[L]ottery winners and paraplegics revert to their usual level of good cheer or grumpiness within a year following the event that changed their lives.
NewMexiKen wasn’t certain what to make of the happiness article (in the blog entry below) and the findings it reported, though I was favorably impressed and found it all intriguing. So I did a little research. The quotations above and below are from Professor Seligman’s website, Reflective Happiness:
The scientific fundamentals most Americans equate “happiness” with are cheery emotion, a Goldie Hawn smile, and boundless optimism. Aristotle and Thomas Jefferson do not share our definition of happiness, and many thoughtful people throughout the world view our have-a-nice-day mentality as empty-headed and heedless. Positive Psychology is intended as a serious and universal approach to understanding and building emotional well being, and it is decidedly not focused on shallow, self-indulgent pleasures.