May 2017 Leaflet

The Leaflet 4. 27.17 | Vol. 3 Issue 9

be

Happier in 2017

happiness issue SHS is in and of itself a metaphor for the world. We all have different opinions, different religions, and we all come from different backgrounds.

However, there is one thing that connects us all, happiness.

Everyone, as they go through their life want it, whether that is with their career or their future family.

They strive to do things and meet people who will help them to reach this goal, and in doing so they send themselves on a

journey which allows them to embrace new perspectives and cultures.

Just like we are diverse in our ethnicities, we are all diverse in how we experience happiness.

This Leaflet we will delve into what is happiness, how it has changed, if money truly does or does not buy happiness, and where and what people do to be happy.

So join us as we embark on this exciting journey to discover what happiness truly means.

Taylor Close & Sydney Evans

staff members Jenna Bao Eshika Kohli Natalie Brinkman Adhiti Chundur Taylor Close Sydney Evans Sydney Weiss Harsimran Makkad Emily Chien Eshika Kohli Sydney Weiss

Anne Marsh Yasmine Guedira Allyson Bonhaus Alexander Karev Samuel Ruskin Meghan DiGiovanna Abigail Bastin Mark Huffer Jessica Lu Lydia Masset Jason Merkel Jacob Wittenbaum

Leaflet Editors-in-Chief Taylor Close Sydney Evans Print Co-Editors Natalie Brinkman, Adhiti Chundur Web Master Harsimran Makkad

Lexi Fritzhand Jacqueline Grega Abigail Lefton Sara Margolis Yvanna Reyes Maddie Saunders Jessica Schaad Madie Shewbridge David Sung Kirsten Thomas Edward Wade

Web Editor-in-Chief Harsimran Makkad Associate Editors Jenna Bao Social Media Director Sydney Weiss Creative Projects Director Jenna Bao Taylor Close

This issue p2: through the ages p6: Happiest Countries p8: Happiness Statistics p12:Happiest Places p14: Money and Happiness p18: Students and Happiness p20: Leaf Staff and Happiness p22: SHS staff and Happiness The Leaflet, the official digital newsmagazine of Sycamore High School, serves as an educational tool in the training of student journalists. We provide information and editorial leadership concerning school, national and world issues. We also provide a public forum for the exchange of ideas and viewpoints and give coverage to newsworthy events directly related to our diverse school population. These viewpoints are purely from the staff of The Leaflet, and not the administration.

Sycamore High School 7400 Cornell Road Cincinnati, OH 45242

1

How do we define

Happiness?

In a study of 30 nations...

“Luck” and or of the nations “fortune” was definitions of partially or fully happiness present in These nations included Germany, France, Poland, and Russia.

American Happiness Through the Ages

24

1920 was a turn of “happy pers a person’s chro the use of “hap nation’s fortuna

CONCLUSION

The U.S., Spain, Argentina, Ecuador, India, and Kenya were the only nations where “luck” and “fortune” we absent from the countries definition of

The further a nation is from the equator, the more likely to have “luck” or “fortune” in their definition of happiness.

This could be due to the fact that nations further from the equator are associated with harsher climates.

The content an show that earlie terms happy an of the nation a

2

Source: http://www-bcf.usc.edu

In his The Symposium, Socrates argues that happiness is related to education. He began to argue that for adults to be happy they must have learned to appreciate the beauty of nature and the individual when they were younger.

1st Century AD

The classic Liji, an ancient Chinese text related happiness to the word “fu”. “Fu” is understood to mean “fortunate, lucky, smooth and free of obstacles.”

1st Century BC

Happiness Thro In ancient Greece, happiness was controlled by the luck of the Gods. The poet Hesiod in Concepts of Happiness 5 the Work and Days first used the word “eudaimonia”, which translated to English means happiness. Hesiod stated “Happy and lucky the man” (eudaimon te kai olbios).

The religiou lead by Mar and John Ca advocating pursuance o material an things in or happiness.

Thomas Jefferson used the terms “happy” and “happiness” in conjunction with prosperity of the collective, be that family or nation .

