What does it mean to you to be happy? Do you desire money or things? Do you want to travel? Does your happiness depend on your relationships with other? Feel free to use the “I” voice. Write a short paragraph as your response.
After defining happiness, watch the following Ted video What Makes a Good Life? Lessons from the Longest Study on Happiness by Robert Waldinger (2016) and answer the following questions:
Waldinger is the fourth director of a study spanning 75 years that examines the roots of happiness. According to Waldinger’s on-going study, results suggest that relationships are involved. The data and reasoning explain whether relations are the cause of happiness or merely correlated to happiness. Make sure you explain you answers.
While Waldinger’s study is certainly suggestive but carries with it certain flaws. Examine the process by which Waldinger and those previously involved with this study carried out their research. What choices regarding population, sample size, and method did the researchers make that give one pause regarding the veracity of Waldinger’s conclusion?
Consider your own experiences. Does your experience support Waldinger’s conclusion insofar as you can evaluate your happiness at this time of your life, and why or why not? Provide details and examples from your personal experiences that you are comfortable sharing.
