For A State of Happiness

10/10/2020

Flow - or 'optimal experience' is one of the first topics I came across in my discovery of happiness. We talk all about in the next episode of our vlog series "Happiness, A User Guide" on Engagement. Take a look :-)

Vlog:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYUFn2oGMr0

Post:
http://www.forastateofhappiness.com/vlog-4-engagement-flow/

Welcome to the fourth episode of "Happiness, a user guide". Today, we're talking about engagement. In what activities do you experience flow? How can social ...

01/09/2020

My morning routine usually involves coffee, the cat, and our balcony - but my read of the month inspired me to make it a morning miracle. What do you do in the morning to start the day with focus? http://www.forastateofhappiness.com/read-of-the-month-the-miracle-morning/

05/07/2020

What does happiness look like? Stock photos and Google images tagged with 'happiness' have a common pattern. But I have my own answer.
http://www.forastateofhappiness.com/the-look-of-happiness/

22/06/2020

Through my happiness read of the month, I make a trip around the world discovering ideas about happiness from Japan, Sweden and Syria, thanks to Helen Russell's Atlas of Happiness. Join me & read more about wabi-sabi, smultronstalle and tarab: http://forastateofhappiness.com/read-of-the-month-a-trip-around-the-world-through-the-atlas-of-happiness/

2020 is not a year to travel wide and far around the world. Instead, I took a trip through my last happiness read of the month. ‘Atlas of Happiness’ by Helen Russell discusses ideas about happiness from 30 countries. Although I consider myself somewhat of a connaisseur of happiness around the wo...

04/05/2020

To be successful in The Art of Being Unhappy, I learned from reading a book with that title, we need to pursue meaning - not happiness.

31/03/2020

Happy memories are beautiful to share and read. The Art of Making Memories, by Meik Wiking, tells us how we can create and notice them.

In case you've happy memories you'd like to share, please do so through the survey in the post.

16/02/2020

Curious about your personal strengths? And interested to read about the foundations of positive psychology? Read 'Flourish' by Martin Seligman
http://www.forastateofhappiness.com/happiness-read-of-the-month-flourish-by-prof-seligman/

I usually have New Year resolutions. Sometimes only one for the year, sometimes a bit too many. This year I have about five, and if there’s one that I really aspire to make, it is this one: I would like to read a book about happiness every month.

12/01/2020

12/01/2020

Dutch King Willem Alexander warned against an obsession with happiness in his Christmas speech. Go beyond a happy New Year: I wish you a flourishing New Year!

It puts the finger on an important issue around happiness: happiness is worthwhile to pursue, but only in moderation. It should not become an obsession, indeed. Happiness gurus and positive thinkers may emphasise optimism so much, that they forget that bad things are a natural part of life. Sometime...

18/11/2019

Hi there! It's time to vlog & roll :-)

Take a look at our very first vlog - Happiness, a user Guide - where we explain why we believe it's important to understand what makes you happy. We also go into the science of happiness & introduce an exercise you can do to pay attention to the positive emotions you experience.

Take a look -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4szNohuXltA
http://www.forastateofhappiness.com/were-vlogging-check-happiness-a-user-guide/

The first vlog of Happiness, a user Guide! Here, we introduce ourselves and explain why we think it is so important to understand what happiness and wellbein...

27/02/2019

Come join us if you can: Anna Koziarska-Bergink and Jasper Bergink will give a workshop on "Happiness, A User's Guide" at Google Campus Warsaw on 8 March 2019.

Together with my better half, I will give a workshop on “Happiness, A User’s Guide”. The workshop takes place 8 March 2019 at 9.30 at Google Campus (Plac Konesera 10 in Warsaw). Afterwards, there will also be a workshop (in Polish) on love in business.

22/01/2019

Blue Monday is fake news, but it's still fun to celebrate. Proudly presenting the For A State of Happiness Blue Monday Quiz 2019!

15/01/2019

This is to a year of celebrating friends' (happy) birthdays!

One of my new years' resolutions this year is to remember my friends birthdays. A good old birthday calendar will support me in this mission :-)

01/12/2018

Want to do good & spread kindness in December? Check out the daily tips from Action for Happiness.

-> blog post: http://www.forastateofhappiness.com/daily-tips-to-do-good-in-december/

12/11/2018

A few days in Varanasi, India reminded that travel is art & happiness.
http://www.forastateofhappiness.com/the-art-and-happiness-of-travel/

12/10/2018

Now the weather is great, but autumn might strike in a few weeks. Even then, you won't be happier in a warmer country.

Really? Yes, really. Read more on the reason why here:
http://www.forastateofhappiness.com/why-the-weather-doesnt-make-you-happy/

30/09/2018

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me :-)

Today is the fifth anniversary of my discovery of happiness at For A State of Happiness!
http://www.forastateofhappiness.com/five-years-on-the-road/

On 30 September 2013, I quietly set my first step outside my door, into the wide world of blogging about happiness. As I then wrote, the blog is a travel journal, recording impressions and findings about what makes people, countries, and workplaces happier.

11/09/2018

We have to talk about su***de.

800,000 people take their own life each year, and 25 times more do an attempt.

Asking help and providing support can prevent su***de.

[If you have suicidal thoughts, please reach out to a su***de crisis hotline. Link via the bottom of the post]

800,000 people. That’s the number of people who die through su***de each year. And 25 times more, 20,000,000 people, make an attempt to end their life. To put the number in perspective: it is as if all of Amsterdam disappeared, or as if all of Mexico City made an attempt in a year.

