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Name: Raja Registration No: 11907381 Roll No.: 20 Subject: Psychology of Happiness (PSY802)

The document discusses the concept of happiness from the perspective of a student named Raja enrolled in a psychology of happiness course. Raja believes happiness is subjective and that it is a skill that can be developed rather than something only a few are born with. Raja also discusses the impact of desires on happiness and argues that having just one desire at a time makes one happier. Positive psychology is mentioned as focusing on positive elements in life and cultivating resilience, but Raja questions it as a "fake subject" and believes addressing the root causes of unhappiness is preferable. Five examples of positive psychology research are then listed relating to the impact of experiences vs possessions, gratitude, oxytocin, and smiling on happiness.

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Raja Pandey
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59 views5 pages

Name: Raja Registration No: 11907381 Roll No.: 20 Subject: Psychology of Happiness (PSY802)

The document discusses the concept of happiness from the perspective of a student named Raja enrolled in a psychology of happiness course. Raja believes happiness is subjective and that it is a skill that can be developed rather than something only a few are born with. Raja also discusses the impact of desires on happiness and argues that having just one desire at a time makes one happier. Positive psychology is mentioned as focusing on positive elements in life and cultivating resilience, but Raja questions it as a "fake subject" and believes addressing the root causes of unhappiness is preferable. Five examples of positive psychology research are then listed relating to the impact of experiences vs possessions, gratitude, oxytocin, and smiling on happiness.

Uploaded by

Raja Pandey
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Name: Raja

Registration no: 11907381


Roll no. : 20
Subject: Psychology of happiness (PSY802)

What is happiness according to you?

Happiness is a very subjective term. It means different things to


different people. For some its peace, bliss, content, joy, pleasure or
enlightenment. Happiness is a skill like nutrition or fitness which
anyone can develop. It’s not a God given gift to very few. For me
happiness is a state when nothing is missing
Whenever we have desire it will lead to unhappiness. Desire is a
contract that we make with our self to be unhappy until I achieve
something. So it’s better to be unhappy for one desire that I love to
do in my life and leave every other desire. So it make me a naturally
more happier. We start to get disturbed because we want something
and then we start to work to get it. And when we get it we revert back
to the state before that desire came into the mind. It’s not like we
reach some peak of happiness and stay there. That is the complete
dilution that something out there is going to make me happy. If
obtaining things would make us permanently happy then caveman
would be miserable and we should be happy all the time. The desire
to nirvana is also a dilution. I don’t have any faith in it. Chasing
anything won’t make me happy. So I choose to have just one desire
at a time and leave rest all desire which makes me naturally happier
person.
Even though one can certainly be happy without material and
financial wealth, but today in modern societies wealth brings freedom
and time and peace. Financial wealth will not buy you happiness but it
will eliminate common causes of unhappiness. Buddha was the prince
before he attain nirvana or enlightenment. If you have a desire, it is
easier to fulfil the desire in today’s time. Buddha spend 10 years in
the woods, drinking his own urine, meditating 20 hours a day, and
living on 1 grain of rice every day. And finally he attained happiness or
enlightenment. Even someone who wants to take this path their isn’t
any guarantee that one might be happy at the end. Osho once said
that “Every time I talk to a monk, he wants to talk about sex and every
time I talk to a prostitute, they want to talk about God.”

A lot of time when we talk about happiness, we actual want peace.


We can’t be happy all the time. The moment of greatest pleasure
such as drugs, orgasm, skydiving or looking at someone or laughing
with someone, what happens is our mind get a sudden rush of
dopamine. Then we are like Aww moment or bliss o joy or pleasure.
That is all the peak of any emotion. And every peak comes down at
some point of time then I would be unhappy again. So happiness is
not the best state to be in. Peace is much better and stable state to
be in. A peaceful person can be happy any time. Peace is happiness at
rest. And happiness is peace in motion. I try to be peaceful which in
return make me a more happier person.

What is the impact of Positive Psychology as a subject?


In the most basic terms positive psychology is form of psychology with
the following purpose: “to find and nurture genius and talent and to
make normal life more fulfilling.” Just as the name suggests, the key
focus of positive psychology remains on good, happy, fulfilling or
otherwise ‘positive’ elements a person’s life. Positive psychology can
be very helpful for someone who is depressed or has hit the bottom
of their life. It teaches to be resilient. It helps to bring back the
positive outlook towards life.
Few impacts positive psychology:
• Positive emotion
• Engagement
• Relationship
• Meaning
• Contentment

Although I believe this is a fake subject and these are just a lie.
Because I would rather try to cure all the causes that lead the
occurrence of unhappiness. It’s like treating the habits or lifestyle that
cause cancer rather than treating when cancer starts to eat our body
which is more painful, more costlier, and much more time consuming.

List any 5 researches done in the field of positive


psychology.

1. From Wealth to Well-being?


Author: Aknin, Lara B., Michael I. Norton, and Elizabeth W. Dunn.
It’s about why money matters less in happiness. While there does
appear to be some correlation between happiness and income
when basic needs are not yet met, people tend to overestimate the
influence of wealth on happiness by 100%. Money does not lead to
nearly as much happiness as people think it will.

2. Buying Experiences, not Possessions, Leads to Greater


Happiness
Author: Graham Hill
The study demonstrates that experiential purchases, such as a meal
out or theatre tickets, result in increased greater well-being than
material possessions. These experiences tend to satisfy higher
order needs, specifically the need for social connectedness and
vitality—a feeling of being alive.

3. The Science of Gratitude


Author: Dr. Allen, Christopher Levenick, Emiliana Simon-Thomas
One of the greatest contributing factors to overall happiness in life
is how much gratitude we show. And a noticeable difference can be
experienced with as little as three expressions each day

4. Trust, Morality, and Oxytocin


Author: Paul Zak
Psychologists believe humanity’s trust, empathy, and morality
increase as their levels of oxytocin increase. Neuroeconomist Paul
Zak explains the simple act of eight hugs a day can increase
internal oxytocin levels and result in a happier you and a better
world.
5. For a Better Day, Smile.
Author: Brent Scott
People who smile as a result of cultivating positive thoughts can
significantly and immediately improve their mood. Simply put, one
easy way to improve your mood right now is to recall pleasant
memories—and smile because of it.

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