In April of 2009 I picked up a book that changed my life: The How of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky. I took the tests to measure my level of Happiness. The lowest score possible is a one, which would be depressed. The highest score is a six. The average score is 4.30 My score was 4.20 I just took the test again and I am Happy to report that I have am indeed Happier. I scored a 5.03 You may remember that I recently reported that I tested positive as a pessimist (see article: I Was Wrong and I am Hopeless). You can test your optimism by going to Martin Seligman’s website. My HOPE (according to the test I was hopeLESS) is that as I cultivate my optimism, my Happiness will will increase even more. Dr. Lyubomirsky gives specific techniques on how to do so in her book. I wonder: if I tested at a perfect six – would that mean I literally could not be happier? Some of the questions were interesting. One of them was about how attractive I think I am. I had made a point of not looking at my previous answers when I retook the test. Evidently I think I’m prettier because on that question my number went up. I thought this was incredibly ironic since many people think if they make themselves more beautiful will make them happier. Evidently when one becomes happier, they think of themselves as more beautiful. ‘Wait ’til the beauty magazines find out about this.

Frank Clayton
Licensed Professional Counselor