Happiness is something we all strive in life. However, what constitutes happiness varies greatly person to person. A new study the state of being happy shows that our contentment depends the interaction of a wide variety factors. Emorie Beck, assistant professor 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 people struggling depression and anxiety. Professor Beck wrote: "We have to understand the sources happiness to build effective interventions." Her study has been published the journal "Nature Human Behaviour".
Professor Beck suggested that happiness can come external circumstances ( income, job satisfaction, and possessions) or internal feelings. Beck wrote three models happiness. The first is the "bottom-up" frame mind. This is based our overall satisfaction factors like wealth, jobs and relationships. This framework is the one used the World Happiness Report. The second model is a "top-down" perspective. This suggests happiness comes internal attitudes towards life. People can control this through things meditation or therapy. The final model is a bidirectional one. This is where the bottom-up and top-down models interact to create happiness.
