Gretta Stahl

The Truth of Happiness

Humanities Section 2

Annotated Bibliography

Source 1: Happy
Citation: Happy. Dir. Roko Belic. Perf. Ed Diener and Sonja Lyubomirsky. N.p., 2011.
Web.
Summary: In Happy, the main point getting across is: When connections to others,
intrinsic values, and passion and flow are incorporated into everyday life, it brings more
happiness and fulfillment to you and others around you. With many different stories
about happiness from different perspectives, it explains many different ways to look at
happiness. Some are happy to have food, while others are happy to give. Different
people look at happiness in different ways. One person is happy that they survived a
crash. She said, I am more happy, and more balanced than ever before. She said this
after she had recovered from the car crash. Another person is happy with no modern
technology, including shirts, baseball caps, or cell phones.
a. Assessment: This source clearly explains how different people see happiness.
The purpose is to look into different perspectives of happiness. How happy some
people can be with nothing, or how unhappy some people can be with so much.
Ed Diener, a psychologist in the film, is often referred to as Dr. Happiness
because of his sheer volume and depth of his body of work.
Reflection: In Happy, the Truth of Happiness means lots of different things. They
explain that for everybody, its different. Each person has their own truth of happiness.
Some people are happy with nothing, and others are happy with a lot. It made me think
about how gratefulness plays an important role when thinking about the Truth of
Happiness. How I should be grateful that I have a house, and can go to school, and not
to take that for granted.

Source 2: Theres More to Life Than Being Happy

 Citation: Smith, Emily Esfahani. "There's More to Life Than Being Happy." N.p., n.d.
Web.
Summary: In the article: Theres More to Life Than Being Happy, it talks about having
a meaning of life versus being happy in life. It said that when you have meaning in life,
its not happy, and when youre happy with life, its not meaningful. Or, a happy person is
a taker, and a person with meaning is a giver. It gave examples about this. During
World War II, a man named Viktor Frankl had a visa to go to the United States and be
safe. He knew that the Nazis were taking elders first, and so he stayed with his parents.
In the camps, he Frankl worked as a therapist. He saw suicidal inmates and people who
thought that their life was meaningless. Instead of going to the United states and
pursuing his own happiness, he found meaning in life, and stayed to help.
a. Assessment: To me this source was not very strong when talking about the
Truth of Happiness. It was very biased and had a lot of unfounded claims. The
evidence was weak. Because it said you could either live a happy life or a
meaningful life, it is giving false hope to people.
Reflection: This source helps answer the essential question, What is the truth of
happiness by telling opinions. I believe that you can live a happy and meaningful life,
not one or the other. I disagree with this article. There is some evidence, but not a lot.
Quotes:
a. On page 3, paragraph 5, it states, Partly what we do as human beings is to take care of
others and contribute to others. This makes life meaningful but it does not necessarily
make us happy,
b. On page 4, paragraph 2, it states, If there is meaning in life at all, Frankl wrote, then
there must be meaning in suffering.
c. On page 2, paragraph 2, it states, ... the single-minded pursuit of happiness is ironically
leaving people less happy
d. On page 4, paragraph 6, it states, While happiness is an emotion felt in the here and
now, it ultimately fades away.

Source 3: The New Era of Positive Psychology

Citation: Seligman, Martin. "The New Era of Positive Psychology | Martin Seligman."
YouTube. YouTube, 21 July 2008. Web. 13 Feb. 2017.
 Summary: In this Ted Talk, Martin Seligman talks about psychology today. He says that
its not good enough. He talks about what psychology should be: Concerned with
strength and weakness, building strength, and fulfilling normal peoples lives. That it
should be make normal peoples lives better. It claims that psychology can make
miserable people less miserable, while making happy peoples lives even more
enjoyable. Then it talked about three different types of lives. The Pleasant Life, The
Happy Life, and The Meaningful Life. The Pleasant Life is finding as many pleasures as
you can. But the pleasant life is heritable, not modifiable, and habituates. In the Happy
Life, you are successful and capable of flow. But also introverted and there tends to be
no positive emotion. In the Meaningful Life, you know your highest strengths, and using
them in the service of something larger than you.
a. Assessment: This source was very helpful when talking about the truth of
happiness. It gave lots of evidence and examples. The author, Martin Seligman is
a psychologist, educator, and author of self-help books.
Reflection: This was very helpful when answering the question, What is the truth of
happiness?. The evidence it gave was very strong, and the three different lives helped
see how the pursuit of happiness is different for lots of people.
Quotes:
a. The mission I want psychology to have in addition to its mission of curing the mentally ill
and in addition to its mission to making miserable peoples lives less miserable is Can
psychology actually make people happier?.
b. Are there things that lastingly change those lives? Examples: Random assignment,
placebo controlled, long term, and examples.
c. Positive psychology should have three aims. The first is that should be as concerned
with strength as it is with weakness. It should be just as concerned with building strength
as with repairing damage. And it should be just as concerned with making the lives of
normal people fulfilling and with nurturing high talent as with healing pathology.

