Authetic Happiness: Post #2

More Authentic Happiness Findings
--Pleasure vs. Gratification: Pleasure is fleeting and we can get it from the senses (chocolate, sex, drugs)…it’s a quick fix. Gratification (the use of our strengths to meet a challenge) lasts longer and makes us happy and far more positive.
--Resilience: Within a few months of being fired, promoted, divorced or injured, we recover from the impact they have had on us. In fact, we all have a happiness set point that we revert to whether winning the lottery or getting dumped in a romantic relationship!
--Optimists vs. Pessimists: Optimism concerning the future consists of things like faith, trust and hope. I particularly like the following definitions/distinctions between optimists and pessimists. “Optimistic people tend to interpret their troubles as transient, controllable and specific to one situation. Pessimistic people, in contrast, believe that their troubles last forever, undermine everything they do, and are uncontrollable (p. 12).”