Annotated Bibliography:

The New Era of Positive Psychology-TEDtalk:

The New Era of Positive Psychology. Prod. TED Talk. Perf. Martin Seligman. The New Era of Positive
Psychology. TED Talk, Feb. 2004. Web. Feb. 2004.
In this Ted talk Martin Seligman talks to us about what happiness is and how it is separated into
different categories. The first category of happiness is called A Pleasant Life. This way of happiness is
found when people pleased by people and what they are receiving. The next category of happiness is
The Good Life. This way of happiness is found when life stops and you recraft your work, love, and play
to make it flow better. In other words The Good Life is when you are engaged in something. The last
category of happiness called The Meaningful Life. This way of happiness is found when you use your
highest strengths to do good for others. The positive psychologists found that The Good Life as well as
The Meaningful Life are the two most main sources of happiness found. These different categories where
the main focus of his TEDtalk, as he dove deeper into each one.
This source is a strong source because Martin Seligman is a psychologist educator as well an
psychologist author of self help books. Then after a few years switched over to positive psychology and
started directing it at a university. He then was able to come over to TEDtalk and explain all of his
discoveries through positive psychology.
The essential question is: What is the truth of happiness? To me through this TEDtalk I learned that
the truth of happiness is found through three different categories. The first category is having a pleasant
life. This way of happiness is found when you get things that bring you pleasure, or you do something that
gives you pleasure, it is very self based. The second category is having a meaningful life. This way of
happiness is found when you do something or see something that is really meaningful for you that you are
filled with joy (happiness). The last category is having a good life. This way of happiness is when you are
engaged in some activity that helps others or is just for you and you feel happy doing it. These different
ways of happiness help me really picture what happiness is and that it isnt just a word and a smile it is
much more.
11th reason if technology actually increases the pleasant life, good life, and meaningful life, than
things will be better and good.
Time stops for Len. this is the story of Len and he is in the category of the good life.
Positive psychology is parallel to entertainment, design, and technology.
Being happy is a pleasant life, that good life, and a meaningful life.

Brave New World:

Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. London: Harper Collins, 2001. Print.
This book is about this society that has created a World where they douse their embryos in alcohol
and replicate each embryo. You then go through the book reading and finding out about each character
and what makes them happy. For example one of the main characters is a girl name Lenina she is a very
pretty girl and has seen about every man there, everyone knows her. She strongly believes in this society
and how it works. So, for her happiness she takes a drug soma to help her escape the world around her
when she doesnt want to express a certain feeling, or deal with a certain problem. Another main
character in the book is a man named Bernard he is different from everyone else in the book because
there is a rumor he came out wrong because too much alcohol was poured into his blood surrogate. The
reasoning behind this is because he has his own feelings and thoughts and doesnt follow everyone else.
Then another character's name is Linda she was forced to go to the Savage reservation where she found
her happiness in a drink that was found in a gourd that looked like water, than later on when she is able to
go back to the brave new world she has a very long soma holiday to forget everything that she disliked
and to be in a happy place. The last character is John he is the son of Linda, he could never find
happiness in the gourd liquid, nor in the soma. He has several things that makes him happy but I think the
main thing that brings him joy is reading shakespeare. It was new and different than anything else he
knew so he loves it.
This book is a high source for finding happiness. All of it is make believe with soma, and gourd like
liquid, but throughout the book Aldous Huxley is pointing similar substances we use to make ourselves
happy. For instance, I feel like when ever Aldous Huxley talks about soma I think he is referencing alcohol
today. Soma has similar effects on the characters as alcohol does when someone drinks much of it.
Aldous Huxley married a wife who was a psychotherapist (someone who treats mental disorders). Aldous
Huxley probably got a few ideas on what different treatments they do to their patients when trying to
relieve them from their disorders. A last proof of this being a credible source is that it was published as a
book. Now it is one opinion of happiness doesnt mean it is true or false, but from what I have seen his
wife was a psychotherapist, he relates substances in the book with what we have today, as well as his
book was published.
The essential question is: What is the truth of happiness? Through this book I have learned to understand
two different types of happiness. Mainly that to be happy you need to put something through your body to
generate happiness. Happiness is not just having to put something through your body, but also forgetting
the the bad in your life (In other words escaping evil). Another message I received is when you read you
get the feeling of happiness because it is another story that fuels something inside of you. Reading is like
experiencing something you could only dream of that could happen.
A few quotes:
He had a big gourd full of stuff that looked like water; only it wasn't water, but something with a
bad smell that burnt your mouth and made you cough. Linda drank some and Pop drank some,
and then Linda laughed a lot and talked very loud; and then she and Pop went into the other
room. (page 125 in the middle of the first paragraph)
Punctured, utterly deflated, he dropped into a chair and, covering his face with his hands, began
to weep. A few minutes later, however, he thought better of it and took four tablets of soma.
(page 176 paragraph 4)
Upstairs in his room the Savage was reading Romeo and Juliet. (page 176 paragraph 5) At this
part John is very upset and doesnt want to see anyone from the Brave New World, so to cheer
himself up he is reading Romeo and Juliet which is Shakespeare's writing.
So the best people were quite determined not to see Linda. And Linda, for her part, had no
desire to see them. The return to civilization was for her the return to soma, was the possibility of
lying in bed and taking holiday after holiday. (page 153 very bottom then continues over to page
154)

