Happy for No Reason

I like to explore different ways to approach things, different ways of thinking, and different perspectives on things. It's healthy to have an open mind. As a result, I find random yet interesting books or articles to read. This summer I stumbled across the concept of being happy for no reason. What does that mean? Well, look at your life right now. Are you, in your own terms, happy? (I say 'in your terms' because it's impossible to measure happiness. It is all relative and dependent on our own idea of it.) If so, why are you happy? Maybe it's because you got a raise at work, bought a new car, or your boyfriend bought you flowers. Would you be happy if those things were taken away? If the answer is no, then your happiness depends on materialistic things or other people. If you are happy for a reason, then that reason can be taken away.
So how do we find happiness without having a reason for it?

photo via compfight

Instead of saying we will be happy if we had that new car or had a relationship, we should be happy first, and then these things will fall into our laps. Eating healthy has proven to improve our mood. As does exercise. Both are natural ways to improve our bodies which in turn increases our happiness. This website explains the phenomena in terms of the book by Marci Shimoff:
http://www.learningstrategies.com/Happy/Home.asp