book by Martin Seligman, also one branch of the Positive Psychology movement

http://www.authentichappiness.com/

lots of questionnaires http://www.authentichappiness.org/Questionnaires.html

[Values In Action] (VirTue?) [Inventory Of Strengths] instrument

The 24 [Character Strength]-s (groups 24 specific strengths under six broad VirTue-s) are :

• WisDom and Know Ledge--Creativ Ity, Curios Ity, [Open Minded]-ness, [Love Of Learning] and [Perspect Ive].

• CourAge--[BravEry], [Persist Ence], [Integr Ity] and [Vital Ity].

• [Human Ity]--Love, [Kind Ness] and [Social Intelligence].

• [JustIce]--[Citizen Ship], [Fair Ness] and Leader Ship.

• [Temper Ance]--[Forgive Ness], [Humil Ity], [Prud Ence] and [Self Regulation].

• [Transcend Ence]--Appreciation of beauty and excellence, [Grati Tude], hope, [HumOr] and [Spiritual Ity].

• (Ben Franklin tracked his progress on 13 VirTue-s in his [Auto Biography].

Seligman maps 3 levels of happiness in life:

• the [Pleasant Life]: is a life of smiles, ebullience, and good cheer. It consists in getting as many of the felt pleasures as possible and using three sets of skills to amplify them: savoring, mindfulness, and variation. Such "positive affectivity" is highly constrained genetically. It is roughly 50 percent heritable, with identical twins much more similar for it than fraternal twins.

• the [Good Life]: is a life filled with absorption, immersion, and flow... Having the [Good Life] consists in my view of two steps. The first is simple, the second is difficult. First you need to know what your [Signature Strengths] are. Do you "own" social intelligence, or kindness, or fairness, or spirituality, or love of beauty, or integrity? Next, and this is the hard part, you need to recraft your work, your love, your friendships, your leisure, and your parenting to use these signature strengths more frequently than you do now. This produces more flow in the activities of daily life.

• the Meaningful Life: knowing what your [Signature Strengths] are and using them in the service of something much larger than you are.

In Authentic Happiness he says (inspired by Robert Wright's NonZero):

• A process that continually selects for more complexity is ultimately aimed at nothing less than omniscience, omnipotence, and goodness.

• The best we can do as individuals is to choose to be a small part of furthering this progress (Evolut Ion). This is the door through which meaning (Meaning Of Life) that transcends us can enter our lives.

• 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.

But Guy Kawasaki says Pursue joy, not happiness.

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