Happy

(E) Roadshow DVD/Digital Download

This film captures a variety of people in less-than-ideal circumstances to explore scientific research and theories about happiness. This includes a rickshaw puller in an Indian slum, an American beauty who was disfigured in an accident, a group of Japanese widows whose husbands worked themselves to death, residents of Okinawa Island with the largest number of residents aged over 100 and people from Bhutan where the government measures Gross National Happiness as of equal importance as Gross Domestic Productivity.

There is a good balance between giving us the information and theoretical framework to understand the results from current scientific research and sharing the stories of real people from a huge variety of backgrounds and experiences.

Information is shared in an accessible and palatable format. You’ll learn about the annual gorilla run; that circumstances account for only 10 per cent of our happiness/unhappiness; how much of our happiness is genetically determined and much more.

Teaser: Achieving the top three extrinsic goals, namely money, image and status (popularity) are not the things that make you happy. Happiness comes from achieving the top three intrinsic goals — watch the movie to discover what they are.

This film is useful for use in a discussion group and as a way of encouraging people to be intentional about happiness. It might just release enough dopamine in your brain to help you take the first few steps towards achieving a new level of happiness!

Enjoy this movie. I did.

Chris Crause