Happy Documentary:
Happy. Dir. Roko Belic. Perf. Ed Denier. Happy. N.p., May 2011. Web.
A bunch of positive psychologists go around interviewing all sorts of people to find what sort of things
create happiness. Through all of their research and interviews they figured out through different people
what creates happiness. They interviewed people all over the world to see what their way of life is, as well
as what makes them happy. They found that happiness was found the strongest when a person had close
family and friends, as well as they went through a hard time. Specifically when interviewing people that
were happy with close friends and family, they would get together with them every week once or twice.
Those people have a sense of care because they have someone so close. Ed Dieren specifically
interviews a family from Louisiana then later on contrasts it from a guy who had no strong ties with family
or friends, this showed how powerful friends and family really are. Another key way of happiness is found
through sad times. One of the stories in the documentary was all about a woman who was run over by a
car, this experience for her was very hard and challenged her to want to keep living. But because of this
experience and pushing through it she is now more happy than she was before the accident. The reason
for this is because you are hurting from something, then when you are able to satisfy yourself with
something that can uplift your spirit you will take it, and end up experiencing a great amount of joy. For
me overall this documentary helps the audience understand how happiness is generated through these
different people and how happiness isnt the same for every person.
I believe this documentary to be a high source for finding out what happiness is. All of the people
working on this Documentary are Positive Psychologists, so it is their job to find these stories and to make
sure they are proving the point of positive psychology. This documentary is also well refined and flows
well to make their main point of what really is happiness. Also after looking a bit deeper into how the
documentary got started. The director of the documentary-Roko Belic-read an article from the New York
Times talking about happiness. He was then requested to go deeper and find what truly makes people
happy. He spent several years interviewing all sorts of people to get a general idea of happiness. When
you take a lot of time and effort into research than are able to put it into an understandable documentary I
would say that is a great source.
The essential question is: What is the Truth of happiness? By watching this documentary I am able to
get a few steps closer in answering the essential question. Through this documentary I have learned that
all over the country they have there own types of happiness and how they show it. A quick example is
down south most people have close friends and families, and because they have close friends and family
they are some of the happiest people you will ever meet. If you go over to the country that is known as the
happiest country on earth, they find their happiness by being around others, and being able to care for
one another equally. So over all from this documentary I have learned that when trying to find happiness
having close people to love and share stories with will create the most happiness in your life: True
Happiness.
When we work in a community we feel like, WOW our lives are pretty great.
The ultimate purpose of a society should be to produce long and happy lives for its citizens.
We all need something bigger than ourselves.
We have studied some of the happiest people and we found without exception that all of them
had or have close supportive family and friends.