Earlier presidents were more likely to use the term happy or happiness than recent presidents in their state of the union speeches. They were also more likely to use “happy” and “happiness” to mean good luck, fortune, and prosperity than were more recent presidents.

ning point, where the use son”- happy referring to onic feeling, dominated ppy nation”- referring to a ate condition.

1850 edition of the dictionary includes early definitions of happiness which reference the concepts of luck, fortune, or fate.

A shift in the 1961 edition of Webster’s dictionary, begins to feature a new definition of happiness after “good fortune” was deemed archaic.

The frequency in which the term “happy nation” is used in books published in each year has declined over time, whereas the frequency of the term “happy person” increased gradually.

nalyses of the State of the Union Addresses er presidents were far more likely to use the nd happiness to describe fortunate conditions as a whole.

The terms happiness and happy are used much more frequently and informally referring to one’s positive feeling state in contemporary usage. This is true for almost everyone regardless of their political ideology.

The Industrial Revolution shifter the meaning of happiness from something external like luck to something more attainable such as the accumulation of wealth.

19 Century

The Enlightenment and other documents such as the “Declaration of Independence” began to see happiness as the main purpose of life.

Furthermore, as Thomas Jefferson said happiness is now and unalienable right.

18 Century

us movements rtin Luther alvin began g for the of more nd earthly rder to find

16 Century

ough the Ages

Design by Sydney Evans Information by Sydney Evans

3

The Science of HAPP hippocampus

The is the area of the brain responsible for happiness and positive memories

People are happ

57 de

HO

20 min a day

outside in good weather boosts mood, improves thinking and memory

serotonin is the

neurotransmitter r for regulating happ

Sleep deprived peo

Exercise releases

endorphins and proteins that

make you happier

4 Source: www.lifehack.org

have a harder remembering pos memories and easier remembering nega memo

ZZ

Z

PINESS Happiness is built through the social network of an individual

piest at

egrees

responsible piness

ople

time sitive time ative ories

relationships

and their with their friends and family NH2

Happiness is truly the sum of all of

little things

N H

the on a daily basis such as acts of kindness.

50%

About of happiness is genetically

10%

predetermined, is due to circumstance,

40%

and is based on your own outlook Design by Taylor Close Information by Eshika Kohli

5

Happiest countries 1 Norway Denmark

3

2

Factors of ha

Iceland Switzerland

5

4

Freedom

Finland Netherlands

7

Canada

Australia Sweden

6

Source: worldhappiness.report

6

Generosity Honesty

New Zealand

9

Caring

10

8

1

Happiest states Utah Minnesota

appiness:

3

North Dakota

Health Income Good governance

4

Hawaii

5 7 9

2

Colorado Idaho

6

Nebraska

8

Iowa

South Dakota California

10

Design by Taylor Close Information by Taylor Close

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Statistics of Happiness Americans Overall Don't Know Not Happy Pretty Happy Very Happy

Employment 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5

Religiosity

0

attend seldom or never Attend monthly or less Attend weekly or more

01

8

02

03

Source: www.pewsocialtrends.org

04

05

0

Men (16%) are less likely th Women (30%) to report be happy

Marital Status 50

Not Married

40

Married

30

20

10 Unemployed

0 Workers Retirees

Ethnicity

han eing

Hispanic Caucasian African American

05

10

15

20

25

30

35

40 Design by Sydney Evans Information by Sydney Evans

9

1. How often do you help others?

A. Never, survival of the fittest B. Only is they have helped me previously when I needed it C. I help people whenever they ask D. I am constantly going up to people to see if I can help them in any way

2. Do you believe your life has meaning?

A. No, life has absolutely no purpose B. Maybe some people’s lives have meaning but I do not know if mine does C. Yes, but I do not know the meaning of my life D. Of course, I know that what I am doing is important

3. How often do you have bad days?

A. Every day is a bad day B. It’s about 50-50 C. I have bad moments not bad days D. I always find the good in everything

HOW HAPPY Take this quiz 4. How often do you go outside and enjoy nature?

