Understanding the Sources of Happiness

We all want happiness.

However, happiness varies greatly from person to person.

A study shows that how happy we are depends on many factors.

A psychology professor in California led the study.

It could help to provide better treatments for people with depression and anxiety.

The professor wrote: "We have to understand the sources of happiness to build effective interventions."

Her study has been published in a journal.

The professor suggested that happiness comes from external circumstances or internal feelings.

She described three models of happiness.

The first is "bottom-up".

This is based on factors like wealth, jobs and relationships.

The second is a "top-down" model.

With this, happiness comes from our attitudes towards life.

People can control this through meditation or therapy.

The final model is one where the bottom-up and top-down models interact.