So...the economy stinks, the house market while coming back is still in the gutter, jobless rates are remaining high, and my neck is killing me. With all those things going on, how do you get up in the morning? I mean, my neck is really bothering me.

The short answer is, I don't know, I am not sure why. So let's try to find out together, let's look at some studies, their implications and how that science, or lack thereof dependent on the study, impacts the seeking of happiness in a world that seems determined sometimes to push that away from us.

Let's start, what is happiness? Researcher Ed Deiner defines it as a "subjective well-being." This is not a great start it appears, but according to many psychologists, self-reporting, where survey respondents rate themselves, is an accurate model for researching happiness, as happiness is something that is different for each individual. There have to be common traits though.

How do you maintain your happiness? Next time we will look at a study involving actions we take and their effect on our happiness.