Authentic Happiness is the homepage of Dr. Martin Seligman, Director of the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania and founder of positive psychology, a branch of psychology which focuses on the empirical study of such things as positive emotions, strengths-based character, and healthy institutions.

The brains of happy people are tuned to notice and enjoy the positives in life that may pass others by. Their happy dispositions and set them up for a ‘cycle of positivity.’ The positive outlook on life was not a reflection of naivety or ignorance of the world’s threats and dangers, but an enhanced response to positive events and the opportunities around them.

For example “Free Energy” by Free Energy or “Mr Blue Sky” by ELO. What songs make you feel alive and wanting to stay that way?

“We reviewed eight different types of studies,” Diener said. “And the general conclusion from each type of study is that your subjective well-being — that is, feeling positive about your life, not stressed out, not depressed — contributes to both longevity and better health among healthy populations.”

According to the article, “Whatever people were doing, whether it was having sex or reading or shopping, they tended to be happier if they focused on the activity instead of thinking about something else. In fact, whether and where their minds wandered was a better predictor of happiness than what they were doing.”

Go gloom
Begone glum and grim
Off with the drab drear and grumble
It’s time
its pastime
to come undone and come out laughing
time to wrap killjoys in wet blankets
and feed them to the sourpusses…

According to new data from Statistics Canada, teens are the happiest people in Canada. And they’re getting happier.

In fact, 96 per cent of Canadians aged 12 to 19 reported they were highly satisfied with life in 2009. That’s compared to 94 per cent of teens who reported either being satisfied or very satisfied with their lives in 2008. Each year the Canadian Community Health Survey asks Canadians to rank their life satisfaction, and the data shows that teens are getting more satisfied every year.

Recommend aggressively happy music. The kind of music that punches happiness into you no matter how much you don’t want it to be there. The sort that explodes into spiky neon flowers.

The idea that happiness is a genetic trait influenced by early life experiences has been challenged by new research from Germany.

It found feelings of happiness and well-being respond to external factors such as healthy lifestyle, religion and working hours.