Keyword: happiness

10 Things Science Taught Us About Happiness in 2012

Picture: aliciamhuntmsw.com Jeremy Adam Smith - Last year’s most surprising, provocative, and inspiring findings on the science of living a meaningful life. The science we cover here on Greater Good—aka, “the science of a meaningful life” — has exploded over the past 10 years, with many more studies published each year on gratitude, mindfulness, and our other core themes than we saw a decade ago. 2012 was no exception. In fact, in the year just past, new findings added nuance, depth, and even some...

Will the Pursuit of Happiness Make You Happy?

Video Does the pursuit of happiness actually lead to happiness? Stanford business professor Jennifer Aaker reveals surprising data from two studies that may suggest otherwise.  Aaker focuses on questions such as: What actually makes people happy, as opposed to what they think makes them happy? How can small acts create infectious action, and how can such effects be fueled by social media? Based on data obtained from studying social media blogs, she argues that the pursuit of happiness itself...