things.

Happiness is also said to be a way to have positive attitude towards life. Happiness can

also be attained by doing good deeds towards others or treating others the way that

makes you and them happy as well.

 For instance, giving a kiss to your younger sibling daily after waking up in the

morning and showing him how much you love them. For some happiness means loving

life and seeing others happy. While some finds happiness in writing stories. Some

conquer happiness in being simple yet the best person they can ever be. Everyone has

their own unique way to feel happy by finding things that they never expected to find.

Happiness is finding reasons behind your existence. The extent of happiness

cannot be measured by any scale. Happiness is neither tradable nor profitable.

Everybody wants happiness in their lives. We must always be contented and happy with

whatever we have. Though many people find happiness in wealth or materialistic things

such as cars, TV, clothes, jewelry, cell phones, bikes etc. but they fail to understand that

wealth is material and cannot guarantee happiness in the long run.

Even those who have owe all the luxurious of the world sometimes fail to attain

happiness. Ultimately the decision to be happy lies with us. Finding happiness with the

things we have is very important in life. If you are choosing happiness in success then

you must keep trying to succeed if once failed.

III. LEARNING OUTCOME

At the end of the session the students should be able to:

1. Define the meaning of happiness,

2. Describe the characteristics of being happy and contented,
3. Create and slogan about on how to be happy, and participate actively in the
discussion using Jamboard.

IV. DISCUSSION

LESSON 1 True Meaning of Happiness?

People spend hours, days, even years searching for meaning of happiness.
What really makes them happy? Is it a new job? A new spouse? A new home? A new
car? No matter what you fill in the blank with, the answer will always be no. Happiness
is not about who you’re with or where you are or what you have. Can these add to your
happiness? Yes they can. Can these things create your happiness? Never.

The dictionary defines happiness as being fortunate, cheerful, lucky, or

expressing joy. Apparently it is hard for anyone to define happiness if the dictionary lists
it as being lucky.

Happiness is about loving who you are and where you’re at in life. No outside
source can give you true happiness. Things can make you happy for a while, but the
complete and true emotion of happiness is living the best life possible, knowing that you
are an amazing human being that is sending out happiness into the world and creating
a better place than what was there before.

Happiness is about loving yourself while constantly changing to become a better

you. This comes from deep inside your heart and soul. Outside circumstances may
create difficulties or hardships, but true happiness prevails because you know that you
will survive and move beyond this point in life. Not only will you survive, you will be a
much wiser and stronger person for having gone through those specific circumstances.

The meaning of happiness is an elusive thing to those that do not understand it.
One has to only look inside them, and not out in the world, to discover the joy that has
been hiding all along.

LESSON 2 Christian Happiness

Definition of Happiness
First, let’s take a look at the definition of happiness so we’re all on the same
page. Oxford English Dictionary’s definition of “happiness” is a simple one: “The
state of being happy.”

Not exactly what we were looking for, was it? Perhaps we need to dive a little
deeper. Oxford English Dictionary’s definition of “happy” is a little more helpful:
“Feeling or showing pleasure or contentment.”

Now we have a better grasp on what happiness is—or at least, how the Oxford
English Dictionary defines what happiness is. However, this definition is not the end-
all, be-all definition of happiness. In fact, the definition of happiness is not a “settled”
debate.

David Murray
While almost everyone wants to be happy, there is little agreement about what
happiness is. Just look at the diversity of these definitions below:
Happiness is to love and to work. – Freud.
Happiness is a warm puppy. – Charles Schulz, of Charlie Brown fame.
Happiness is like obscenity. We can’t define it, but we know it when we see it. – US
Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart.
Happiness is the experience of joy, contentment, or positive well-being, combined with a
sense that one’s life is good, meaningful, and worthwhile. – Sonja Lyubomirsky, author
of the How of Happiness.
Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. –
Mahatma Gandhi.
Happiness doesn’t depend on any external conditions, it is governed by our mental
attitude. – Dale Carnegie.
Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and
gratitude. - Denis Waitley.
Happiness is the interval between periods of unhappiness. - Don Marquis.
Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product. – Eleanor Roosevelt.
But what would a Christian definition of happiness look like? Is there such a thing
as Christian happiness? If so, what would it include?
I believe there is such a thing as Christian happiness, quite distinct from any
other kind of happiness, but the problem is that it is so multi-layered and multi-
dimensional that it’s probably impossible to define it in one sentence. Believe me, I’ve
tried. Consider even just the following sample sources of Christian happiness.
• God is our perfect Father.
• We know Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
• The Holy Spirit is sanctifying and empowering us.
• Our sins are forgiven.
• God lives in our hearts.
• We are justified and adopted into God’s world-wide and heaven-wide family.
• Everything is working together for our good.
• God is our guard and guide
• We have all the promises of God.
• Jesus has prepared a place for us in heaven and will welcome us there.