Source 4: Student Captures What Happens When People Are Told They Are Beautiful
Citation: Glover, Shea. "Student Captures What Happens When People Are Told They
Are Beautiful."Bored Panda. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2017.
 Summary: In this article, Shea Glover tells people she is doing a project. She says, Im
taking pictures of things I find beautiful. The reaction was really beautiful. Most people
smiled. Some hid their faces. It made them happy. Even though there wasnt scientific
evidence, it was a good example of how words can make sad people happy. One person
got angry. When Shea told her what she was doing, she got the response of Ill cut you
in the face. Youre saying you find me beautiful? You better watch your ass. Then she
said, Alright. Are you done then? Do you have what you need? Cause clearly youre
being goofy.
a. Assessment: This source didnt have any scientific evidence, but it was very
strong. It showed what a very simple experiment could do. To make someone
happy without looking for it.
Reflection: This source helped answer the essential question, What is the truth of
happiness? by showing people that they can be happy without searching for happiness.
And that one sentence can change someones day. It also showed how different people
responded to being called a beautiful being.
Quotes:
a. Im taking pictures of things I find beautiful. Are you serious? Just do anything?
What am I doing though? I kind of dont believe you at this point. (2:25)
b. Im taking pictures of things I find beautiful. Oh. I feel very flattered. (2:49)
c. Theres so much beauty in the world. If you blink, youll miss it. (4:21)
d. Im taking pictures of things I find beautiful. That is so nice. This has been such
a great day. (4:28)

Source 5: Happiness Around the World

Citation: OCED. "Norway." OECD Better Life Index. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.
Summary: In this article, we were to rank life importances. Then, the website put
different countries with our rankings. Mine was Norway. Norway is the fourth happiest
country in the world. For categories such as Life Satisfaction, environment, and safety,
Norway is ranked the highest. Over 75% of people aged 15 to 64 in Norway have a paid
job. 97% of people say they are satisfied with water quality. In Norway, men are more
likely to be the victims of assault and crime, but 90% of people still say they feel safe
walking alone at night. Norway is a safe, happy place.
 a. Assessment: This source is very credible. It is full of scientific facts that back up
the evidence. For every category there is at least one piece of evidence from
studies.
Reflection: This source was helpful when answering the essential question. It showed
how the United States compared in happiness with the rest of the world. It was surprising
how different Norway and the United States are. There were different perspectives and
different statistics.
Quotes:
a. When asked to rate their general satisfaction with life on a scale from 0 to 10,
Norwegians gave it a 7.6 grade, one of the highest scores in the OECD, where
the average is 6.5.
b. 76% of people in Norway reported to be in good health.
c. 82% of adults aged 25-64 have completed upper secondary education.
d. 93% of people believe that they know someone they could rely on in a time of
need.

Source 6: Kindness Makes You Happy and Happiness Makes You Kind
Citation: Dixon, Alex. "Kindness Makes You Happy and Happiness Makes You Kind."
Greater Good. N.p., 6 Sept. 2011. Web. 20 Feb. 2017.
Summary: This source is full of scientific experiments. The article gives different studies
to show that being kind to others and doing Random Acts of Kindness makes people. In
the first study, one group of people was to do a random act of kindness every day for ten
days. The second group was told to try something new every day for ten days. And the
final group was not given a task to do. After the ten days, the first and second group
showed a boost in happiness. There was no change in the third groups happiness.
a. Assessment: I believe that this article was very credible. It showed scientific
studies from different places. It is from Berkley. I looked at a few different
sources, but this one is far more credible.
Reflection: This source helped answer the essential question, what is the truth of
happiness? by giving studies that prove that happiness can be boosted by kindness. It
gave lots of evidence to back up its point.
Quotes:
 a. The researchers made two big findings. First, consistent with the British study, people in
general felt happier when they were asked to remember a time they bought something
for someone elseeven happier than when they remembered buying something for
themselves. This happiness boost was the same regardless of whether the gift cost $20
or $100.
b. The happier participants felt about their past generosity, the more likely they were in the
present to choose to spend on someone else instead of themselves.
c. The results suggest a kind of positive feedback loop between kindness and
happiness, according to the authors, so that one encourages the other.