21/05/2018

Wellbeing is more than wealth. A new indicator from the Netherlands shows we need more than economic data to shape happiness now and in the future.

http://www.forastateofhappiness.com/netherlands-wellbeing-is-more-than-wealth-new-indicator-shows/

01/05/2018

Today’s Labour Day. What do good jobs and happy companies look like?
http://www.forastateofhappiness.com/todays-labour-day-what-do-good-jobs-and-happy-companies-look-like/

10/04/2018

Do you have an ikigai, a reason to get up in the morning?

According to the book Ikigai, having an ikigai is a defining factor in why people in some parts of Japan live 90, 100, and beyond.

http://www.forastateofhappiness.com/ikigai-the-happiness-of-always-being-busy-in-japan/

The proverb comes from Japan, the origin of the concept of ‘Ikigai‘. Ikigai is now the subject of a new book, and writers Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles claim the idea has a great promise. They say ikigai – meaning ‘purpose’ or ‘raison d’etre’ – is the Japanese secret to a lon...

27/03/2018

What does happiness look like in Turkey?

I went there to find out, and brought friends from Norway and Germany to tell me about their countries, too.

More on my 20 minutes of fame:
http://www.forastateofhappiness.com/a-practical-study-of-happiness-in-turkey/

That’s the main question I dived in during a few days in Istanbul two weeks ago, as I spoke at a conference on Determining the Happiness Map.

20/03/2018

Happy International Day of Happiness to all!

Find out how Finland, the happiest country in the World Happiness Report for 2018, gets many things right in the pursuit of happiness.

Or check to find inspiration to make small moments of happiness happen.
http://www.forastateofhappiness.com/on-this-international-day-of-happiness-learn-how-finns-pay-attention-to-the-right-things/

06/03/2018

Geluk, mutluluk, felicidad: the word for happiness is different across languages, but they often share common origins.

Ahead of a conference I'll speak at in Istanbul this Friday, I wanted to share the beautifully designed poster, and ask one question: where do our words for happiness come from?

http://www.forastateofhappiness.com/determining-the-worlds-happiness-map-from-mutluluk-to-shiawase/

20/02/2018

This robot, Bruno, bakes your pizza. In a few years, self-driving cars will deliver your pizza home - no humans needed anymore. White collar jobs aren't safe, either.

When the robots take over, what purpose do we have left?

http://www.forastateofhappiness.com/the-robots-are-coming-what-purpose-do-we-have-left/

07/02/2018

Poland, my adopted home, isn't known as a merry country. Still, I set out to interview a writer about the Polish way of happiness. Her take? Poles find happiness in unhappiness, because 'jakoś to będzie': "somehow, we will manage".

http://www.forastateofhappiness.com/finding-happiness-in-unhappiness-somehow-it-will-be-in-poland/

Poland, my adopted home since four months, is a county of many associations, albeit often based on cliches. Your associations may be negative: you could think of the troubled history and ongoing struggle to find its place in Europe. They might be positive: a dynamic economy of hard working people va...

24/01/2018

Life can be a rat race, in this dark portrayal of the pursuit of happiness by Steve Cutts.

Could we escape it?

http://www.forastateofhappiness.com/a-dark-portrayal-of-the-rat-race-life-can-be/

He paints a dark picture of the human pursuit of happiness. Far from finding real happiness, all our pursuits are temporary and doomed to fail. Whether it is consumer electronics, a brand new car, alcohol or drugs, nothing leads to lasting happiness. We always need stronger and stronger doses, or to...

09/01/2018

"Have You Jumped Out The Rat Race Yet?"

That's one of the headlines in the 2018 edition of the 50-years newspaper, showcasing great progress in happiness since 1968.

http://www.forastateofhappiness.com/what-would-a-once-per-50-years-newspaper-say-on-happiness/

Some of us have quit reading the news, as the endless updates about conflicts, natural disasters, political in-fighting, and abuse scandals make us depressed. (Sports news could balance it down a bit though, depending whether your team wins or loses).

02/01/2018

"Fitter, happier, more productive", sang Radiohead. But to more successful with your New Year resolution, go beyond platitudes. Start building new habits. http://www.forastateofhappiness.com/fitter-happier/

If you are like me, you’ve tried to start 2014 fitter and happier, like in the Radiohead song. Through New Year resolutions, we motivate ourselves to reinvent ourselves or to create a new and improved version.

20/12/2017

It's December time, a good moment to think ahead and set your goal for 2018. Whether you want to climb Mount Everest or achieve something more modest, come look for inspiration here --->
http://www.forastateofhappiness.com/set-your-big-goal-for-2018-and-beyond/

17/12/2017

What is the happiest stage of our life?

At least, that’s how the online joke has it. Laughs aside, it also triggers an interesting question: is there a happiest age during our lives?

02/12/2017

How's life in 2017? Pretty good, shows data from the OECD. But social divisions drag happiness down. And more equal societies, like Denmark, tend to be happier. Read more:
http://www.forastateofhappiness.com/hows-life-in-2017-social-divisions-result-in-lower-happiness-finds-oecd/

22/11/2017

How would it be to receive €560 from the government, no questions asked? Finland is trying out basic income, and Juha Järvinen uses his freedom to... produce drums!
http://www.forastateofhappiness.com/basic-income-revisited-the-finns-are-coming/

In Finland, two thousand unemployed people are part of an experiment that could shape the future of the West. For the next two years, the government will giv...

16/11/2017

Tutti a casa! Italian papers claimed apocalypse as the Azzuri miss the 2018 World Cup2018. Science predicts higher strokes and stress levels in Italy, but the stories that there is a higher su***de rate after loss of a football match is a myth.
Take a look back at a 2014 article on football & happiness: http://www.forastateofhappiness.com/football-happiness-the-feelgood-factor-of-van-persie/