Teen Think Tank: Happiness Happens Month

Happiness Happens Month is celebrated annually in August and is dedicated to celebrating things that make you happy! It’s a known fact that happiness is contagious and sharing your happiness can bring a smile to someone’s face. The month reminds us that happiness can be found in even little things that we might not notice and that spreading the same joy amongst others can help make the world a better place.

#READ: Be Happy by His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Be Happy book cover

Nobody wakes up in the morning wishing for more trouble that day. However, emotional trouble--unhappiness--is essentially our own creation. This book explores two things you need to know about unhappiness and how to replace it with joy. The first is the failure to understand reality, and the second is egotism. Together they result in distress, dis-ease, and a failure to take personal responsibility.

Accessible, direct, and down-to-earth, this slender volume is for fans of the Dalai Lama, as well as anyone looking for an easy-to-understand guide to an authentic and joyful life.

#LISTEN: Podcast—The Science of Happiness

Science of happiness

Learn research-tested strategies for a happier, more meaningful life, drawing on the science of compassion, gratitude, mindfulness, and awe. Hosted by award-winning professor Dacher Keltner. Co-produced by PRX and UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center.

#EXPLORE: Spread some happiness!

Colorful Smiley Face

Often, it's the small, simple things that can bring some joy into another person's life. Choose a few options from the list below and make someone's day a little brighter!

  1. Leave a surprise note
  2. Be an active listener
  3. Give a genuine compliment
  4. Greet strangers
  5. Make someone laugh
  6. Use your manners
  7. Share your knowledge or time
  8. Make a homemade gift, treat, or playlist
  9. Express your gratitude
  10. Allow someone to cut ahead of you in line

#JOIN: Attend a program virtually or in person! 
View all teen programs and events offered this week.

For virtual programs, registration is required to receive the Zoom link; use the link in the program information to register.

For in person programs, registration is required; if space allows, walk-ins will be admitted. Use the link in the program information to register.

#KEEP READING: Check out these reads for both fiction and non-fiction takes on happiness:

 

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