**1. Introduction**

Although it may not always be clear, the guiding principle both consciously and unconsciously for many endeavors is happiness. In general, a majority of our behavior is decided by what we think or feel will have the greatest benefit and the least amount of negative consequence. This principle can be applied and understood in a range of circumstances that include situations of absolute poverty and violence, to situations of the most wealthy and privileged. Individuals generally act from a position of doing whatever they believe is most positive for themselves with the least amount of negative consequence. Yet, this positive to negative balance in decisionmaking and behavior is based on one's own belief system and understanding. If an individual believes they will feel best through altruistic behavior, they will act in ways they believe are altruistic whenever possible. If one believes they will feel best by being (what they perceive to be) negative, they may act negatively whenever possible. If one believes fame or wealth leads to happiness, they will likely focus on achieving wealth or fame. If one believes sex, relationships, or a certain body image leads to happiness, they may focus on this for their sense of well-being. In some cases, individuals feel that engaging in harmful behaviors such as self-cutting, drug and alcohol abuse, lying, gambling, new relationships, overspending, abnormal eating, etc. is the way to feel happiest. The point is that the individual belief system is the determining factor in the decision-making process [1, 2].

Therefore, investigating one's belief system is important for identifying the logic and inaccuracies regarding happiness. When one's belief system is not investigated

or questioned, the result can be ongoing, reactive, unconscious behaviors and patterns. Through the use of mindfulness methods, conscious belief restructuring, an ongoing investigation of reactive patterns, and learning information on what actually improves happiness, an individual's happiness levels can substantially improve. This chapter provides an overview of some faulty and effective cultural belief systems that impact happiness and wellbeing, as well as data on the most important factors for happiness. A general integrative theory of happiness is proposed at the end of the chapter that integrates this data into a more concise framework for understanding [1, 2].

## **2. Overview on happiness**

First, let us discuss what is meant by happiness in this chapter. Happiness here is defined as a subjective state where one feels content with their lives overall and is mostly satisfied by their life condition. However, the experience of happiness can also be cultural in perspective and related to comparing one's life to that of others. For example, in the United States the cultural philosophy is to define well-being through Gross Domestic Product or GDP, not through Gross National Happiness (GNH) levels. GNH was created by the government of Bhutan and is the method the government uses to measure its population's well-being and collective happiness. With the creation of the GNH index, Bhutan has become a symbol for prioritizing happiness as part of its society and culture. By contrast, the United States generally stands out as valuing happiness through economic growth, wealth and production. The World Happiness Reports further supports this by demonstrating that the United States highly values money and economic growth as a measure of well-being [3].

In consideration of the different cultural and national approaches to well-being, the Easterlin Paradox is also relevant. The Easterlin Paradox was identified by Richard Easterlin in 1974. He was the first economist to research happiness data. He found that there is a certain point where happiness varies directly with income among and within countries. However, over time happiness does not continue to increase in an upward direction even if income continues to grow. Another way of explaining this is that once an individual is out of absolute poverty or a certain level of poverty in their society, there are more significant factors impacting one's level of happiness. Income and wealth are not the ultimate determining factors for happiness. However, they are likely the most significant variables in general when an individual is living in absolute poverty [3].

The World Happiness Reports, first initiated in 2012 also further supports data regarding the relationship between income, happiness and absolute poverty. The World Happiness Reports are publications from independent experts and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network in conjunction with Gallup World Poll data. This collection of data is a vital joint assessment and resource for ongoing trends regarding current world happiness levels, relevant findings and aberrations in our understandings of happiness. The data from the World Happiness Reports also demonstrates, in conjunction with the Easterlin Paradox, that once an individual is no longer living in a state of absolute poverty, economics are not the most important factor for well-being and happiness. If one is out of absolute poverty, there are other important factors for happiness such as mental health, authentic connections, and belief systems that become more significant [4, 5].
