Are you looking for happiness? Perhaps it's under the couch again. Or maybe you left it in the car? It's not where you think it is. The thing about happiness is, you need to know what it is, what it's not, where it comes from, and where to look...or you won't find it!  But don't worry, it's not out of reach. 

Seeing as our ultimate goal in life is to live a happy, healthy one, we thought we should talk about happiness!  Kelsea and Rachael tackle questions like: Think you can gauge someone else's happiness? What if you feel happy then sad five minutes later? Does that mean you are not a “happy person”? Do you feel it's harder for you to be happy than it is for other people? Does fitness make you happier?

Listen to today's episode and learn how to define it, measure it and increase it! Want to know how to differentiate between pleasure, satisfaction and happiness, and hear what the top science researchers have to say about genetics and how much of your happiness is predetermined? We think you'll be surprised.

(0:00:00) Introduction

(0:02:20) Ways to increase your happiness

(0:05:10) How to measure happiness and how personality affects happiness

(0:10:37) The genetic component of happiness

(0:18:22) How happiness is often seen as a destination, when really it is a direction in life.

(0:24:00) The misconception that happiness means eliminating negative emotions like anger or sadness, which is unrealistic and dangerous.

(0:25:42) The misconception that happiness is comfort

(0:30:38) The personality questionnaire PANAS which categorizes people into types like "cheerleader" or "poet" based on positive or negative affect.

(0:41:45) The importance of knowing yourself

(0:43:35) The dangers of equating dopamine hits and pleasurable experiences to happiness and the importance of balance

(0:46:00) The surprising reality that happiness has much less to do with external circumstances than you’d think, but more to do with genetics

(0:49:33) The micronutrients of happiness in three categories: enjoyment, satisfaction, and meaning.

(0:50:45) The role of relationship building in creating lasting happiness

(0:56:24) How to get to satisfaction

(1:01:16) Whether today’s society has lost sight of meaning or purpose

(01:07:38) Actionable steps to start looking for your purpose and happiness

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