A. Who enjoys nature B. I would try to go more but I hate bugs C. I try to spend a portion of every day outside D. I practically live outside with nature

5. How often do you find yourself thinking about the past or future rather than the present?

A. All the time B. Almost every day C. Every now and again, but not that often D. Never, the present is what matters

6. How optimistic are you?

A. What is optimism B. Not really C. No matter how bad things get they can not stay bad forever D. I always look on the bright side of life

7. How often do you exercise?

A. Never B. One to two times a month C. One to two times a week D. Everyday

8. Do you feel that you have people who will love you unconditionally?

A. No B. Maybe one or two people C. Yes, around 10 D. Of course, everyone loves me

Calculate your score

10

For every answer you have go back and calculate your score. For each question that you answered A, add one point to your score, for each question that you answered B, add two point to your score, for each question that you answered C, add three point to your score for each question that you answered D, add four point to your score.

16-28 You need more happiness in your life and it is an easy thing to change. just look at the questions you answered A or B and work on those areas.

Y ARE YOU? and find out....

9. How often do you spend time with friends?

A. Never,I have no friends B. I see them at school C. We are glue at the hip and never do anything without each other D. We hang out whenever our schedules allow it

10. How often do you spend time with family?

A. Never B. We eat dinner together C. We love to put aside time each week to spend time together D. Everyday

11. Do you feel a sense of fulfillment in your life?

A. No B. Sort of C. Most of the time D. Alway the time

12. On an average day what word would you use to describe your life?

A. dreadful B. boring C. pleasant D. magnificent

13.You are feeling stressed, what do you do?

A. I blame everyone around me and get angry B. I make excuses and wallow in self pity C. I understand that it is bad for me and try to relieve my stress through a hobby or other things D. I make sure to take time out of my day to relax, I

14. Do you have a hobby that you partake in regularly?

A. I do not like doing stuff B. I have a hobby but I almost never get to do it C. I try to do what I like whenever I have time D. I partake in my hobby everyday

15.If you have free time in the evening what do you do?

A. I try to avoid having to do anything B. I do something if it is going to benefit me C. I try to get out and do something but I do not always follow through D. I find out which of my friends are free and make awesome plans

16. How much sleep do you normally get?

A. I do not sleep B. Maybe 2 hours if I am lucky C. I get a good seven to eight hours of sleep D. I get the recommended amount of sleep and if I am extremely tired one day I will take a nap

RESULTS 29-40

You could improve your happiness levels. Look at the questions you answered A or B and work on those areas.

41-52 You’re pretty happy, but there is no such thing as too happy. Keep trying to maximize your happiness

53-64

Nothing can bring you down, you have extreme happiness levels. Keep doing the things you love.

Design by Sydney Evans Information by Sydney Evans

11

Happiest places in Cincinnati Ault Park 5090 Observatory Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45208

Findlay Market 1801 Race St, Cincinnati, OH 45202

Cincinnati Art Museum All photos courtesy of MCT

953 Eden Park Dr, Cincinnati, OH 45202

12

Source: maps.google.com

Krohn Conservatory 1501 Eden Park Dr, Cincinnati, OH 45202

Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden 3400 Vine St, Cincinnati, OH 45220

Kings Island 6300 Kings Island Dr, Mason, OH 45040

Design by Taylor Close Information by Taylor Close

13

Can money buy happiness?

YES and NO According to the fields of happiness there are two factors that contribute to ones happiness: the evaluative sense and the affective sense. While one sense improves our happiness with more income, the other is unaffected after a certain point. satisfied an Evaluative how individual feels as the

Affective how often individuals

experience positive emotions as opposed to negative emotions

progress towards their life goals.

Economists Justin Wolfers and Betsey Stevenson found that in almost every country rich people tended to be happier than poor people. “When our basic needs for food, safety, health care, and shelter aren’t met, an increase in income makes a disproportionately larger difference for us than when we are relatively stable financially.�

Thus, money can improve someones happiness if it elevates their standard of living to fit the basic standards of living of the nation.

Daniel Kahneman and Angus Deaton of Princeton University found that as income rises, overall life satisfaction increases.

BUT... after a household reached an annual income of

$75,000, a higher income

did not improve happiness.

Thus, a higher income may improve the satisfaction of the evaluative sense, but is does not play a role in increasing the emotions of happiness described by the affective sense.

