Huntington Beach City School District

The theme of this month’s Mindfulness Monthly Memo is “Happier January!” People have different ways of defining what happiness means, and many people experience happiness in different ways. However, most people think of happiness as feeling generally positive about their overall life. 

Sonja Lyubomirsky is a positive psychology researcher who describes happiness as “the experience of joy, contentment, or positive well-being, combined with a sense that one’s life is good, meaningful, and worthwhile.”  In fact, research indicates that most people find the term “happiness” to be synonymous with the term “subjective well-being.” Furthermore, science shows that to measure an individual’s level of happiness, one can ask how satisfied they feel with their life (an evaluative principle), how much positive and negative emotion they tend to feel (an affective principle), and what their sense of meaning and purpose is (an eudaimonic principle). 

Numerous factors, including social and cultural factors, can influence a person’s happiness levels. Happiness may also be influenced by one’s personality type, balance of positive and negative emotions, attitudes toward physical health, social class, relatedness to others, self-efficacy, and more. 

So, why should people strive to be happier, and how do they become happier? Simply put, much of one’s happiness is determined by day-to-day experiences. The more one engages with positive thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, the happier their brain becomes. Research has linked happiness to better physical health, more satisfying romantic relationships, stronger friendships, greater financial success, an increase in work productivity, more generosity toward others, a stronger ability to cope with stress and trauma, and higher creativity and open-mindedness. People can engage in activities to promote happiness in their lives, such as building stronger relationships with others, performing acts of kindness, developing personal strengths and goals, practicing appreciation or gratitude, practicing mindfulness, practicing kindness, engaging in physical activity, and much more. To discover more happiness activities, visit Positive Psychology’s article, 100+ Happiness Activities for Students, Groups and Adults. 

While there are benefits to striving for happiness in life, research points us to also embracing negative emotions. It is healthiest to listen to your body and embrace the range of emotions that arise, rather than to force oneself to be happier. One should seek support to address challenging emotions and engage in happiness activities when they feel ready! 

Appendix

Beata Souders, MSc. (2025, December 16). 100+ Happiness Activities for Students, Groups and Adults. PositivePsychology.com.

Happiness definition: What is happiness. Greater Good Science Center. (n.d.).

Nicole Celestine, Ph. D. (2025, December 16). The Science of Happiness in Positive Psychology 101.