Susan Baker

2/09/2017
Happiness Project
Section 1
Annotated Bibliography

Source 1: Happy

Citation: Belic, Roko. "The Happy Movie." The Happy Movie. Los Angeles SEO, 2011.
Web. 09 Feb. 2017.

Summary: The movie Happy argues that happiness is a fundamental element to human

life, and that it can not be found by simply doing something pleasurable. Happy contains
multiple stories of how different people discovered their happiness. One of the stories
featured a once lovely woman had her head run over by a large truck. Because her face
was then deformed, suicide seemed to be the only alternative for her; but she decided that
she would live on for her son. She recovered, remarried and is now a much happier
individual than she was before the accident. But why? Happy suggests that because she
had a strong connection with her son and husband, she was able to forget her deformities
and live happily. Multiple other stories feature incidents like these, where happiness is
found in positive connections with community members. This prompts that the key to
happiness is not at all where most assume it would be (which would be found in extrinsic
goals, such as money, image, and the status of one), and instead in personal growth,
community goals, and in relationships (all intrinsic goals).

Reflection: Before I watched Happy I thought happiness was different for everyone. It is
in a sense, but generally I now believe that a major source of happiness is found in
connections and simply being accepted. I had a vague idea of this, and thought that yes;
relationships can increase someones happiness. But after watching Happy, I strongly
believe that those connections are actually necessities.
 Susan Baker
2/10/2017
Happiness Project
Section 1

Source 2: There is More to Life Than Being Happy

Citation: Smith, Emily Esfahani. "There Is More To Life Than Being Happy." The
Atlantic, Jan. 2013. Web. 09 Feb. 2017.

Summary: This article is almost a summary of a Holocaust survivors book he wrote

describing the terrors he had faced in the concentration camps, Viktor Frankls Mans
Search for Meaning. It discussed how there is more to life than seeking out happiness,
and whoever looks only for happiness will most likely not find it, or much of it anyways.
It argues that although people with many misfortunes can be unhappy, suffering is key to
finding happiness. If one rarely feels pain or goes through hardships, then they will likely
take horrible situations much harsher than one who had already gone through terror. On
the same hand, a person who is much more perceptive to pain are more likely to
appreciate happiness when it comes. That someone who only feels pleasures never truly
lived as a normal human life; on humanitys standards.

Evidence: While not having enough money decreases how happy and meaningful you
consider your life to be, it has a much greater impact on happiness. The happy life is also
defined by a lack of stress or worry.

While happiness is an emotion felt in the here and now, it ultimately fades away, just as
all emotions do; positive affect and feelings of pleasure are fleeting.
 Susan Baker
Happiness Project
2/10/2017
Section 1

Source 3: The New Era of Positive Psychology (TED Talk)

Citation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FBxfd7DL3E

Summary: In this video, Martin Seligman discusses how human psychology has shifted
through the years, how we treat human psychology and happiness, and the three different
kinds of happy lives. To begin, human psychology has advanced greatly as our world
has evolved. It was good at first, when we learned how to categorize and treat mental
illnesses. Then it got bad, when we started forcing the views and ideas of happiness and
psychology when it was not needed or, perhaps, wanted. Despite this turn, Seligman
genuinely believes that we can make psychology good enough soon. The different kinds
of happy lives can be summed up into three sections; the pleasant life, the good life, and
the meaningful life. The pleasant life says that one can achieve happiness by having as
many pleasures in life as they possibly can, and knowing how to make those already
intense pleasures even more pleasurable. The good life argues that there is a very large
difference between pleasures and flow. Pleasures are said to be a very pungent, very
abrupt feeling that may come and go. We know when we are feeling pleasure and know
when we are not. However, flow is a completely different idea. Flow is the idea that one
can be blissfully happy in simply following out a task. Its like a time pauser, from the
minute one starts their flow it does not end until the task is either complete or over with.
The meaningful life focuses on one as a person. Knowing what your own strengths and
passions are and using those to assist something that is larger than you.
 Susan Baker
2/13/2017
Happiness Project
Section 1

Source 4: The Moral Bucket List (Choose your own adventure)

Citation: Brooks, David. "The Moral Bucketlist." The New York Times. N.p., 11 Apr.
2015. Web. 13 Feb. 2017.