Feel-Good-Do-Good Phenomenon States that people already in a good mood are more likely to do good for other people 14

Source: https://www.weforum.org/

Pro-social use of Money When used to make memories or help others rather than for personal gain money results in a happier individual.

Hedonic adaptation First described by Thomas Gilovich, Cornell University psychology professor

The phenomenon when the purchasing of a new material produces a brief period of increased happiness which gradually disappears, resulting in the individual taking that material or item for granted.

“Life experience give us more lasting pleasure than material Ryan Howell, Associate things.” professor of psychology at San Francisco State University,

Experiences Creating new experiences is beneficial to humans because it satisfies a basic psychological need or social connection and community and it results in the formation of our individual identity.

100

In 2008, Elizabeth Dunn and her colleagues traveled to countries and in an experiment found that spending money on others makes people happier than spending money on themselves. This held true across all nations and it was even true if the person giving away the money was poor.

Office for National Statistics (ONS) in the United Kingdom “Overall wealth had a positive effect on increasing levels of life satisfaction, sense of worth, happiness, and decreased levels of anxiety. ”

Findings: 1.

Increasing property wealth or personal pension wealth does not measurably increase wellbeing.

2.

When a greater proportion of a households income comes from state benefits, the members of the household experienced lower personal wellbeing. The overall impact of this was stronger for men than women.

3.

Discretionary money- money generated through stocks and savings- improves one happiness.

It allows individuals greater freedom of choice in their lifestyles- even if people never act upon them.

Design by Taylor Close, Adhiti Chundur, Sydney Evans Information by Sydney Evans

15

WHAT M YOU HA

16

MAKES APPY?

17

What makes st “What makes me happy is being able to relax with my family and friends when all of my work is done. It is such a good feeling when all of your responsibilities are finished,” said Grace Deng, 9.

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Photos courtesy of Caroline Veraldo and Sydney Weiss

“Performing makes me happy. I love to sing, dance, and act, so whenever I get to perform for people I am extremely happy,” said Adam Levine, 10.

udents happy?

“The sun becoming a warm blanket on my skin makes me. I believe the sun is the source of my true happiness; it does wonders for me. No matter how upset I am, if I go outside and feel that blanket, I’m content again,” said Lexie Vanjohnson, 11.

“What makes me happy is making other people happy. This is why I love to tell jokes and make people laugh,” said Kevin Berghoff, 12.

Design by Caroline Veraldo Information by Caroline Veraldo

19

What makes the

Photo courtesy of Jenna Bao

Jenna Bao, 11 thing that connects everything that I love is food. I’ve “ One always been a foodie, watching Food Network instead of children’s programing. I love to cook as well, but really that’s just a means to an end so…Nearly all of my happiest memories are somehow related to food, from trying out new restaurants with my friends to celebrating successes nearly exclusively by going out to eat.

“

20

Leaf staff happy?

Josh Patterson, 12 “

One of the things that makes me happy is traveling. My mom is from Switzerland so my family and I spend a lot of time traveling to see her family. It is great to see and experience a different culture. Also it is great to just spend alone time with my family or just relaxing without much responsibility. I want to continue to be able to travel even as I go to college, and even spend a semester abroad.

“

Photo courtesy of Josh Patterson Design by Taylor Close Information by Taylor Close

21

What makes SHS

Photo courtesy of Jim Smanik

Mr. Jim Smanik BIOLOGY TEACHER

enjoy going on hikes and kayaking, just being outside in “Igeneral.

I find peace and relaxation when I am hiking one of my favorite trails or kayaking down the river. But I also like how they produce a challenge. You have to always keep a sharp mind and know where you are going so that you don’t get lost.

“

22

staff happy?

Mrs. Melissa Sullivan ENGLISH TEACHER

I love to talk about books with my students, “IandlikeI teaching; always learn something new even when I’ve taught a book for a long time. It’s different all the time, even when you teach the same thing two bells in a row, it’s not the same. One class may really enjoy a book and have lots of discussions while the other might find it more boring.

“

Photo courtesy of Jenna Bao Design by Taylor Close Information by Taylor Close

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