Dr. Seligman was asked to discuss some examples of happy people based on his research. Bear in mind that the happiest people in the world tend to be those who are fully engaged in what they are doing and who have found meaning and purpose for their lives. Based on Seligman's research, meaning and purpose contributes four times as much to life satisfaction as positive emotions, while engagement is almost three times higher than positive emotion.

Here are a few of Seligman's suggestions of historical figures who displayed these characteristics:

The criteria Seligman and his researchers used to predict happiness are "Pursuit of Meaning," "Pursuit of Engagement" and "Pursuit of Positive Emotion." For more information, visit: www.authentichappiness.org.

Life's Big Questions