Happy days are here again- The Times of India

Happy days are here again- The Times of India: "The lexicon defines happiness as a state of pleasure and contentment. It is now evident that external factors like wealth, status or beauty can't ensure happiness.

And interestingly, according to researchers in the University of California, about 50 per cent of happiness is genetic and about 10 per cent is dependent on circumstances. That leaves 40 per cent unexplained.

Says Dr Chittaranjan Andrade, additional professor, Department of Psychopharmacology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), 'There is no medical or psychiatric definition of happiness. Happiness is usually defined as a state of satisfaction. It involves satisfaction with one's state of physical, mental and emotional health and has a lot to do with their social, spiritual and financial side of life too.'

It is a well-known fact that happiness is vital for good health. Corroborating this theory, a study conducted at Duke University Medical Centre, USA, proves that adults who are happy, but are suffering from a heart disease, have a 20 per cent more chance of living longer.

'Thoughts and emotions are controlled by hormones in the brain,' says Dr MJ Thomas, consultant psychiatrist, Sagar Apollo Hospital, Bangalore.

'Just as electricity moves from pole to pole, in the brain, impulses have to jump from cell to "