Analyze Happiness Studies
For this Assignment you will be reading two articles of your choosing from the Journal of Happiness Studies. As you read, think about how each article approaches the topic of happiness and which aspect it focuses on. Ask yourself what the findings of each article are, and how these findings might impact or influence our modern understanding of happiness. When you have finished reading the article, think about different ways in which followers of some of the spiritual traditions you have studied in this course might view these findings. Do you think they could agree with some of the ideas raised by the articles, or would those ideas prove fundamentally contrary to their beliefs?
To prepare for this Assignment:
Select and read two articles that interest you from the Journal of Happiness Studies.
Consider how each article approaches the topic of happiness.
Reflect on ways in which points raised by each article might conflict with the doctrines of different spiritual traditions.
Consider some questions you still have about love and happiness that have not yet been answered in your reading.
The assignment:
Compose a 2- to 3-page paper in which you do the following:
Briefly summarize the findings of each article.
Raise three points where the findings of these articles suggest points of nexus or conflict with one or more religious traditions.
Conclude with a question you would like to see answered that has not been addressed by your research thus far.
LINKS FOR ASSIGNMENT
Society for Neuroscience. (2005, December). Brain briefings: Love and the brain. Society for Neuroscience.
This article offers further information on how chemicals in the brain such as oxytocin and vasopressin contribute to feelings of social attachment, bonding, and love.
Slater, L. (2006, February). Love, the thing called love. National Geographic. (2).32.
Journal of Happiness Studies
