Happiness is something we all strive for in life. However, what constitutes happiness varies greatly from person to person. A new study into the state of being happy shows that our contentment depends on the interaction of a wide variety of factors. Emorie Beck, assistant professor of psychology at the University of California, led an investigation into what makes us happy. Understanding this could help mental health professionals to provide better treatments for people struggling with depression and anxiety. Professor Beck wrote: "We have to understand the sources of happiness to build effective interventions." Her study has been published in the journal "Nature Human Behaviour".

Professor Beck suggested that happiness can come from external circumstances (like income, job satisfaction, and possessions) or internal feelings. Beck wrote about three models of happiness. The first is the "bottom-up" frame of mind. This is based on our overall satisfaction with factors like wealth, jobs and relationships. This framework is the one used for the World Happiness Report. The second model is a "top-down" perspective. This suggests happiness comes from internal attitudes towards life. People can control this through things like meditation or therapy. The final model is a bidirectional one. This is where the bottom-up and top-down models interact to create happiness.