Rosie, currently your happiness baseline is 68, which is higher than 73 percent of the other people who took The Happiness Test. What this baseline means is that, taking both your high and low moods into account, your range of happiness, tends to be around this level.

As most of us know from first-hand experience, happiness is a changeable thing. In fact, you've probably felt your own overall happiness level shift from year to year, month to month, or even day to day. It's natural to experience highs and lows at different moments in your life. If you expect to feel the happiest of happy all of the time, you'll probably be disappointed. However, you can strive to elevate your baseline of happiness, so that the lows you experience are not as low, and the highs you experience are even higher.

A person's overall level of happiness is more consistent than an individual mood or passing feeling. Your baseline for happiness provides a kind of foundation for your emotions and experiences to rest upon. Because of this fact, if you retake The Happiness Test after some time has passed, your results may be dramatically different. This can be especially true if you take time to learn more about the nature of your own personal happiness patterns and apply the strategies suggested within this report. The material that follows will discuss specific ways you can achieve a shift in your happiness baseline, as well as altering the particular aspects that affect it.

Currently, your results indicate that you already have a higher happiness baseline than most people. However, you can always improve. By gaining a better understanding of what makes up your happiness, you can learn to direct your energies to the areas that you may currently be neglecting.

As you now know, your confidence has a positive effect on your overall happiness. However, your greatest source of happiness is your gratitude. Gratitude is a feeling of deep thankfulness for what your life offers you in both good times and bad. When you're grateful, you view life as deep and rich with meaning and feel thankful for the whole experience of living. You may cultivate this awareness on a regular basis through reflection or prayer.

Your strong sense of appreciation for life's blessings is where your happiness springs from most. It's also the place where your happiness gains the most power and stability. Because gratitude appears to be the natural anchor point for your happiness, know that you can always tap into this quality when times get rough.

For instance, like you, Meredith is a person who is usually very thankful for the good things in her life. Meredith's lifestyle is modest, but it still offers her plenty of things to be grateful for. She enjoys her work, her family, and her home. However, as happens in everyone's life at one time or another, Meredith's circumstances recently took a turn for the worse. Her 12-year-old cat, Tiger, died. Meredith was completely distraught by this loss. She cried for a full day and moped around the house even longer, feeling that life was unfair to take away such a cherished pet. But Meredith's sadness and confusion wasn't unusual or wrong. It was a natural reaction to such an emotional event. Even a very happy, grateful person has moments of sorrow and doubt. It's simply not realistic or even possible to be happy and thankful all the time.

In Meredith's case, after a period of grieving she decided that it was time to put away Tiger's toys and other reminders of her pet and move toward her own happiness. Still, it felt strange trying to be happy and thankful after having been lost in such grief. Meredith didn't know exactly how to regain her grateful spirit. But over time she naturally began to gravitate toward her former feelings of gratitude. Meredith remembered what a happy cat Tiger had been and how thankful she was for the time she got to spend with him. With these warm feelings in her heart, Meredith began to think about how much there was to be thankful for in her life. In time, she had shifted herself back into a place where she was receptive, grateful, and truly happy again. Meredith's positivity and resilience in the face of a sad event is a good model to apply to your own life.

There is real power in being grateful. Feeling gratitude helps you appreciate the gifts of knowledge and experience that life offers you. Being grateful may even give you a greater understanding of the cycles of life, your relationships with others, and the workings of a higher power. In addition to all these things, gratitude helps you build personal resources such as compassion and empathy. These are valuable assets that you can draw upon in less happy times.

Is there a key to happiness? In fact, there may be many. Take a look at your scores for the seven major areas that contribute to happiness. You'll be able to see which ones are currently contributing most to your happiness and which may need more attention. By continuing to make the most of your strong areas and shoring up the weaker ones, over time you can be sure to experience an increase in the happiness you feel.

In the meantime, pat yourself on the back for your higher scores. Your present happiness is rooted in those areas you already master. If you'd like to increase your happiness — as most people would — look to your lower scores. Those are the areas where you have the most room to grow and improve. Think about how a simple shift in your perceptions could increase your happiness. To that end, below Emode's experts not only give you a more detailed description of your scores, they also lay out action steps to help you maximize all seven Happiness areas.

Gratitude

Your score on the Gratitude scale is 10 out of 10. This scale measures your sense of appreciation for life's blessings.

Because gratitude is your highest-scoring area, it's apparent that you already know firsthand how important this quality is to your happiness. Now all you have to do is keep it up and share the wealth. For instance, if a less grateful friend should turn to you for advice, consider telling them about the Take Action below.

Overall, your gratitude score is on the higher end of the scale. This means that to some degree, you already feel grateful for your life's experiences. You probably also take time to acknowledge the benefits and blessings of what you have. Gratitude is available to everyone who sets clear and focused intentions to acknowledge the good and beneficial things in their lives. Sometimes gratitude even means being thankful for the lessons learned in the school of hard knocks. By taking time out to recognize the good in your life, you increase your gratitude. Try the Take Action below and start counting your blessings.

