Authentic Happiness

Martin Seligman, in his book, Authentic Happiness, writes about the factors that help people stay mostly positive, despite negative circumstances, and come to define their lives as “happy.” One explanation he offers is: “The good life consists in deriving happiness by using your signature strengths every day in the main realms of living. The meaningful life adds one more component: using these same strengths to forward knowledge, power or goodness. A life that does that is pregnant with meaning.”

And in her book, Really Seeing Children, Deb Curtis offers an idea of how we might learn from children to become more authentically happy. She writes: “It’s no wonder children laugh so often – they have been in the world such a short time and to them almost everything is unexpected, unusual and unconventional. Adults can learn to laugh with children if we slow down and marvel with them at the wondrous world they see. Humor reflects children’s growing understanding of the world around them. Yet, what I notice more is the social nature of humor. Laughing brings more laughing and often children will laugh with eager anticipation of others joining in. I believe that beyond the learning reflected in humor there is a deep sense of satisfaction that comes from sharing these moments with each other.”

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