How do you put all these rich ingredients into one simple recipe? But if you’re
going to force me into a short one-sentence definition, then I’d
say: Christian happiness is the grace of loving and being loved by Jesus who
gave his life for me. That to me is the sum and summit of it all.

What is happiness?

It seems like an odd question, but is it? Do you know how to define happiness?
Do you think happiness is the same thing to you as it is to others?
What’s the point of it all? Does it even make a difference in our lives?

In fact, happiness does have a pretty important role in our lives, and it can have
a huge impact on the way we live our lives. Although researchers have yet to pin
down the definition or an agreed-upon framework for happiness, there’s a lot we have
learned in the last few decades.

This article will dive into the science of happiness, what it actually is, and why
it matters.

That’s better! So, happiness is the state of feeling or showing pleasure or

contentment. From this definition, we can glean a few important points about
happiness:

1. Happiness is a state, not a trait; in other words, it isn’t a long-lasting, permanent

feature or personality trait, but a more fleeting, changeable state.
2. Happiness is equated with feeling pleasure or contentment, meaning that
happiness is not to be confused with joy, ecstasy, bliss, or other more intense
feelings.
3. Happiness can be either feeling or showing, meaning that happiness is not
necessarily an internal or external experience, but can be both.

Is It Difficult to Define Scientifically?

With so many takes on happiness, it’s no wonder that happiness is a little

difficult to define scientifically; there is certainly disagreement about what, exactly,
happiness is.

According to researchers Chu Kim-Prieto, Ed Diener, and their colleagues

(2005), there are three main ways that happiness has been approached in positive
psychology:

1. Happiness as a global assessment of life and all its facets;

2. Happiness as a recollection of past emotional experiences;
3. Happiness as an aggregation of multiple emotional reactions across time (Kim-
Prieto, Diener, Tamir, Scollon, & Diener, 2005).

Although they generally all agree on what happiness feels like—being satisfied
with life, in a good mood, feeling positive emotions, feeling enjoyment, etc.—
researchers have found it difficult to agree on the scope of happiness.
 However, for our purposes in this piece, it’s enough to work off of a basic
definition that melds the OED‘s definition with that of positive psychologists:
happiness is a state characterized by contentment and general satisfaction with one’s
current situation.

Pleasure vs. Happiness

With the close ties between pleasure and happiness, you might be wondering
how to differentiate between them. After all, the OED definition of happiness
describes it as a state of feeling pleasure!

The association between the two makes sense, and it’s common to hear the two
words used interchangeably outside of the literature; however, when it comes to the
science of positive psychology, it is important to make a distinction between the two.

Happiness, as we described above, is a state characterized by feelings of

contentment and satisfaction with one’s life or current situation. On the other hand,
pleasure is a more visceral, in-the-moment experience. It often refers to the sensory-
based feelings we get from experiences like eating good food, getting a massage,
receiving a compliment, or having sex.

Happiness, while not a permanent state, is a more stable state than pleasure.
Happiness generally sticks around for longer than a few moments at a time, whereas
pleasure can come and go in seconds (Paul, 2015).

Pleasure can contribute to happiness, and happiness can enhance or deepen

feelings of pleasure, but the two can also be completely mutually exclusive. For
example, you can feel a sense of happiness based on meaning and engagement that
has nothing to do with pleasure, or you could feel pleasure but also struggle with guilt
because of it, keeping you from feeling happy at the same time.

Happiness vs. Meaning

Happiness and meaning have an even more distinct line between the two.
Rarely are happiness and meaning confused or used interchangeably, and for good
reason—they describe two very different experiences.

“Humans may resemble many other creatures in their striving for happiness, but the
quest for meaning is a key part of what makes us human, and uniquely so.”

-Roy Baumeister et al. (2013)

 Unlike happiness, meaning is not a fleeting state that drifts throughout the day;
it’s a more comprehensive sense of purpose and feeling of contributing to something
greater than yourself.

