What is Happiness

Here is a New York Times article that reviews the results of a recent study on how people achieve happiness. The question of what is happiness and how we achieve it is one that has interested me for a while. I don't claim to be any sort of expert on this matter but I found the Day Reconstruction Method to be an interesting idea. I also like the idea that if you figure out what patterns work for you it is possible to build those into your life.

"Using these new techniques, we can see patterns, and with some people it's crucial how they end their day, with others it's crucial how the day begins,"

"Dr. Martin E.P. Seligman, a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and author of "Authentic Happiness," said that the method also adds a valuable dimension to the understanding of what constitutes a good life. One part of it is mood, he said; another is how engaged people are in what they're doing; and a third is meaning."

The time that I've spent studying and practicing meditation has also given me another way into the idea of what happiness is. I certianly don't have the answer but exploring ways of approaching this question can be a lot of fun.