Summary:
I watched the movie happy, it’s a documentary about how people find their happiness in different
ways. We are born with a genetic makeup that determines our baseline happiness. Our genes
determine 50% of our happiness, 10% is based on your circumstances but the other 40% is
determined by stuff you choose to do. Income and status do not predict how happy someone
will be, Americans have doubled their income in the past 50 years yet the level of happiness
remains the same. The movie says that there are many ways that you can increase happiness
on a day to day basis. Having deep connections with friends and family is a huge part of making
yourself more happy. We are social creatures who need social interaction to feel fulfilled.
Another thing that the movie mentioned is the flow state. People who do complex and difficult
physical tasks are happier because they reach a flow state where they forget about their daily
chores. Nothing else really matters in that moment and all worries are gone. The more often you
find yourself in the flow state the happier you will be. The movie also talks about intrinsic and
extrinsic goals, intrinsic goals are goals that motivate you from within and would be self-growth,
relationships and community feeling. Extrinsic goals are goals that motivate you from the
outside such as money and status. Extrinsic goals are not as fulfilling as intrinsic goals because
you need to be satisfied on the inside and not look for satisfaction from outside sources.
Self-growth is trying to grow at some skill and become the best version of yourself.
Relationships refer to building relationships with friends, family and loved ones. Community
feeling is wanting the best for your community and trying to help make your community a better
place. Intrinsic and extrinsic goals go against each other in the sense that intrinsic is happiness
from within, whereas extrinsic is looking for happiness from material objects and external
sources. Happy mentions a specific form of meditation for compassion that significantly
improved people's level of happiness. This meditation is just as powerful if not better than
antidepressants because it is training the areas of the brain essential to well being. Physical
exercise was also talked about as a way to increase dopamine in our brains. Dopamine is the
neurotransmitter responsible for feeling happy and pleasurable. Physical activity is the best way
to release dopamine in the brain especially when you vary your routine and try new things. As
we get older we slowly begin to lose the receptors that dopamine so to minimize this you need
to consistently use them or you lose them. This means that physical exercise is not only good
for the body but also for the mind. All in all we should view happiness as a skill that we can get
better at such as skating or piano. People all have different ingredients that make them happy
but we are all trying to make the same cake.
Global:
A current global event that I can relate to this media is the war happening in ukraine, the people
of ukraine are in a terrible situation right now that is making it virtually impossible for anyone to
be happy. Families are getting torn apart and people are losing everything that they have. The
country as a whole has gone down 9 positions on the World Happiness Report. Even with all the
madness going on Ukrainians are staying optimistic. One specific example of this is 3
Ukrainians are providing the people with medical equipment, transportation and food. “Now,
she is working to supply people in Kharkiv with free medicine and medical
assistance as well as food and transportation”. This example is from an article titled
“These 3 courageous Ukrainians are helping their people to stay alive and sane”. This can be
tied back to the intrinsic motivator of community feeling, these Ukrainians want the best for their
people and are trying to make their community a better place. While the circumstances are
terrible these 3 are trying to make the best out of it so that everyone can be happy.
Community:
A local event that relates to Happy is the color craze 5k. This run is not a competitive run and is
meant for you, your family and members of the community to get along and have fun. This run
features stops where you get dusted by colored chalk. At the end of the run there are lots of
picnic tables and free food/drinks for everyone. The reason that this relates to the show “Happy”
is because it is a run meant for you to build relationships with your community and friends while
also promoting exercise. In the documentary they mention physical exercise as on of the best
ways to increase dopamine and have a greater sense of happiness. “Happy” also mentions
needing deep relationships with those close to you in order to be happy. This is exactly what the
color run is doing, getting people active while allowing everyone to socialize.
Social:
To apply this movie to myself I can start by trying to have even greater relationships with my
family and friends. I can also start changing the ways in which I exercise. This could include
trying a new trick while skating or going on a bike ride once and a while instead of always riding
my skateboard. Another way I can apply this movie to my everyday life is by starting to meditate.
Meditation is a great way to connect with yourself and find a deeper meaning to life.
Psychology:
This movie relates to the motivation unit we had. I saw tons of examples of extrinsic/intrinsic
motivation as well as some examples of self esteem. In the movie they talk about how exercise
can improve your mood. If you are consistently exercising you will eventually reach a state
where you are comfortable with your body. This would boost your base level of self esteem
along with improving your overall mood. The more confident you are with yourself the more
likely you are to try new activities and switch up what you do while working out, this was
mentioned in the movie as another way to raise your happiness. I was also able to pick out
some parts related to Maslow's hierarchy of needs. The movie said once you have your base
needs met such as food, water and income satisfied there is not much else needed. The movie
mentioned how the level of happiness between someone making 50,000 a year compared to
someone making 500,000 was minimal. This is related to the first tier of Maslow's hierarchy of
needs which was safety. Once you are able to have your safety needs satisfied you can move
on to having better relationships, exercising and contributing to the community.