People have been searching for the key to
happiness for as long as humanity has existed.
Many theories for achieving this blissful state exist,
with scientists academics, and psychologists all working to
crack the riddle. Whether joy can be found
through the study of brain chemistry, a communication
game, a blog post, or a self-help book,
this list, in no particular order, highlights resources
to set audiences on a positive path.
At # 1 we have Maura Sweeney. Also
known as Maura 4 U, she's the self-titled
Ambassador of Happiness. Sweeney runs a website featuring
videos podcasts books blogs, a self-leadership course, and
keynote lectures, all created in the name of
helping people exist authentically and contentedly.
Formerly a corporate manager, business owner, and homeschooling
mom, Sweeney launched her vocational career at midlife
with the goal of positively impacting culture. A
Florida resident who has traveled to more than
50 countries, she combines a lifetime of personal
and business experience to inspire others to improve
their outlooks.
According to Halonen, it's not success that fuels
happiness, but rather happiness that fuels success, in
every area of one's life. Halonen claims that
being a happier person leads to more confidence
creativity productivity, and meaningful relationships, both with others
and with oneself. On the Happyologist website, interested
individuals may sign up to receive inspirational letters
in their email inboxes.
The Happyologist, is # 2 on the list.
Through blog posts books, online courses, and keynote
speaking, Susanna Halonen, the titular Happyologist, is dedicated
to making the world a more positive place,
one person at a time. Halonen is the
author of both Happiness is Here and Screw
Finding Your Passion She is a published researcher,
a TEDx speaker, an online columnist, and a
regular commentator in the media, appearing in outlets
including BBC and The Huffington Post.
Next up at # 3 is Happy Brain
Science As part of its mission to help
organizations build happier, more engaged teams with a
fun, science-based approach, it developed a team-building card
game called Choose Happiness At Work, which is
meant to help coworkers communicate better. The company
strives to empower organizations and individuals to boost
happiness at work, and to increase engagement productivity,
and creativity.
The founder, Scott Crabtree, draws on a background
of neuroscience, organizational development, and human psychology. In
addition to offering their card game, Crabtree and
his team coach individuals and organizations to apply
scientific findings toward better workplace relationships and less
stress.
The Enchanted Self comes in at # 4
The site's originator, Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein, has
developed a positive psychology method for increasing happiness
optimism, and resiliency. She has been a psychologist
in private practice licensed in the states of
New Jersey and Massachusetts since 19 81 As
of 2020, Holstein is based in Long Branch,
New Jersey with her husband.
Dr. Holstein describes herself as a positive psychologist
and author who is determined to help girls
tweens teens, and women find happiness and self-fulfillment
in all aspects of their lives. Her written
works include the fictional diaries of a young
girl as she comes of age. Dr. Holstein
has helped translate these stories into movies, including
The Truth, a Short Film and Falling in
Love, A Coming of Age Selfie Film
Rounding out the list at # 5 the
Inner Mammal Institute helps people build their power
over their mammalian brain chemistry, by providing an
understanding of the chemicals we've inherited from earlier
mammals, such as serotonin and oxytocin. Founder and
author Loretta Graziano Breuning believes that to understand
how a human's brain can be triggered to
produce good feelings, a student need only look
to the social behaviors of wild animals.
Breuning is a teacher and former docent of
the Oakland Zoo, as well as a former
volunteer with the United Nations in Africa. It
was in her travels that she was able
to study primal conflict, and began developing her
theories. The Inner Mammal Method is based on
these observations, including the insight that mammals' brains
originally evolved to promote survival, not to make
them happy, which is why happiness is an
active pursuit. In addition to offering online resources
like videos and infographics, Breuning has written books,
and produces a podcast called The Happy Brain.