What makes me happy

SONALI KULKARNI Actor

“Small things make me happy. It can be my first cup of chai in the morning or my flight being on time. If my daughter writes a letter for me or draws a picture or when I am cooking for my husband, I am happy. I like throwing surprise parties for my friends, which makes me happy. If I save water or electricity, or if I complete a nice workout, I feel happy. If my co-star gives a good shot, I feel fabulous. I do not have great expectations from every day, but I really like it when we have clean communication because many a times all our issues start from minor misunderstandings.”

TIPS FOR HAPPINESS

Dr Vinod Kumar (Consultant psychiatrist and psychotherapist), Head, Mpower-The Centre, Bengaluru

“Happiness is an ethereal concept. Since time immemorial, attempts have been made to define happiness. But this depends on whether one is poetic, philosophical, sociological or psychological in one’s perspective. Broadly speaking, happiness can be categorised into hedonic (pleasure-oriented) or eudaimonic (meaning- or purpose-oriented).

The positive psychology movement has been constantly trying to find what makes people happy—if there are any beliefs, personality traits or ways to create more positive experiences. Some recent studies found that happiness comes from simple small everyday rewards like receiving a compliment or an unexpected gift. Other studies show that more choices lead to more unpleasant experiences. However promising these findings are, positive psychology is still in its infancy.”