other words for joyful/joyous cheerful. cheery. delighted. ecstatic. effervescent.

happiness

• beatitude,
• blessedness,
• bliss,
• blissfulness,
• felicity,
• gladness,
• joy,
• warm fuzzies.

Delight is defined as a feeling of great happiness or it is something that causes happiness or joy. Marked by great joy or jubilation; triumphant.

The hedonic treadmill theory explains the often-held observation that rich people are no happier than poor people, and that those with severe money problems are sometimes quite happy. The theory supports the argument that money does not buy happiness and that the pursuit of money as a way to reach this goal is futile.

1 : of, relating to, or characterized by pleasure. 2 : of, relating to, or characterized by hedonism.

This indeed has been the dominant model of subjective well-being: People adapt to major life events, both positive and negative, and our happiness pretty much stays constant through our lives, even if it is occasionally perturbed.

He calls his solution the 4 C’s of Happiness: Connect, Contribute, Cope, and Cook.

So just how long can happiness last? The truth is that happiness is finite. It’s impossible to be happy now and remain happy for the rest of your lives. This obviously differs from person to person, but the fundamental answer remains the same: eternal happiness does not exist.

Happiness is only partially determined by your genes, and the rest comes down to environment. The hallmarks of happiness are feeling satisfied, enjoying daily activities, and feeling purposeful. To increase your happiness, try volunteering, exercising, and getting out in nature.

The short answer is, yes we can. One way we create, or synthesize, our own happiness is through our view on life’s events, more than on the events themselves: the same thing can happen to two people and they can feel very differently about it.

We control about half of our happiness level. Although the exact level will vary from individual to individual, it appears that up to 50 percent of our happiness levels are predetermined by genetics or environment. That means that on average, we each can influence some 40 to 50 percent of our own happiness.

Some people are born happy, scientists say. Researchers have identified a “happiness gene” that makes people more likely to feel satisfied with their lives. Their sunny dispostion is an accident of birth, at least in part. The finding is the first to demonstrate a link between the gene, called 5-HTT, and satisfaction.

The key to personality traits does not lie in how you were treated by your parents, but rather in what you inherited biologically from them: namely, the genes in your DNA. He finds that genetic heritability accounts for 50% of the psychological differences between us, from personality to mental abilities.

Yes! Many happy people realize happiness is a choice and it’s up to them to intentionally choose it every single day. Happy people are not held hostage by their circumstances and they do not seek happiness in people or possessions. Fully experiencing it still requires a conscious decision to choose happiness each day.

Nature and evolution Humans are not designed to be happy, or even content. Instead, we are designed primarily to survive and reproduce, like every other creature in the natural world. A state of contentment is discouraged by nature because it would lower our guard against possible threats to our survival.

H edonic adaptation is the tendency for humans to quickly adapt to major positive or negative life events or changes and return to their base level of happiness. As a person achieves more success, expectations and desires rise in tandem. The result is never feeling satisfied — achieving no permanent gain in happiness.

To lead a satisfying life, take some time to reflect on the things below.

1. Focus on the positive.
2. Find your stress relief.
3. Don’t be afraid to take time for yourself.
4. Take responsibility for your actions.
5. Be more understanding.
6. Re-evaluate your relationships.
7. Live your best life.

Although many humans choose to eat both plants and meat, earning us the dubious title of “omnivore,” we’re anatomically herbivorous. The good news is that if you want to eat like our ancestors, you still can: Nuts, vegetables, fruit, and legumes are the basis of a healthy vegan lifestyle.

As a new study in Nature makes clear, not only did processing and eating meat come naturally to humans, it’s entirely possible that without an early diet that included generous amounts of animal protein, we wouldn’t even have become human—at least not the modern, verbal, intelligent humans we are.

Sample menu. Eating one meal a day is unlikely to give you the calories and nutrients your body needs to thrive unless carefully planned. Choosing to eat within a longer time period may help you increase your nutrient intake. If you do choose to try out eating one meal a day, you probably shouldn’t do it 7 days a week.