As the quote from Baumeister and colleagues (2013) suggests, there are important
distinctions between the methods of searching for and the benefits of experiencing
happiness and meaning. Scott Barry Kaufman at Scientific American (2016) outlines
these distinctions that Baumeister and his fellow researchers found between the two:

• Finding one’s life easy or difficult was related to happiness, but not meaning;
• Feeling healthy was related to happiness, but not meaning;
• Feeling good was related to happiness, not meaning;
• Scarcity of money reduced happiness more than meaning;
• People with more meaningful lives agreed that “relationships are more important
than achievements;”
• Helping people in need was linked to meaning but not happiness;
• Expecting to do a lot of deep thinking was positively related to meaningfulness,
but negatively with happiness;
• Happiness was related more to being a taker rather than a giver, whereas meaning
was related more to being a giver than a taker;
• The more people felt their activities were consistent with the core themes and
values of their self, the greater meaning they reported in their activities;
• Seeing oneself as wise, creative, and even anxious were all linked to meaning but
had no relationship (and in some cases, even showed a negative relationship) to
happiness (Kaufman, 2016).

The Origins and Etymology of Happiness (Incl. Root Words)

According to Etymology Online, the word for “happy” in most languages

came from the word for “lucky.” This suggests an interesting trend—perhaps our
ancestors believed that happiness was largely a by-product of luck?

It also points to a possible difference of general opinion between earlier

generations and our own 20th and 21st-century generations: that happiness was not a
vital factor in a good life, but essentially a bonus that some lucky individuals got to
experience.

Here’s what author Darrin McMahon writes about the origins and root words of
the word “happiness:”
“It is a striking fact that in every Indo-European language, without exception, going
all the way back to ancient Greek, the word for happiness is a cognate with the word
for luck. Hap is the Old Norse and Old English root of happiness, and it just means
luck or chance, as did the Old French heur, giving us bonheur, good fortune or
happiness. German gives us the word Gluck, which to this day means both happiness
and chance” (McMahon, 2006).

What Does Self-Happiness Mean?

Although the term is not used very often, “self-happiness” refers to a sense of
happiness or satisfaction with one’s self. It is often associated with self-confidence,
self-esteem, and other concepts that marry “the self” with feeling content and happy.

In general, it means that you are pleased with yourself and your choices, and with the
person that you are.

The Psychology Behind Human Happiness

Now that we know what happiness is, let’s dive a little deeper. What does
psychology have to tell us about happiness?

There are many different theories of happiness, but they generally fall into one of two
categories based on how they conceptualize happiness (or well-being):

1. Hedonic happiness/well-being is happiness conceptualized as experiencing more

pleasure and less pain; it is composed of an affective component (high positive
affect and low negative affect) and a cognitive component (satisfaction with one’s
life);
2. Eudaimonic happiness/well-being conceptualizes happiness as the result of the
pursuit and attainment of life purpose, meaning, challenge, and personal growth;
happiness is based on reaching one’s full potential and operating at full
functioning (AIPC, 2011).

Some theories see happiness as a by-product of other, more important pursuits in life,
while others see happiness as the end-goal for humans. Some theories state that
pursuing happiness is pointless (although pursuing other important experiences and
feelings may contribute to greater happiness), and some assume that happiness can be
purposefully increased or enhanced.

Although they differ on the specifics, these theories generally agree on a few points:
• It’s good to be happy, and people like being happy;
• Happiness is neither a totally fleeting, momentary experience nor a stable, long-
term trait;
• At least some portion of our happiness is set by our genetics, but the amount
varies from about 10% up to 50%;
• The pursuit and attainment of pleasure will rarely lead to happiness;
• There are many sources that contribute to or compose happiness (AIPC, 2011).

What Sources Create True Personal Happiness?

Taking together all the various theories and findings on happiness, we know that there
are at least a few factors that are very important for overall happiness:

• Individual income;
• Labor market status;
• Physical health;
• Family;
• Social relationships;
• Moral values;
• Experience of positive emotions (AIPC, 2011).

All of these factors can contribute to a happy life, but research has found that good
relationships are a vital ingredient (Waldinger & Schulz, 2010).

When we are happy in our most important relationships (usually our spouse or
significant other, our children and/or our parents, other close family members, and our
closest friends), we tend to be happier.

We have some control over how our relationships go, so that leads us to an interesting
and important question: can we increase our own happiness?

Can Individuals Learn How to Be Happy?

The answer from numerous studies is a resounding YES—you CAN learn how to be
happier.

The degree to which you can increase your happiness will vary widely by which
theory you subscribe to, but there are no credible theories that allow absolutely no
room for individual improvement. To improve your overall happiness, the most
effective method is to look at the list of sources above and work on enhancing the
quality of your experiences in each one of them.