Self-Confidence

Your score on the Self-Confidence scale is 7 out of 10. This scale measures the extent to which you like yourself and feel satisfied with who you are.

When people are confident, they are self-assured and truly like themselves, believing that they are people of quality. Having increased confidence can help you to both take on challenges without fear and act without hesitation. Confidence can also help you develop strength in your convictions and improve your sense of self-worth.

When compared with other people who took this test, your score on the confidence scale is relatively higher than that of most others. This means that most of the time you exhibit a reasonably high confidence level, especially concerning your self-esteem. Confidence is really a state of mind, a positive self-perception that you project to others. If you can see confidence as a skill rather than an innate characteristic, you'll be able to move more easily in the direction of increased confidence. Try the Take Action below to jump-start your confidence. It will help you by battling any self-criticisms you may possess.

Personal Growth

Your score on the Personal Growth scale is 7 out of 10. This scale measures how focused and proactive you are about exploring who you are and expanding your life's impact.

When people are committed to personal growth, they're dedicated to being the best that they can be. They also put effort toward exploring what life has to offer. By increasing your focus on personal growth, you can feel a greater sense of personal control over what happens to you. Personal growth can also nurture your spirit, develop your willpower, and increase your strength and focus.

Your score on the personal growth scale is higher than average. This means that for the most part you have good focus and initiative when it comes to taking matters into your own hands to improve your life. Honoring your commitment to personal growth takes both dedication and a positive attitude. Sometimes it's tough, but by following through and working toward your goals, you can create an upward spiral toward further growth and achievement. Try the Take Action below to make even more space for personal growth in your life.

Contentment

Your score on the Contentment scale is 6 out of 10. This scale measures your general sense of peace and satisfaction with your life.

When people are content, they feel that life is good and that they're truly satisfied with what the world has to offer them. By increasing your contentment, you can begin savoring the beauty in more everyday moments. You can also gain a greater sense of connection with your surroundings, other people, and even a higher power. Contentment is the quality that can help you develop an expanded worldview and real insight.

In terms of your numerical score in this area, you scored on the higher side of the contentment scale. This means that you're already somewhat content with your life or at least that you have moments of contentment when you feel things are going your way. Increasing your contentment doesn't have to be complicated. Often your ability to live in the present moment has more to do with your level of contentment than actually having what you want does. Try the Take Action below and begin to find more contentment from within.

Optimism

Your score on the Optimism scale is 6 out of 10. This scale measures your tendency to anticipate the best possible outcomes for the situations life presents to you.

When people are optimistic, they possess a feeling that good things are here to stay and bad things will improve in time. By increasing your optimism you can strengthen your belief in yourself. You can also start to see all the wonderful possibilities in life, rather than simply dwelling on the potential problems. By harnessing the power of positive thinking, optimism can help you steer clear of worry so that you can take life-enriching chances.

Your score is on the higher side of the optimism scale. This means that when a tough situation presents itself, you're more likely to focus on the proverbial silver lining than the cloud. It also suggests that when faced with an obstacle, you'll usually look for ways to surmount it. Optimism is simply a matter of taking on a positive perspective; this is a skill that can be acquired and nurtured. Try the Take Action below to start thinking even more positively than you already do.

Relationships

Your score on the Relationships scale is 6 out of 10. This scale measures the extent to which you are positively affected by the people in your life who make up your social support network. When people have positive personal relationships, they have a base of support that they can turn to in happy and sad times. Over time, increased social interaction can help you relax into the knowledge that you can be who you are. This assumes, of course, that you are choosing to be around people who truly validate and support you. (of course this test was taken in the middle of what I thought was a bout of the silent treatment which turned into a break up... cuz the silence was never broken!)  Having positive personal relationships can help you to develop more self-confidence, a sense of belonging, and greater ease in relating with all kinds of people.

When compared with others who took this test, you scored on the higher end of the relationship scale. This indicates that on the whole, you enjoy positive connections with the people in your life. Although almost everyone has times when they feel discouraged by someone close to them, for the most part you feel like your relationships are meaningful and bring out the best in you. By appreciating and valuing the people who appreciate and value you, you go a long way toward cultivating meaningful and lasting bonds. Try the Take Action below to learn how you can improve your relationships even more.

Cheerfulness

Your score on the Cheerfulness scale is 5 out of 10. This scale measures the extent to which you have a good-natured disposition and experience blissful delight in even the smallest things.

When people are cheerful, they possess a jovial state of being in which pleasure comes easily to them. Becoming more cheerful can help you to explore your surroundings, enhance your relationships, and stretch your imagination because cheerfulness opens your mind and heart. You might be surprised to learn that cheerfulness can also be the key to developing increased knowledge and creativity. This is likely due to the ways being cheerful expands and alters your perspective.

