Cockney Rebel - Make Me Smile (the happy slideshow)

Happiness is a very fuzzy concept and can mean many things to many people. Part of the challenge of the science of happiness is to identify all the different uses of the word "happiness", or else to understand its various components.

Studies have found that things like money, education, or the weather do not affect happiness the way one might expect. There are various habits that have been correlated with happiness. Psychologist Martin Seligman provides the acronym PERMA to summarize many of Positive Psychology's findings; humans seem happiest when they have Pleasure (tasty foods, warm baths, etc.), Engagement or (aka Flow, the absorption of an enjoyed yet challenging activity), Relationships (social ties have turned out to be extremely reliable indicator of happiness), Meaning (a perceived quest or belonging to something bigger), and finally Accomplishments (having realized tangible goals).

There is evidence suggesting that people can improve their happiness. Mood disorders like depression are often understood through a Biopsychosocial model, meaning biological, psychological, and social factors all contribute to mood (i.e. there is no single cause). The Diathesis-stress model further argues that a diathesis (a biological vulnerability- due to genes) to certain moods are worsened or improved by the environment and upbringing. The idea is that individuals with high vulnerability, especially if their early environment worsened depressive tendencies, may need Antidepressants. Furthermore, the model suggests that everyone can benefit, to varying degrees, from the various habits and practices identified by Positive psychology.

There has also been some studies of religion as it relates to happiness, as well as religious or generally philosophical notions of happiness. Research has generally found that religion may help make people happier by providing various important components (e.g. PERMA) in countries where there are many who share that religion.