Summary: The Moral Bucketlist was an article discussing how to become a wonderful
person to be around. It described a desire to become one of these wonderful people,
people who are supportive, enlightening, and altogether can make ones day. The article
brought up how these wonderful people are not just born beautiful; but instead are shaped
and created through moral and spiritual accomplishments. It sounds easy to do, but if that
was the case the world would be absolutely filled with wonderful people. The reason this
is not so is because of two concepts: eulogy virtues, and resume virtues. Eulogy virtues
are personality traits, things about oneself that would be discussed at a funeral. Whether
they were brave, kind, loyal, faithful, are all a part of eulogy virtues. Resume virtues are
ideas youd bring to the world of business, ones talents, skills or achievements, things
that one can brag about. It would appear that eulogy virtues are a lot more meaningful
and important than resume virtues, but society teaches and encourages resume virtues
much more. Thus, that is what we begin to value over personality. The moral bucket list
is a list of compiled ways to become a wonderful person. The main idea is that to become
wonderful, you must find your core sins and take the large steps to rid yourself of them.
This could take a lifetime, but at the end you would find yourself as close to pure and
wonderful as a human may get.

Evidence:
Social media wants you to broadcast a highlight reel of your life.

In the realm of emotion, she is embedded in a web of unconditional loves. In the realm
of action, she is committed to tasks that cant be completed in a single lifetime.
 Susan Baker
2/14/2017
Happiness Project
Section 1

Source 5: OECD Index

Citation: "Sweden." OECD Better Life Index. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.

Summary: This lengthy article summarized the quality of life in Sweden. They discussed
that Sweden ranked tenth place in the worlds happiness index (three above the United
States) and why. They have pleasures there that much like the US, do not feel like a
pleasure but truly is one. For example, nearly every Swede has access to a functioning
toilet. Something that we here in the US take for granted quite easily. Another pleasure
that may make them a well functioning society is that 75% of Swedes are employed, and
less than 1% of employees work unfair or harsh hours. In general, Sweden ranks above
average in almost all OECD life categories (environmental quality, civic engagement,
education and skills, work-life balance, health status, subjective well-being, jobs and
earnings, housing, personal safety, and social connections.) In short, Sweden has many
pleasures the US has, although there are many things that are improved there.
Individual Research
Research Question: How does having the following relationships as a
teenager/child affect ones overall happiness later in life?
-Parental - Romantic
-Friendly
Susan Baker
2/16/2017
Happiness Project
Section 1

Source 1: The Effect Of Parents on Childs Psychological Development.

(Parental Relationship)

Citation: "The Effect Of Parents On A Child's Psychological Development." Erupting

Mind, 1 Apr. 2016. Web. 16 Feb. 2017.

Summary: This article argued that whether or not the relationship with ones parents was
positive effects the individual; a lot. It discussed that those who had disapproving parents
who loved them only conditionally tend to have a low self-esteem and a fragile
self-confidence. To love ones child unconditionally means to love them for them, and
nothing they can do will change that. To love ones child conditionally, however, means
that if they dont do something, then they will no longer receive love or have a
withdrawal of affection from one. This source suggests that adults how only gained
conditional love from their parents should generate their own self esteem from within-
but it does note how difficult this task will be. Unconditional love usually generates very
much self acceptance for the person who receives it. Of course, on the other hand, those
who received conditional love have a much harder time generating self acceptance both
as a teenager and an adult. All these observations point to multiple things, but how I see
is is that kids who receive only conditional love from their parents tend to have a hard
time generating their own happiness later in life.

Evidence: Some people were shown love simply for being who they are, regardless of
the right or wrong they did. [Unconditional love]
If you live up to your parents expectations to please them, then they will show you
love. But if you dont live up to their expectations, then this love will be withdrawn or
withheld. [Conditional love]

If you were given unconditional love, then most likely you learned to accept yourself for
who you are and are happy just being you. You will have high levels of internally
generated self-acceptance, self-esteem and confidence.

However, if you were given conditional love, which is the most common type of love
that parents give, you are more likely to develop into an adult with lower self-worth,
feelings of inadequacy, limiting beliefs and insecurity which can result in suspicion and
jealousy in relationships.

Susan Baker
2/21/16
Happiness Project
Section 1
Source 2: 7 Ways Friendships Are Great for Your Health
(Friendly Relationship)

Citation: Pappas, Stephanie. "7 Ways Friendships Are Great for Your Health."
LiveScience. Purch, 08 Jan. 2016. Web. 21 Feb. 2017.

