As Fiddlehead readers know, I turned 60 in March, and I'm happy to say I'm still celebrating. Who knew ushering in this new decade could be so much fun and give me so many opportunities to spend special time with special people. In May my daughter planned a dining, shopping, theatre weekend in Minneapolis for us. It was such fun to realize that my wonderful child is now a wonderful adult and a great friend. Dear friends hosted a birthday dinner for me, and my sister planned a trip up the North Shore for just the two of us.

In the spring, my husband and I made our first trip to Italy. Even though everyone told us it was a "must see" destination, we were surprised by the wonder of it all. We love to travel and have never had a bad trip, but Italy was the best. In addition to the amazing art, great food, incredible wine, and scenery that really looks "just like the pictures", the people were joyous. About halfway through our trip I realized that everyone we met seemed happy and content. How could that be? What do the Italians know that we don't? Maybe this pervasive love of life is what the Italians mean by La dolce vita (the sweet life.)

Thinking about all the happy Italians made me think about my own happiness and what I do to live a happy life. Most of the time, I am a pretty upbeat person. But like all of us at one time or another, I have my days. As I thought about what brightens my day and what I know about living a happy life, I came up with my own personal happiness formula: H=G+G or happiness equals gratitude plus generosity. To give myself a little personal pick-me-up, I first take time to identify and experience what I am grateful for in my life and second, I make an extra effort to be generous with my time or attitude. Having a "happiness formula" helps me remember what works for me.

WHAT WE KNOW

We now have scientific proof that we can take specific actions that improve the quality of our lives. Fairly recently scientists began to study happiness and conduct research that demonstrates it is possible to be happier. Dr. Martin Seligman, the founder of positive psychology, directs the University of Pennsylvania Positive Psychology Center which offers a Master of Applied Positive Psychology degree. He identifies being happier as being able "to feel more satisfied, to be more engaged with life, find more meaning, have higher hopes, and probably even laugh and smile more, regardless of one's circumstance."

Striving to be happier doesn't mean putting a positive spin on everything, however. Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar, Harvard professor and author of Happier presents being happier as a more realistic goal than reaching for total happiness. Dr. Ben-Shahar reminds us that "We must give ourselves and others permission to be human. That means accepting negative emotions, like anger, envy, hate, sadness, frustration. Reject the painful emotions and you pay a price."

Dr. Barbara Fredrickson at the University of Michigan has quantified how many positive to negative experiences we need to feel happy. Experiencing three positives for each negative is the tipping point in predicting whether people languish or flourish over time. The happiest people cry, experience fear, and get angry. Happiness encompasses the full range of human emotion.

What can we learn from the science of positive psychology about strategies for living a happier life? Some of the most effective strategies for improving happiness include: WHAT WE CAN DO

Although being totally happy all the time is an unrealistic goal, we can all become happier. Look at the strategies above and identify the ones on which you want to focus. Use the guide below to help with the strategies you identify.