Your cheerfulness score is somewhat lower than that of many others. This means that you may feel that playing and laughing are not really part of your life as an adult, or maybe you just feel like there isn't much reason to be cheerful at this point in your life. (note: above comment!) Have you ever heard the saying, "Laughter is the best medicine?" There's actually some truth to it. Certain medical studies have shown that laughter even speeds recovery after surgery. Although being jovial and cheery in your daily life may feel frivolous at times, playing and laughing more can improve your health, your outlook on life, and your overall happiness. Try the Take Action below. It will help you make a point of laughing every day.

Happiness is a consistent, moderate state of satisfaction or joy. True happiness with yourself and your life comes from having a strong, balanced, consistently positive approach to yourself and your world. Traditionally, it has been thought that if a person doesn't feel an overall sense of happiness with life, there must be something wrong. However recently, psychologists have begun to believe that this just isn't so. Happiness, they claim, is a state of mind, a life perception, and a series of good habits.

This is good news. If happiness is a skill set, then you can learn to be happier. Some people seem to be born happy. This may be true. Or perhaps these "happier" people have simply already learned these happiness skills through their interactions, through reading, or by having a keen perception into human nature. Whatever the case, their happiness is something you can learn from and achieve for yourself. In fact, if you know someone who seems very happy, they'll most likely be happy to advise you if you ask them about their outlook on life.

It should be noted that certain people experience intermittent moments of happiness without feeling like they can characterize themselves as happy people. In fact, some individuals have extremely happy moments, feeling a state of euphoria, and later crash down into depression or misery. These individuals lack the balance just described, either because they haven't learned the skills or, in rarer cases, because of biological factors having to do with their brain chemistry.

Finally, even happy people have down days. It's unrealistic to expect permanent, nonstop happiness. Such a thing doesn't exist in reality. However, you can learn to be more content with your life, confident in yourself, grateful for what you have, committed to your personal growth, full of laughter and good cheer, and optimistic. You can also learn to develop positive, supportive relationships with the people around you. In fact, by focusing yourself steadfastly on these seven areas, you can quite readily achieve them. Just remember that by enjoying yourself on your path to greater happiness, you're already a good way to achieving what you desire.

History of the smiley face
The smiley face was originally created in 1963 by Harvey Ball, a graphic artist working for State Mutual Insurance. The Massachusetts insurance company commissioned Ball to create a button for its morale-boosting campaign. Initially, Ball created a button with just a curved line representing a smile. He realized, however, that when turned upside down, his button turned into a frown. To remedy the problem, Ball added two dots for eyes and gave the whole button a sunny yellow color to promote cheer. His total art fee was $45. State Mutual created a first run of 100 of the buttons, which were a huge hit. The insurance company went on to distribute thousands of happy face buttons...and the rest is history.

Now that you have a better understanding of the factors that contribute to happiness, you can use this knowledge to become happier yourself. Taking Emode's Happiness Test is just your first step to improving your outlook on life. To achieve greater happiness you'll need to continue thinking about and practicing your new happiness techniques. To both reinforce what you've learned and offer you more tips on how you can turn negative habits into positive, happier ones, we're going to send you four follow-up emails — one per week for the next four weeks.

In the meantime, take some time to think about where your scores are today and where you would like them to be in the future. It's quite all right if you haven't yet achieved total happiness, very few people have. Once you've accepted your weak points and pinpointed the areas you want to improve, you can get ready to take action. Enjoy becoming a happier you — and look for your first mailing in one week!

Emode developed The Happiness Test using the latest theories and measures from positive psychology. Positive psychology is a recent movement in psychology that studies the positive aspects of human experience. This movement is a reaction against traditional psychology, which typically focuses on pathologies and problems rather than focusing on happiness and abundance. With this new approach, psychologists are hoping to gain a better understanding of why happy people are happy and how people who aren't happy can learn to become happy. Emode's Happiness Test addresses seven primary areas that psychologists involved in this movement have identified as contributing to a greater sense of overall happiness. We hope this test acts as a catalyst to help you find greater happiness and craft a more positive approach to your life. If you want to read more about happiness and the positive psychology movement, Emode's research team suggests the materials below.

Argyle, A. M. The Psychology of Happiness. (UK: Methuen), 1987.

Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. (NY: HarperCollins Publishers), 1991.

Kahneman, D., Diener, E., & Schwarz, N. Well-Being: Foundations of Hedonic Psychology. (NY: Russell Sage), 1999.

Levine, Marvin. Positive Psychology of Buddhism and Yoga: Paths to a Mature Happiness. (NY: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates), 2000.

Lewis, M. & Haviland, J. M. Handbook of Emotions. (NY: Guilford Press), 1993.

Myers, D. G. The Pursuit of Happiness. (NY: William Morrow & Co.), 1992.

Peale, Norman Vincent. Power of Positive Thinking. (NY: Random House), 1996.

Seligman, Martin E. Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment. (IL: Free Press), 2002.

Seligman, Martin E. Learned Optimism. (NY: Knopf), 1991.

Snyder, C. R. The Psychology of Hope: You Can Get There from Here. (NY: Free Press), 1994.

Snyder, C. R., and Shane J. Lopez (Eds.). Handbook of Positive Psychology. (UK: Oxford University Press), 2001.