THERE IS NO

WAY TO
HAPPINESS.
HAPPINESS
IS THE WAY.
Strasser, Kathleen THE BUDDHA
Powell, Erin
Lim, Nurulayni
Kline, Barry
Hallowell, Joell
Chun, Gangeun (Kim)
 ACT HAPPY
I view happiness as deeper than a momentary good
mood--as an enduring sense of positive well-being, an
ongoing perception that life is fulfilling, meaningful, and
pleasant. But in reporting on the markings of happy lives I
define happiness as whatever people mean when they
describe their lives as happy rather than unhappy. As it
happens, those who say they are very happy usually
seem so to others, as well. They smile and laugh readily
during interviews. Friends and family members typically
agree with their self-description."

The Pursuit of Happiness: Who is Happyand Why (Avon; 1993) David G.

Meyers, Ph.D., Author
Act happy!
Talk and act as if you have the traits
and attitudes of a happy person, and
you may gain them.
Going through the motions can trigger
the emotions.

David G. Meyers
 Experiment: ACT HAPPY
N = 30
12 hour experiment
Morning & Evening Questionnaires
Rating of emotions (1-10)
Questions regarding physical, mental, and
emotional well-being
 Demographics
Age (18 yrs to 65 yrs old)
19~25 (29%)
26~30 (18%)
46~50 (14%)
Gender
Female (70%)
Male (30%)
Relation
Single (42%)
Relationship (33%)
Married (25%)
COMPARISON: Morning vs. Evening
Positive Emotions

7
6
5
Ratings

4
3
2
1
0

Emotions

Morning Evening
 COMPARISON:Morning vs. Evening
Negative Emotions

8
7
6
R a tin g s

5
4
3
2
1
0

Emotions

Morning Evening
 Comments from Morning
Q: Describe how you feel physically
Tired (53%)
Sick, exhausted, hurt, strong, relaxed, sore, headache, hungry
Q: Describe how you feel emotionally
Stressed (13%)
Caged, stable, ready to conquer, depressed, alert, great, drained,
blank
Q: Describe how you feel mentally
Sad/anxious (20% each)
Ok (13%)
Drained, fine, confused, calm, content, lonely, irritable, good,
happy
 Comments from Morning
Q: Additional comments on the State of Being
Lack of sleep (40%)
Vivid dreams with lots of anger
No sleep and very anxious
Sick
Ready to conquer the day
focused
Great but still tired
Glad for everything
Good nights sleep
Feel like someone beat me up
 Comments from Evening
Q: Describe how you feel physically
Tired (48%)
Heavy, energetic, alive, cooler, uncomfortable, bitter, relaxed
Q: Describe how you feel emotionally
Irritated (20%)
Good (13%)
Strong, stressed, drained, happy, great, sad, lonely, depressed, able to
handle life, like a blown-out fuse
Q: Describe how you feel mentally
Ok (13%)
Silly, cheerful, good, clear, tired, anxious, sick, stressed, overwhelmed,
alert, relaxed, problem decoding(?!), life is good, lighter in spirit, not
thinking
 Comments from Evening
Other comments after the experiment
Forgot to act happy.
As a nurse this is a practice I do to help my patients it seems to
stimulate their recovery.
People acted positive to my positive attitudeMy
happiness was contagious .
Hard time pretending.
Felt self-judged.
Smiled at everyone, whistled a lot and walked with a
bounce and it made a difference for me.
I would think of this survey and smileDoing this survey
feeling forced to ACT HAPPY itself put a smile on my face.
 Conclusion:
Original Hypothesis

Participants will experience a higher level of

happiness after the experiment due to the
significant increases in their positive emotions
and moods.
 CONCLUSION-Actual Results:
Positive Emotions
Happy: +1.5 7
6
Cheerful: +1 5
Energetic: unchanged
Ratings
4
3
Life is good: -1 2
Content: +1 1
0
Joyful: -1
Elated: -3
Fulfilled: -1 Emotions

Morning Evening
CONCLUSION-Actual Results:
Negative Emotions
Pressured: -2 8
7
Bored: -2 6
5

Ratings
Bad: -2.5 4
3
Trapped: -4 2
1
Stressed: -3.5 0

Lonely: -3
Angry: -1 Emotions

Sad: -1 Morning Evening

 Conclusion
In spite of the disappointing results in the positive
emotions, the overall results show that the
participants have experienced greater levels of
happiness after the experiment.
Simple act of making others feel good and
happy helped out participants improve their
negative moods and emotions about themselves,
resulting in more balanced state of mind,
emotions, and physical awareness.
 CONCLUSION
Therefore, this ACT
HAPPY experiment
shows that we have
power to influence
those around us, and
in return, be
influenced ourselves.
SMILE & SPREAD
HAPPINESS!!!