Happiness Makeover Endorsement - Latest Testimonial

The Happiness Makeover is a joyful process with real results. I truly feel more in control of my life, my emotions, and my sense of gratitude as a direct result of working over the phone for one hour, once a week, for 3 months. I'm amazed and thrilled. I didn't think the Makeover was going to have such a positive effect. My increased happiness and sense of well being has spilled into all areas of my life and other people notice and comment that I'm brighter, more present, and more proactive in general.

As I said, I'm amazed and thrilled.

I recommended the Happiness Makeover to my family, and I feel comfortable recommending The Happiness Makeover to anyone who's interested. You have to try the Makeover to know how happy you can really be. I took the chance, and I know from my heart's core that it worked amazingly well for me.

Thank you Aymee, you changed my life!

--
Brian B. Jones

MBA Candidate 2009
Leeds School of Business
University Colorado Boulder

Latest Testimonial for the 90 day Happiness Makeover

I had come to a point in my life where I had a to face up to the fact that I wasn't really a consistently happy person. I had done a lot of workshops and read books, and though I was improving somewhat, I still carried around a lot of negativity. I signed up for Aymee's 3 month coaching and really got my money's worth. At first it seemed like nothing was happening, but by the end I was having really great days and knew how to get myself out of a funk quickly. She is excellent at what she does and very passionate about her work. I feel there has been a huge a shift in my day to day outlook in the positive direction. The time I spend in negative emotions, like sadness and anger, has been reduced to practically nothing. Friends notice my upbeat attitude. It has even helped me improve my relationship with my parents. I am a much happier person and recommend the coaching to anyone. Now a graduate, the happiness continues to climb as my life gets better and better.

Yurik Riegel

Fine Artist/Coach

San Francisco, CA

How to Make Your Wishes Come True

If you type, "how to make my dreams come true" in a Google search, you will receive almost FIVE MILLION results!

While the answer might be different in each result, the message is the same: there is a way to make your dreams come true. But how?
Well, you can grant your own wishes. By taking three fairly obvious and very simple steps, you can have the life you’ve dreamt about.

Step 1: Be happy no matter what.

If you believe that you’re never going to get a better job or a nicer home or a happier marriage, you won’t. If you focus on how bad you feel about your lot in life, you won’t be happy. You won’t see the possibilities that are in front of you. You won’t hear opportunity knocking if you’re too busy listening to sulking. Decide to be happy no matter what life has given you or sends your way.

Step 2: Have a vision for your dreams

Once you are committed to being happy, your brain will start believing that good things can happen. You will start seeing where you want to be, and how it is possible to have your wishes come true. You will have a clear picture of what you want, and you will have something concrete to go after. Part of making your wishes come true is knowing what you wish for.
If you’re struggling to create a clear vision of what you want in life, try using the Social Construction of Reality theory. This concept, created by Berger and Luckman in 1966, suggests that our entire human experience is shaped by seven categories of existence.

• Socialization (the people around us)
• Institutions (the organizations we associate with)
• Language (the type of speech we use)
• Knowledge (the things we know)
• Habits (the things we regularly do)
• Reification (the objects we surround ourselves with)
• Legitimation (the principles we use to validate ourselves)

You can create a vision for your dreams by answering questions that help you evaluate these essential areas of your life. Ask yourself:

• Who am I socializing with when my wishes become reality?
• What institutions am I a part of when my dreams have come true?
• What is the language I am using? What words and sentences am I saying when my dreams have come true?
• What is the knowledge I have when I have achieved my dreams?
• What habits am I employing when my dreams have come true?
• What are the "things" around me when my dreams come true?
• How do I really know to trust that this is my dream and that it is coming true?
Once you are able to answer those questions, you will have a roadmap of how to grant your own wishes and can move on to step 3.

Step 3: Bring your vision to the present.

After you’ve got a clear vision of what you want to do, be, see, feel, have, put your energy toward bringing it to the present. If you want to find Prince Charming, open your eyes and start looking for him in this moment. If you want to go back to school, get the admissions materials right now. Start turning your wish from something in your mind to something you can grasp.
You are your own genie in the bottle, your own fairy godmother. You know what you want and you are in control of making your wishes come true.

Latest Testimonial- Jump on Aymee's Happiness Bandwagon!

Jump on Aymee's happiness bandwagon! After training with her that's what I would definitely recommend! She gave me a new lease on life, she uses an array of amazing techniques that will get you there too, and put a smile on your face. If 'never a dull moment' is what you are aspiring to, don't wait!

Philippe Ney, Screen Writer
Los Angeles

MAKE ME HAPPY STORE!

Visit our store http://www.cafepress.com/make_me_happy and shop till you drop! Please pass this along to your social network, we are targeting those who would want to have a say about what goes on TV (family programming) and those who want to see the world a happier place.

