Could you be any happier?

Sonja Lyubomirsky Ph.D. Professor at Stanford University and happiness guru

Most people had a problem yesterday. If not an out and out conflict… well maybe they got their mouth cut.

The grand cross was jarring and while the sky is still very acute the conditions are improved today and focusing on that can limit your downside.

Here are a bunch of happy people to cheer you up… Accentuate the Positive by New Rhythm and Blue Quartet - Enjoy!

We were talking about some of the sordid news out there. “I just don’t get it,” I said.

“Well don’t get mad, P.”

“I’m not mad, I’m curious. Who said I was mad? I don’t know these people. I’m not even mad at people who have injured me directly, how could I possibly be mad at people I don’t even know? It’s not that, I am just interested. Like you are interested in war, I am interested in people and their behavior. If someone made some strange decision in war you would think about it and this is like this for me. I am just completely fascinated at how people choose to live because it often makes no sense at all.”

Continue reading Astrology And Greed: Is There A Correlation Between Greed And Happiness? Poll

Happiness Is In The Genes, Say Scottish Scientists

Jamie Beatson writes:

“Psychologists at Edinburgh University found that inherited genes control up to half of the personality traits that keep us happy.

<snip>

The group were able to identify evidence of common genes that result in certain personality traits, which in turn predispose people to happiness…”

Continue reading Astrology And Happiness: Is Feeling Good In The Genes?

So to flesh out my theory… I asked myself why people would not be happy for the slaves that are freed. Because the slaves are going to be happy for sure. They will be giddy like the soldier and I. So why isn’t the collective happy for the slaves?

Is it because we need slaves? Is it because we need some people oppressed so that others can feel superior? Maybe that’s it. Maybe there are 100 reasons but as I got thinking about this I arrived at the one I liked the best and this is it:

Continue reading My Theory Around Freed Slaves And People Who Begrudge Other People Their Happiness

And what about happiness? Yesterday I had a pal tell me he thought there were people who just couldn’t stand the idea of someone being happy. I would have liked to argue with him but have witnessed the same thing.

I am inherently happy. I may have a grueling life but I am still happy and feel satisfied at least 90% of time and I chock this up to trines from Jupiter.

Jupiter types have a very hard time staying down. We just go up like a helium balloon, again and again and again. Pull it down, it comes down. Turn your back and its up again. Shoot it full of holes and next morning it’s restored. It’s right back where it was, wagging in the wind. And I can explain how it feels to be this kind of person on another day - this is my point:

Continue reading Jupiter In The Horoscope: Does Happiness Breed Happiness And Misery Love Company?

Besides her happy nurse, my doctor is pretty grand. We like each other and always end up exchanging information and perspective. This time I told her about the happiness study / the set point of happiness (The Psychology of Happiness) and she told me about some of her patients.

“I have some people who have just been through the ringer. They’ve had cancer or something like that so they’ve really just seen so many doctors and been through so much. And they’ll be in for something and say I’m running late and they have to wait. They are always so nice. And I just figured it was because they’d seen so many doctors. But maybe they’re just that kind of person,” she said.

“That’s what I think.”

“Because others come in and there is nothing wrong with them. Something minor and they are just awful. And I want to say, what? Can’t you see I am taking care you here?”

I told her I used to think that people who faced life-threatening illness or had been in a terrible accident always had an enhanced perspective but I’d learned this was not the case.

“When something like that happens… when a life goes acute all it does is make the person more of who they are. So if they are transcendent, they will become more transcendent. But if they are otherwise, they will become more of whatever that is. And I think you can change your tendency through effort but I used to think that a heart opening was automatic after intense experience. Boy was that misguided. Happy people stay that way and miserable people stay their way. So if I ever come in here whining?”

“I won’t worry about you. I’ll say, oh she’s going to be fine. Her set point is high.”

“Yeah. I guess I’ll be smiling just like this when they put me in my grave.”

What in your chart do your blame or credit?