Anthony Lott

Professor Deby Jizi

UWRT 1101
26 January 2016

Double Entry Journal

Citation: Parfitt, Matthew. Pursuing Happiness: A Bedford Spotlight Reader. Place of
Publication Not Identified: Bedford Bks St Martin'S, 2015. Print. p179-196

Source: Quote (Page# or Paragraph #)

Responses

Have you ever known someone who is

deeply and genuinely happy P. 179

I certainly have known someone who

seemed to be perfectly happy, yet it always
came off as a fake attitude. I feel like maybe I
just get jealous over those that are so happy
for no apparent reason, or maybe they truly
are fake?

Its especially frustrating and perplexing to

be around such individuals when theyre in
the same difficult or troubling situation as
we are but seem happy in spite of it. P. 179

The author hit the nail on the head with this

quote. I always get mad when I get an
unsatisfactory grade and when I see my friend
with a similar score yet extremely happy, it
takes me over the edge.

In the dormitory, she shared a room with a

roommate, who was generally a nice person
but who had irritating habits, like turning up
the volume on the TV. P.182

May be off topic a little, yet this can irritate

me so much. How can a nice person be so
inconsiderate in such situations?

However, Shannon sees herself as a

generally unhappy person. P.182

I would like the author to dive more into the

definition of unhappy? How was such a trait
of unhappy defined in the context of
Shannons life?

However, most of us dont need a definition This further concludes to the idea that
of happiness because we instinctively know everyone has their own notion of happiness
whether we are happy or not. P. 184
for there cannot be one generalized definition

of such a term.
If youre not happy today, then you wont
be happy tomorrow P. 185

This is truly an impactful quote in which it

changes my whole ideology on the idea of
happiness. The author is correct, for it is
insane to try and wait for happiness to be
found. How can one make such a drastic
change to a more happy life?

changes in our circumstances, no matter

how positive and stunning, actually have
little bearing on our well-being. P. 186

I get the point the author is trying to make in

the idea that circumstances make for little
impact on happiness, but only 10%?! I feel
that circumstances should equivocate to more
than just 10% of our happiness. Maybe Im
missing something, but I feel that major
situations can make or break someones wellbeing.

I hope that you have accepted the fact that

the specifics of your life circumstances,
unless they are truly dire, are not really the
crux of your unhappiness. P. 186

Now the author makes sense to me, for he

eliminated those outlier situations. Now that
10% seems more reasonable.

It appears that each of us is born with a

happiness set point, a characteristic potential
for happiness throughout or lives. P. 190

Is there any way to modify this set point

naturally through counseling? I agree that it
seems I always revert back to a so called
baseline happiness.

That environmental factor is severe stress.

P. 191

So essentially stress is a breeding ground for

unhappiness since it is the select environment
highlighted in the text? Could unhappiness
possibly cause the environment of stress?

In a nutshell, the fountain of happiness can

be found in how you behave, what you
think, and what goals you set every day of
your life. P. 196

I feel that goals are one of the biggest

influences on happiness. Goals allow you to
look forward to future events and give an
individual a reason to live and be alive.

I disagree with this quote

changes in our circumstances, no matter how positive and stunning, actually have little
bearing on our well-being. P. 186
How could this point be possibly right?
o If the author eliminates certain outliers that are extreme circumstances than yes,
this could be somewhat believable.
What is helpful about this view?
o Such a view allows us as readers to understand that happiness could in fact be
lightly influenced by the situations that are present in our lives.
What would I notice if I believed this view?
o I would come to the realization that current circumstances play little role in our
happiness.
What sense can this quote be true?
o As stated before, if we eliminate those crazy circumstances like extreme poverty,
than the quote is in fact true.