For example, you can work on getting a higher salary (although a higher salary will
only work up to about Php 575,000.00 a year), improve your health, work
on developing and maintaining high-quality relationships, and overall, find ways to
incorporate more positive feelings into your daily life. This does assume basic access to
safety as well as social equality.

Happiness So Important
You might be wondering why happiness is considered such an important aspect of
life, as there are many components of a meaningful life.

In some ways, science would agree with you. It appears that life satisfaction, meaning,
and well-being can be linked with happiness, but happiness is not necessarily the
overarching goal for everyone in life. It is still important because it has some
undeniably positive benefits and co-occurring factors.

June Silny at Happify outlines 14 answers to the question, “What’s so great about
happiness, anyway?”

1. Happy people are more successful in multiple life domains, including marriage,
friendship, income, work performance, and health.
2. Happy people get sick less often and experience fewer symptoms when they do
get sick.
3. Happy people have more friends and a better support system.
4. Happy people donate more to charity (and giving money to charity makes you
happy, too).
5. Happy people are more helpful and more likely to volunteer—which also makes
you happier!
6. Happy people have an easier time navigating through life since optimism eases
pain, sadness, and grief.
7. Happy people have a positive influence on others and encourage them to seek
happiness as well, which can act as reinforcement.
8. Happy people engage in deeper and more meaningful conversations.
9. Happy people smile more, which is beneficial to your health.
10. Happy people exercise more often and eat more healthily.
11. Happy people are happy with what they have rather than being jealous of others.
12. Happy people are healthier all around and more likely to be healthy in the future.
13. Happy people live longer than those who are not as happy.
14. Happy people are more productive and more creative, and this effect extends to all
those experiencing positive emotions.

The Relationship Between Mental Health and Happiness

As you can probably assume from the list above, there is a strong relationship
between mental health and happiness! When happy people are healthier, have better
relationships, make friends more easily, and find more success in life, it’s easy to see
why happiness and mental health are related.

The sources that contribute to happiness are the same as those that provide people
with a buffer or protection against mental illness, which explains the close
relationship between the two.

A recent study explored the association between happiness and mental health in
college students and found that a relatively strong, positive correlation connects the
two factors (Shafiq, Nas, Ansar, Nasrulla, Bushra, & Imam, 2015). This correlation
held, even when gender and socio-demographic variables were added to the mix.

The close tie between mental health and happiness is reason enough to make
happiness an important priority for parents, educators, researchers, and medical
professionals alike, along with the simple fact that we all like to feel happy!

6 Videos That Explain Happiness

If you’re interested in learning more about happiness from a scientific perspective,
there are a few videos you might want to check out, including:

Positive Psychology: The Science of Happiness by Professor Tal Ben-Shahar from

WGBH Forum.

Shawn Achor – The Happiness Advantage: Linking Positive Brains to Performance

TEDTalk from TEDx Talks
Positive Psychology – Happier by Professor Tal Ben-Shahar, Ph.D. from
FightMediocrity

How to be Happy – The Science of Happiness and Feeling Positive in Life from
Memorize Academy

The Surprising Science of Happiness TED Talk by Dan Gilbert from TED

How to Be Happy – The Secret of Authentic Happiness – Martin Seligman from

Practical Psychology

A Take-Home Message
I hope this piece was helpful and informative for you, and that you learned something
new about the scientific study of happiness. It’s a fascinating area of research, and
new findings are coming out all the time. Make sure you stay up to date on the
happiness literature, as the findings can be of great use in helping you to live your best
life!

V. ASSESSMENT

Answer the questions below.

A. What is the meaning of happiness for you?

B. What is the difference between happy and lucky?

VI. REFLECTION

As a future administrator in your own Institution, do you want to implement

happiness in one’s offices or not? Why?
VII. POST-TEST

Answer the following questions scholarly.

A. Happiness is the experience of joy, contentment, or positive well-being,

combined with a sense that one’s life is good, meaningful, and worthwhile. –
Sonja Lyubomirsky, author of the How of Happiness.

1. What are your insights based on the Sonja Lyumbomirsky?

2. Based on his definition are you amenable that happiness makes us more
meaningful? Why?

B. Happy people have a positive influence on others and encourage them to seek
happiness as well, which can act as reinforcement.

1. What can you say about this statement?

2. What are your thoughts on happiness? Would you define it differently? What
do you find is the most important ingredient for your own happiness?