Thank you for your support

The Power of Feeling Beautiful

“Beauty is power; a smile is its sword.”
-- John Ray (English naturalist and botanist, 1627-1705)


Beauty and power. These are two words that are not discussed explicitly in our society but that still define it more than anything else. Think of any magazine cover, any runway show, any television commercial. We are conditioned to believe that beauty is something to aspire to and power is its great reward. In reality, though, falling for society’s beauty mandate may actually be robbing you of the power you already have.

We are not born with this idea of being powerful, nor are we born with the sense of feeling beautiful. Power and beauty are concepts we learn, and as much as we give attention to where we are lacking in them, we should also give attention to where we are excelling in them. We have to cultivate our power and our sense of beauty, but we can only do so if we give ourselves permission to love who we are.

We all know beauty is on the inside, but what does that mean? Beauty consists of happiness, confidence, kindness, love, compassion, gratitude, optimism, good health, self-esteem, self-respect, and self care. All of these characteristics lead to personal power and allow you to feel good, vital and full of zest.

For a minute, close your eyes and concentrate on how kind you are, how much love you share, the compassion you feel for others. Acknowledge your good health, your positive attitude, your willingness to share a smile. Honoring those aspects of beauty within you will help you realize your beautiful impact on the rest of the world.

Feeling beautiful starts with a decision to be beautiful, no matter how you look.

Empower yourself! Go to the mirror right now, look deeply into your eyes and put your hand on your heart. When you can feel your heartbeat, tell yourself how truly beautiful you look right now and how beautiful you have always been and always will be. Let yourself really feel that sense of beauty inside.

Then, go outside and use your power for good.

More info on how to make your body happy!

http://www.livevideo.com/video/F0AF0B355815483A91052FCA03FC1BFF/detox-cleanse-weight-loss-diet.aspx

3 Secrets for Aspirational Acceptance

One of the most basic human needs is companionship. We are people people, social creatures, and we need to feel accepted by others. The same desire that left you with baited breath during elementary school kick ball, when captains were picking teams, is still with you as an adult. It is a deep part of your psyche, and something that will be with you forever. But having the desire to belong doesn’t necessarily get you acceptance.

The only prerequisite to a sense of belonging is accepting yourself entirely. If we don’t accept ourselves, we won’t be able to recognize what it feels like to be accepted by others. Find out if you are accepting yourself with these evaluations.


1. Assess negative self-talk.

Pay attention to what you say to yourself when you make a mistake. Watch your tone of the voice. Is it condescending? Do you say things like:
• "How many times do you have to make that mistake?"
• "You are so stupid!"
• "You can’t do anything right!"
A lot of us share a tendency to be hard on ourselves in this way, but we all have the ability to get a handle on this inner critic and find self-acceptance.


2. Keep a positive self-talk journal.

To convert your harsh inner critic into something positive, try keeping a positive self-talk journal. Invest in a small spiral notebook bound at the side, and any time you have a negative thought about yourself, write it down on the left hand page. The left side is dedicated to the inner critic.
Then convert what the inner critic says into the opposite and write it down on the right hand page. This positive inner voice is what I call the inner colleague.

Keeping a positive self-talk journal requires persistence, diligence and commitment. Bring that memo pad everywhere you go and convert negative thoughts as they arise. Immediately, on the spot, write it down and convert it right there.


3. Every night, review what your inner colleague had to say.

At the end of the day, read through the right hand side of your notebook. Listen to your inner colleague and her affirmations in your mind as you drift off to sleep and let your subconscious build her presence.
If you diligently study your inner monologue for three months, your inner critic will disappear and be replaced with your inner colleague. You will feel love, respect and appreciation for yourself, and that will allow others to feel love, respect and appreciation for you. Acceptance starts with you.

latest testimonial....

I really enjoyed doing Happiness Coaching with Aymee and I learned a lot from her and about myself. I really like her well rounded approach of body, mind and soul and she has a lot of happiness tools that really work. I love the Reiki. While I have not reached Aymee’s happiness level I bounce back much quicker from setbacks that I did before I started coaching with Aymee and I am very happy with my results. Happiness is a choice but not always an easy one, but making the choice gets easier with practice.

Aymee is the happiness expert! She truly embodies Happiness.

Ann

What is a Happiness Makeover?

What is a Mind-Body-Spirit Happiness Makeover?

GOAL: To heal the past wounds and programming that lead to unhappiness and build an understanding of how to be happy no matter what. In other words to get the client to a "10" in wellness with mind, body and spirit and understand how they can sustain that feeling of being a "10" forever. The client will learn how to sustain their own happiness for the rest of their life, their happiness is no longer dependent on people, places, things, circumstances or their genetic predisposition for happiness.

TIME REQUIREMENT: 3 months, 1 hour/week, or anytime with a happiness challenge

The length of a MBS happiness makeover is three months. Every week for one hour the client will meet with Aymee for a formal coaching session. Yet calls in between the one week meetings are encouraged for times when the client is experiencing a happiness challenge. (A happiness challenge is a person, place, think, or circumstance that aims to create unhappiness for the client) Aymee accepts calls twenty four hours a day seven days a week for these happiness challenges.

