Happy - the Documentary

Happy
The documentary “Happy”, takes the viewers on a journey ranging from the swamps of Louisiana to the slums of Kolkata, exploring what really makes people happy.   It examines the human characteristics of happiness, what it really is, how one achieves it and how it relates to our lives in total. “Happy” shows the real life stories of people around the world and conducts interviews with leading scientists in happiness research to better understand all the factors and aspects of happiness.  
This documentary relates to psychology and more specifically, it would fall under that category of positive psychology. Positive psychology is defined as a branch of psychology that uses scientific understanding and effective intervention to aid in the achievement of a satisfactory life. Throughout this documentary, achieving a happy and satisfactory life is the main focus. During the course of “Happy” a number of leading psychologists explore the secrets behind this emotion.
Happiness does not stem from your financial success or the pricey belongings you have, this was proved through “Happy”. The first person the audience is introduced to is a poor, rickshaw operator in India, but he was happy. Although his house would not seem like anything special to many people in North America but it was sufficient for him and his family and he was happy about that. He also shared that he is happy because when he returns how from work, he is greeted by his children. He appreciates everything in life and is able to find true happiness in his life rather than someone with a big house and an expensive car, who is just tricking themselves into believing in an artificial, short-term feeling of happiness.

From this documentary, I have come to further understand the true causes behind happiness and that trusting life, and going with the flow, will always ensure happiness. I learned that only 10% of your happiness comes from your circumstances such as your social class and your age....