Prose Works:
Eddy, Mary Baker. "Miscellaneous Writings." Prose Works. Boston, Massachusetts: First Church of
Christ, Scientist, 1883-1896. 15+. Print.
The book Prose Works has all sorts of teachings and writings that Mary Baker Eddy wrote for her
readers to better understand Christian Science. The specific chapter I read parts from is Miscellaneous
Writings. Through this chapter the parts where it talked about happiness were mainly focused on how
happiness comes when you have an elevated thought of what your desires are as well as a better
perception of God, and the children of God (all of us). This chapter isnt solely focused on what happiness
is, but when you look closely at spiritual readings you can get a better, or higher sense of what happiness
is.
I believe this is a strong source because Mary Baker Eddy worked to trust God with all of her writing.
She read the Bible and had a very spiritual thought about what was being read and written on the paper.
She was then able to translate it so we can read it today and dissect it ourselves to better understand the
meaning behind her words.
The essential question is: What is the truth of happiness? After reading parts of this book where it
focused on happiness I found that the truth of happiness is found through a thought of desire and the
obedience of the commandments. The commandments are written out for us to follow and if we are able
to understand and follow that there is one God, to love your neighbors, respect your Father and Mother,
dont steal, etc. then happiness will come naturally because you are following God, and it is the right thing
to do.
Yea, the highest Christianization- of thought and desire, can give the true perception of God and
Divine Science, that results in health, happiness, and holiness. (Mis 15:8-12)
To mentally argue in a manner that can disastrously affect the happiness. (Mis 31:3-7)
Obedience to these commandments is indispensable to health, happiness, and length of days.
(Mis 67:15-17)

Science and Health:

Eddy, Mary Baker. "Marriage." Science and Health. Boston: Christian Scientist Pub., 1875. 57-59. Print.
Science and Health is a book that was published in 1875 by a women named Mary Baker Eddy. All of
her writings in the book Science and Health are based off of her understanding from the Bible. She
mentions through this book the word happiness. Specifically what I looked at I found happiness is when
you have a strong connection to God and it is truthful, and full of love, there should be no selfishness, no
dividuality from God. Happiness is being unselfish towards others and thoughts mingling with one
another.
I believe this is a strong source because Mary Baker Eddy worked to trust God with all of her writing.
She read the Bible and had a very spiritual thought about what was being read and written on the paper.
She was then able to translate it so we can read it today and dissect it ourselves to better understand the
meaning behind her words.
The essential question is: What is the truth of happiness? From reading these parts about happiness I
found the truth of it is that God is our main source and if we respect one another, and are able to be
truthful joy will come and satisfy our needs.
Happiness is spiritual born of Truth and Love. (SH 57:18-19)
Unselfish ambition, noble life-motives, and purity,- these constituents of thought, mingling,
constitute individually and collectively true happiness, strength, and permanence. (SH 58:7-11)

Relationships-Pursuit of Happiness:
"Relationships." Pursuit of Happiness. N.p., 08 Nov. 2016. Web. 21 Feb. 2017.
This article talks about how happiness comes when you have close friends or families. When you are
alone, or arent treated very well by your friends or family you dont have as much happiness, or any. The
article also talks about how Ed Diener developed an experiment to see what the results were with
happiness for the students who had close friends and family compared to someone who is alone or feels
alone. Then the Pursuit of Happiness redeveloped this experiment to see which one friends or family
came first when ranking happiness. They then found out that when the students had close friends they
were the happiness, then when the students had close family they were happy, but not as happy as they
could be.
I believe this source is an okay source to use. Though I am not positive if it is fully trustworthy. But I
feel like I could use it though because the results are very similar to what other things I have read from
other articles as well as watched from videos. Another reason to trust it, even though it is kind of silly is
the fact that the website is a .org. This means that their website isnt focused on money, but on more the
whole purpose of the website-to give inspiration for the Pursuit of Happiness.
The essential question is: What is the truth of happiness? Through this article I found that the truth of
happiness is found by having close relationships with family and friends. They are people you can rely on
and have a good laugh with, and this is when you are able to experience the most happiness. Dont try
pushing people away, or if you are alone try finding someone in your family or a friend at school, so that
you can start seeing a smile on your face.
People who have one or more close friendships appear to be happier. (first bullet point)
 Ed Diener and Martin Seligman, conducted a study at the University of Illinois on the 10% of
students with the highest scores recorded on a survey of personal happiness. They found that the
most salient characteristics shared by students who were very happy and showed the fewest
signs of depression were "their strong ties to friends and family and commitment to spending time
with them." (first paragraph)
They were found to be happiest with their friends, followed by family members, and least happy if
they were alone. (second paragraph)

The Contagion of Happiness:

