Happiness Is A Choice

Psychologytoday.com presents an article on how to reset your "Happiness set point" They propose that there is a set point at which your happiness will always return. As psychology today explains it,

"The set-point theory of happiness suggests that our level of subjective well-being is determined primarily by heredity and by personality traits ingrained in us early in life and as a result remains relatively constant throughout our lives. Our level of happiness may change transiently in response to life events, but then almost always returns to its baseline level as we habituate to those events and their consequences over time."
Our life circumstances do effect us and our happiness as well as our happiness set point. 

"On the other hand, other research suggests a few events—chief among them the unexpected death of a child and repeated bouts of unemployment—seem to reduce our ability to be happy permanently. Yet some studies also suggest that we can also fix our happiness set point permanently higher—by helping others." I would like to particularly bring notice to the phrase "We can fix our happiness set point permanently higher, by helping others. We all know that helping others makes us happier in the moment, but this suggests that it also helps in the long run. 

          Psychology today has researched a number of studies to prove this. They also go into greater detail as to why this sets our happiness point higher. (link below) 

         I strongly believe that we can set out happiness point higher, and that it is our choice to do so. I love the idea that we can raise and lower our "set point" but that it is still there. We decide our own happiness, and we determine our destiny, and how it and other things affects us. 

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/happiness-in-world/201304/how-reset-your-happiness-set-point

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/09/scientific-proof-that-you_n_4384433.html