Summary: I dont like using lists as sources, because they tend to have biases in them.
However, this article made some good points and I believe their arguments were enough
for me to overlook the list factor. So briefly, I will summarize the different sections and
then include a concluding thought at the end.
1.Friends may extend your life
This section argues that people who build strong social connections have less of a
chance of dying prematurely. It also included how the effect of having these social ties on
life span is twice as strong as that of exercise, and even equivalent to that of quitting
smoking. Friendships are expected to be closely linked with the bodys way of processing
stress.
2. Your pals make you generally healthier
Generally, people who claim to feel isolated from society tend to have issues in
health measures, such as blood pressure, body mass index, waist circumference and
levels of inflammation marker C-reactive protein. People who claim that they do not feel
isolated from society tend to be healthier in these subjects.
3. Friendships might help keep your mind sharp
A recent study that took place in 2012 followed about 2,000 residents of
Netherlands followed those whose ages were 65-68. 13.4 percent of those who said they
felt lonely developed dementia as the study carried on, while only 5.7 percent of those
who did not feel lonely developed the disease. This has led researchers to believe that
social isolation may have a link to dementia development.
4. Friend influence us (for better or worse)
After a different study, headlines screamed on how obesity is contagious.
Basically, if someone packs on a few or many pounds, some of their friends or colleagues
may too. But what the study also helped us realize, is that thinness too is contagious in
the same way. If ones friend were to, say, start a new diet or exercise routine to lose
weight, it may urge their friends to do the same thing.
5. Your BFFs can help you through tough stuff
Yet another recent study on cancer patients argues that when things get especially
hard, friends can help you out. Patients who were assigned support groups with other
cancer patients claim that their quality of life has grown, the patients who did not attend
support groups did not report this.
6. Friends can help you cope with rejection
A study on young kids reports that children who have many friends tend to cope
with rejection or harassment from another peer better than those who didnt have that
kind of social connection. This did also prove that friends do not rid of stress entirely;
although it may be easier on the child to have good friends to help them cope, it doesnt
erase the issue for them completely.
7. Friendships can last a lifetime
This subject discusses that it may be very hard to keep friends close. In 1983, a
study followed around college friends asking about their sense of closeness to each other
as they grew. The group eventually graduated, and inevitable did not communicate as
often as they had been, but they still reported feeling very emotionally close to their old
friends, even if not physically.
So in conclusion, friendships do not completely erase issues, but greatly affect
ones happiness. Although this did not speak to teens directly, I feel like this source
proved that having positive social ties greatly affects ones health, ones choices, and
certainly may make one happier than another without those positive ties.

Evidence: Any amount of increase in our social isolation would be bad news, because
friendship isn't just about fun, fellowship and emotional health. Having friends can
improve physical health, too.

But the chronic stress that can come with isolation can switch on these processes for
long periods of time, causing physical wear and tear on the body.

Susan Baker
2/22/2017
Happiness Project
Section 1
Source 3: Are Highschool Relationships Really Worth It?
(Romantic Relationship)

Citation: Manning, Evan. "Are High School Relationships Worth It?" The Huffington
Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 29 Nov. 2012. Web. 22 Feb. 2017.

Summary: This article points out both the positive and negative effects romantic
adolescent relationships can have on a person. It says that in a way, it helps both people
involved in a relationship become who they are when they grow up. It teaches them what
they do and do not want in a person of interest, or another person in general (coworkers,
friends, etc.). Although less than 2% of Americas wedded couples are highschool
sweethearts these young relationships can be important to a developing person and
should be taken seriously. On the other hand, they may be very stressful and damaging to
a person. Relationships on their own are a difficult thing to manage, and for a student
who is trying to balance their schooling and social life, they only weigh themselves down
more with relationships. It is also worth mentioning that a high school environment is not
the healthiest place for an intense or meaningful romance, not the most ideal place either.
On top of that, when a relationship ends, it can be very hurtful to both people involved.
Although it teaches them how to manage relationships later, they can be scarring and give
people trust issues. So its very hard to say whether or not a romantic highschool
relationship makes someone happier later on. Its an argument that has points on either
side. It is safe to say, though, that relationships are very impactful. For better or worse,
they affect all who is involved. Whether the relationship is a peer pressure fling, or a
serious and dedicated partnership, it may be life altering.

Evidence: Additionally, there is the chance of having to experience heartbreak at a

possibly life-altering time. Someone who goes through an especially harsh breakup in
high school is undoubtedly more prone to being emotionally damaged by it than an older
individual, because high school students are still maturing.

Many individuals who never experience a high school relationship may just picture two
nave teens who are taking on more responsibility than they can possibly handle, and in
many cases, those people are probably right.