"The Contagion of Happiness." Harvard Medical School. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2017.
This article is about how happiness is such a general topic that you have to dive deeper into all the
different words for happiness (optimism, joy, pleasure, relief, gratitude, a state of being) the more you will
understand the true meaning of happiness. Over all from reading the article I understood that happiness
is found through your conscious state of mind, your connections to others, as well as the genetics you
have. When specifically talking about your conscious state of mind it explains how if you are driving in a
car and your stomach begins to growl, then all at once you pass a restaurant. When you have the food in
your mouth you automatically make yourself happy because you have satisfied yourself. This type of
happiness wont last you long because it is lacking of true happiness. This when you head over to
connections to others. This is the true happiness because you are finding a relationship with a family
member or a close friend. These times are when you have a laugh of joy. Look at that I said joy instead of
happiness. Well there is even a section in the article about joy. This section talks about the complexity of
joy and how it is always placed with happiness, and known as the more general type of happiness. One
last thing that I read that was very interesting was Positive emotions are often associated with tears.
When you are sad about something, it is easier to become happier for a long time because you are
fulfilling the ace you had. Overall this article really dug deep into the true meanings of happiness.
How do I know that this articles understanding of happiness is accurate, first of all I found this article
on the harvard medical school website. Harvard being a very well educated university already, then it is
focusing on the medical field which makes it a pretty high source. The professors that work there have to
be very well educated and teach the most accurate information found. So, when the students come to
class they are receiving accurate information which is how this article has a better chance of being right.
The essential question is: What is the truth of happiness? Through this article I found that the truth of
happiness is found through our conscious state of mind. Meaning, it is more of our choice if we want to be
happy or not. Like the example above with the food- when your stomach is growling you make yourself
unhappy because it is a feeling of ace and needing something to satisfy your body, when you do end up
eating, you have a sense of happiness that probably wont last long because it isnt a permanent thing.
Most of our happiness is like that today because we have inherited it from our genes or we have very
emotional brains that arent open to positivity as well. I also learned that mostly when we are upset at
something we will have an easier time becoming happy because all we need to do is satisfy what ever
emotion we are having.
Positive emotion is often associated with tears. (paragraph 8)
Happiness, Vaillant believes, is a conscious state of mind. (paragraph 3)
Joy is all about our connection to others. (paragraph 4)

What is Happiness:
"Happiness Definition." Greater Good. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2017.
Also
Sonja Lyubomirsky: What Is Happiness? Perf. Sonja Lyubomirsky. W hat Is Happiness. N.p., n.d. Web. 12
July 2010. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HFL9MnGdrw>.
This short article talks about how the average american thinks of happiness not in its formal definition.
We normally think of it as an expression of some sort, for instance joy, pride, gratitude, etc. Though in the
article it starts sharing how, yes happiness is an expression of some sort, but should we really stop there?
It then explains how you can still have the experience of joy, contentment, or positive well-being, [but] combine
[it] with a sense that ones life is good, meaningful, and worthwhile. I find this very interesting and it relates with what
other sources I have gathered as well. The great overall summary of this article is that we have certain emotions of
happiness that correspond with your life being good, meaningful, and worthwhile. Each of these emotions bounce off
of one another creating a stronger sense of happiness.
I believe this is a high source because the writer of this understanding of happiness is Sonja Lyubomirsky who is
Professor in the department of Psychology at a University in California. She has also written a few books. These
books are called: The Only Self-Help Book You'll Ever Need, The How of Happiness, and Journal of Positive
Psychology. Sonja knows what she is talking about has given me a good understanding of what happiness is.
The essential question is: What is the truth of happiness? To me through this article I have understood that the
truth of happiness comes when you experience an emotion of something that has happened in your life that you liked,
something you did that was meaningful for you or someone else, or something you did that was totally worth your
time. Then the emotion of happiness that came from those different types of happiness reflect off of one another
creating a greater sense of happiness. Though one thing I am confused on is: When experiencing those different
types of happiness, who the reflection happen with the happiness already possessed or what you are feeling at that
moment all together? Even though I have that one question I do know that this article helped me understand that
happiness is feeling that is specific.
The experience of joy, contentment, or positive well-being, combined with a sense that ones life is good,
meaningful, and worthwhile. (first paragraph)
It captures the fleeting positive emotions that come with happiness, along with a deeper sense of meaning
and purpose in life (second paragraph)

Message 02:
I didnt read this whole book, I just used a concord website for finding what religious books state happiness. To
me this quote does a great job of summing up happiness. This quote to me is saying that happiness is received when
you have been doing good towards others and for yourself. This act of good will glorify God, and can only come from
God. This will bring happiness!
I think this is a credible source because the author
Happiness consists in being and in doing good; only what God gives, and what we give ourselves
and others through His tenure, confers happiness: conscious worth satisfies the hungry heart,
and nothing else can. (02 17:22-25)