You are on page 1of 2

Tyler McHone

Debra Jizi
UWRT 1102-029
18 February 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.

Source: Quote (Page# or Paragraph #)

Responses

most studies have shown that peoples


overall level of happiness seems stubbornly
impervious to change (325).

I feel that the basic level of our happiness is


associated with our personality and our view
of the world. A pessimistic person will have a
negative view on a daily basis, while this
differs vastly from someone who practices
optimism. Its hard to change your view on the
world.

We suggest that while single major events


may be unlikely to have a lasting impact,
smaller minor behaviors provide small
boosts to well being that can lead to real
changes in overall well being, especially if
they are repeated with sufficient frequency
over time: one cannot win the lottery every
day, but one can exercise or attend religious
services regularly, and these repeated
behaviors may be enough to increase well
being over time (326).

Its the minor daily activities that seems to


have more of an impact. If you think about
doing something on a daily basis, you will be
continuously exposed to it. I think it is true that
over time these things will eventually add up,
increasing your level of happiness. This all
stems from your view of the world though, if
you set out to improve your daily life, chances
are youll start to become happier.

Worse still, of those investigations that have


demonstrated a lasting impact of major
events on well being, most have been in
negative domains (327).

If you think about the things that happen in


your life, what do you think of? Something
negative right? This is because our brains
associate more with our flaws or things that
have a negative impact on our lives. As
humans we don't count our blessing bestowed
upon us, as we should, religious or not.

Why don't people adapt to religion and


exercise, behaviors the most people have
been engaged in their entire life, as they do
to most other things? (329).

If we were to actually engage ourselves in


routine activities such as exercise and
religious events, it gives a positive twist on
your life. Why don't do we, as humans,
engage our lives in this as much as we do
sports? Or even pop culture? Why aren't we
worried about our own well being as much as
we are with our team in the Super Bowl?

In contrast to the notion of an inescapable


hedonic treadmill, it is not pointless for
people to seek to improve their well being.
However, improvement may not come from
major events such as winning the lottery
(336).

Things such as a better sense of our well


being have a better impact rather than a major
impact like winning the lottery. Albeit there can
be improvement from something like winning
the lottery, but doesn't that just make you a
materialistic person?

You might also like