Source 7: The 5 Side Effects of Kindness

Citation: PhD, David R. Hamilton. "The 5 Side Effects of Kindness David R Hamilton
PhD." David R Hamilton PhD. David R. Hamilton PhD, 14 Feb. 2017. Web. 21 Feb.
2017.
Summary: In this article, the 5 Side Effects of happiness are brought up. They are: 1.
Kindness makes us happier. 2. Kindness is good for the heart. 3. Kindness slows aging.
4. Kindness improves relationships. 5. Kindness is contagious. This article has lots of
scientific evidence that have to do with the body. It talks about how there are different
chemical reactions when kindness steps into play.
a. Assessment: Even though this source is short, the amount of evidence makes it
very credible. It is an excerpt from a book called: The 5 Side Effects of
Happiness. The author, David R. Hamilton uses Science to inspire.
Reflection: This source helps answer the essential question, what is the truth of
happiness? by giving evidence to show that being kind makes us happier. It could be
more helpful if it was longer, or if more of the book was in the article.
Quotes
a. Oxytocin causes the release of a chemical called nitric oxide in blood vessels, which
dilates (expands) the blood vessels. This reduces blood pressure and therefore oxytocin
is known as a cardioprotective hormone because it protects the heart (by lowering
 blood pressure). The key is that acts kindness can produce oxytocin and therefore
kindness can be said to be cardioprotective."
b. But remarkable research now shows that oxytocin (that we produce through emotional
warmth) reduces levels of free radicals and inflammation in the cardiovascular system
and so slows ageing at source. Incidentally these two culprits also play a major role in
heart disease so this is also another reason why kindness is good for the heart.
c. On a biochemical level, it is believed that the good feeling we get is due to elevated
levels of the brains natural versions of morphine and heroin, which we know as
endogenous opioids. They cause elevated levels of dopamine in the brain and so we get
a natural high, often referred to as Helpers High.
d. Ageing on a biochemical level is a combination of many things, but two culprits that
speed the process are Free Radicals and Inflammation, both of which result from making
unhealthy lifestyle choices.

Source 8: Practicing Acts of Kindness

Citation: Breazeale, Ron Breazeale. "Practicing Acts of Kindness." Psychology Today.
N.p., 20 Nov. 2012. Web. 22 Feb. 2017.
Summary: The article talks about how giving or performing a random act of kindness
increases happiness. In one study, toddlers were given goldfish crackers. They had their
own, but the teacher also had some. Then, the toddlers were asked to give some of their
crackers away, and to give some of the teachers crackers away. It said that the students
demonstrated that they were happier when they gave their own crackers away.It proves
that were happier when we do things for others. When we are kind to others, they will
most likely be kind to us. This makes us feel loved.
a. Assessment: This article was credible, but not too much. There was scientific
research involved, but it was a short article. The author, Ron Breazeale, has
been a psychologist for over 30 years. He specializes in mental health and
alcohol and drug abuse treatment.
Reflection: This article helped answer the essential question, What is the truth of
happiness? by giving evidence that proves that being kind makes us happier. It isnt just
an assumption that kindness is the key to happiness, there is lots of different sources for
evidence.
Quotes:
a. I recall the surprisingly strong reaction of the audience when we shared our responses
to a kindness exercise called The perfect surprise. The instructions were to write about
what we would do to give the perfect surprise to someone important in our lives. What
beautiful, healing scenarios were created that day! People shed tears, smiled, and
glowed.
b. Recent research suggests that kindness may improve resilience by promoting feelings
of happiness and peace and supporting immunity.
c. Numerous studies have shown that receiving, giving, or even witnessing acts of
kindness increases immunity and the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that
regulates mood in the brain.
d. Keep in mind that kindness has an additive effect and its really the little things that add
up.