Antonio Bonessi

Deby Jizi
UWRT 1102 028
16 February 2016

Double Entry Journal

Citation:
Mochon, Daniel; Nortan, Michael; Ariely, Dan. "Getting Off the Hedonic Treadmill, One
Step at a Time" 2015. Pursuing Happiness: A Bedford Spotlight Reader. Place of Publication
Not Identified: Bedford Bks St Martin'S, 2015. 324-36. Print.

Source: Quote (Page# or Paragraph #)

Responses

Indeed, if major life events such as winning

a lottery fail to have a substantial lasting
impact on well-being it is hard to imagine
that any single event could accomplish that
feat. p. 325

I believe that certain small things that is

special to an individual can have way more of
a positive impact than something major that
most people would think would greatly
improve their life.

Other studies have shown that there is no

difference in well-being between people who
had recently experienced a romantic
breakup versus those who had not p. 326

This is surprising to me but ultimately it is how

well the relationship went prior to the
breakup. If the people who had just broken up
didnt have the best relationship, then they
would be fairly happy like a couple who were
deeply in love.

Many studies have shown that there are

strong effects of both genetic predisposition
and stable personality traits on well-being.
p. 327

I am a firm believer in genetic predisposition.

There are many mental diseases such as
depression that are passed down to other
family members. If thats true then it would be
common sense to assume that happiness
and how somebody things about themselves
can be passed on in the same way.

While not as widely studied, physical

exercise is known to generate endorphins
that improve mood p. 328

Physical exercise is a great way to reduce

stress and get your anger out in a productive
way. I know I always feel better after a good
lifting session or an evening at the track.

Some evidence for the impact of small

repeated events comes from the finding that
commuting, a regular daily activity, is rated

Something as boring and as tedious can do

some serious damage to ones happiness.
Nobody likes sitting in traffic on the way to a

as a highly negative experiencep. 329

job that they most likely dont even like all that
much.

These data offer an account for the

relationship between religion and well-being,
and help to explain why it is that religious
people tend to be happier than non-religious
people p. 332

Having the feeling that somebody is watching

over you can greatly improve your happiness
level and I can appreciate that. However I
also feel that one can be just as happy if they
dont associate with any religion at all.

If people choose activities in order to

maximize their well-being, one would expect
the least happy people to attend the most
often p. 333

Some people are unhappy because of the

religion that they participate in. I know
somebody who identifies as gay and he is
finding it very difficult to accept himself
because there of what some people in
Christianity say about homosexuals.

some research suggests that certain

behaviors are positively related to wellbeing. p. 335

Certain things like a good diet and exercise I

can definitely see as relating to a persons
well-being. When your body feels good then
everything else begins to feel good as well,
including your mentality.