Ch 17

• Concepts of happiness and well-being:

  • Happiness and well-being bring about positive feelings of joy, satisfaction, pleasure, and pleasantness
  • Remaining unhappy for a long time is harmful to the body and mind
  • Well-being includes aspects such as happiness, energy, leisure, peace with oneself, contentment, and sensitivity to the environment
  • Well-being involves experiencing satisfaction in life, positive feelings, and the absence of negative feelings
• • Sleep: Adequate sleep is required for mental and physical well-being, about 8-9 hours of sleep is needed for effective functioning
  • Recreation: Relaxation and enjoyment are essential for well-being
  • Yoga and meditation: Bring discipline and peace, provide health benefits
  • Relationships: Friends and social connections provide support and enrich social life
  • Optimism, resilience, and hope: Positive attitudes contribute to health and happiness
• Factors influencing well-being:

  • Achieving well-being through a healthy lifestyle and good habits
  • Basic principles of a healthy lifestyle include good diet, adequate exercise, sleep, proper recreation, and a balanced routine
  • Nutrition: Sufficient calorie intake is necessary for good health, balanced diet of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and vitamins is important
  • Exercise: Lack of exercise can lead to various health issues, regular exercise helps control stress and improves quality of life
• Happiness, well-being, and need satisfaction:

  • Happiness refers to living a good life, experiencing well-being, and enjoying quality of life
  • Material resources, cognitive competence, and subjective competence contribute to happiness and well-being
  • Fulfillment of basic needs is essential for happiness and comfort
  • Continuous striving for newer goals can lead to perpetual dissatisfaction and discomfort
  • Contentment is important for experiencing happiness
• Characteristics of happy people:

  • Mental and physical health contribute to happiness
  • Happy people have high self-esteem, get along with others, feel in control of events, and are optimistic
  • Good personal relations and social interactions contribute to happiness
  • Happiness is correlated with positive life events and is more important than wealth
  • Happiness is related to self-esteem, optimism, personal relations, progress towards goals, spirituality, and religious beliefs
• Bhutan introduced the concept of Gross National Happiness (GNH) in the 1970s
• GNH focuses on the balance between wealth and cultural values, connection with nature, and community
• Wealth alone is not the sole factor in determining overall development according to GNH
• Countries like UK and France have also adopted GNH as part of their government policies
• Positive emotions play a crucial role in health and well-being
• Positive emotions broaden thinking, build coping strategies, repair negative effects, and enhance mental health
• Ways to promote positive emotions include relaxation exercises, finding meaning in life, pursuing realistic goals, helping others, and showing gratitude
• Self-actualization refers to the development of the individual up to their full potential
• Self-actualized individuals exhibit strengths such as self-monitoring, self-acceptance, effective communication skills, positive attitude, and setting realistic goals
• Characteristics of happy people include high self-esteem, good relations, and being resilient
• Happiness and well-being are interrelated concepts that encompass physical, mental, social, and spiritual dimensions
• Adopting a balanced lifestyle with good diet, exercise, sleep, and recreation contributes to health and well-being
• Need satisfaction provides fulfillment, but setting realistic desires and goals is essential
• Happy people are physically and mentally healthy, accept themselves, are confident, resilient, and have good relations with others
• Positive emotions influence health and well-being by broadening resources and building coping strategies
• Self-actualization is an ongoing process that requires continual work towards achieving one's full potential
• Self-actualized individuals monitor their behavior, accept themselves and others, have effective communication skills, a positive attitude, purpose in life, set realistic goals, and believe setbacks are temporary
• Positive emotions help broaden thinking, physical and social resources, and build reserves for stressful times
• Happiness is an emotion and also refers to living a good life, experiencing well-being, and enjoying a good quality of life
• Material resources, cognitive competence, and subjective competence are components of happiness
• When desires are excessive, dissatisfaction can lead to unhappiness
• Important characteristics of happy people include mental and physical health, resilience, confidence, openness to experiences, personal control, and good personal relations