FORMAT: Mind, Body, Spirit

Every other week Aymee will alternate between focusing on the mind and the spirit. Throughout the three months, the client agrees to terms about making their body happier which will be explained later.

MIND –POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY & OTHER WISDOM FROM SUSTAINABLE HAPPINESS EXPERTS

Training the mind is the focus during the coaching sessions. Aymee identifies the client's beliefs and thoughts that are leading them to be unhappy. Then Aymee uses scientifically proven techniques with the client to improve their happiness. She helps them develop a solid foundation to uphold their happiness no matter what person, place, thing or circumstance. She also teaches her clients different tools they can implement in order to deal with the every day happiness challenges. Aymee's focus during these sessions is to create a sense of Eudaimonic happiness through developing each clients understanding of their authenticity, strengths, meaning in life and sense of purpose.

BODY – NUTRITIONAL CLEANSING & EXERCISE

The client agrees to enter into a 90 day nutritional cleanse. This molecular cleanse cleans the body of toxicity on a molecular level and replenishes the body with what it requires for optimal functioning. Through this process the body's brain chemistry comes into balance. Depending on the need of the client, the program can be geared toward losing weight in addition to the releasing of toxins, optimal nourishment, and brain chemistry balance. The product line of ISAGENIX is used to achieve the goals of the body element to the program. The client agrees to perform at least 20 minutes of exercise on a daily basis.

SPIRIT – REIKI HEALINGS & REIKI ATTUNEMENTS

The client agrees to learn reiki as a self-healing system. Reiki is a form of spiritual healing and spiritual practice proposed for the treatment of physical, emotional, mental and spiritual diseases. Mikao Usui developed Reiki in early 20th century Japan, where he claimed to receive the ability of 'healing without energy depletion' after three weeks of fasting and meditating on Mount Kurama. Practitioners use a technique similar to the laying on of hands, in which they claim to be channels for energy ("Ki") guided by a universal spirit or spiritual nature ("Rei") — flowing through their palms to heal a person wherever they may need healing. The client will receive three reiki attunements where the client will enter 3 21-day energetic cleansing periods where the chakas of the system will be cleansed and as a result the client's self-awareness will increase and past traumas are healed.

Three steps to YOUR "Best Year Ever!"

Imagine you are waking up with a smile on your face feeling fresh and excited to start the day! The smell in the air is like a fresh meadow and the temperature outside is perfect. You say to yourself "Today is the happiest day of my life!" and then you jump up with your fist in the air and exclaim, "I AM HAPPY!" Then you are so exhilarated by your dreams of what gifts today may bring, you do it again, because it feels so good… You jump up with your fist exerting in the air toward the ceiling and you exclaim, "I AAAMMMM HHHHHHHAAAAAPPPPYYY!!!!!!"

WOW!

That feeling is possible! You absolutely can have that as the beginning of your day if you choose it. The only thing keeping you from what I just explained above if your decision to actually say to yourself "Today is the happiest day of my life." Everyday and it is your decision to jump up with your hand in the air exclaiming, "I AM HAPPY!"

Now it may seem weird and way to simple just to do this for your happiness. The happiness deep in your soul likes it simple in fact. I have studied sustainable happiness from a variety of worldly people and science so these happiness exercises are credible. Plus I have a thriving coaching practice in San Francisco where I teach sustainable happiness. For those skeptics, I am going to have to ask you, "Don't knock it till you try it." More than likely you are not happy anyway.

One of my mentors, Robert Mueller, PhD, < http://www.robertmuller.org/ > (Former Assistant Secretary General of the UN, Nobel Peace Prize nominee nineteen times) told me that he felt that happiness saved his life in a Nazi Death camp because he said to himself "Today is the happiest day of my life." Just by setting the intention that today is in fact the happiest day of your life it very well could be!

The "I AM HAPPY!" exercise came from my mentorship with a Swami named Jinendra < http://jinendra.org/ > who's job title is Messenger of Sustainable Happiness. Jinendra's focus in sustainable happiness is on the physiological effect so when you jump up with your fist in the air saying "I am Happy!" then you will feel a very "happy" sensation in your body thus preparing you to experience a deep happiness that day. Also creating this level of zest is supported by the positive psychology movement because they say that zest as a strength is highly related with happiness.

Stop thinking happiness is out there in a person, place, thing or circumstance and start taking responsibility for your happiness and you will therefore in deed have the best year ever!

First we need to achieve happiness in ourselves and then the best year ever can be our experience. In 2005, a study from the University of California in Davis compiled all of the empirically demonstrated benefits of what a happiness experiences in life: more money, deeper love, greater success, optimal health, and greater sense of fulfillment. Achievement of happiness in your life consistently is what brings all of the things that you think comprise your best year ever.

So when you are inspired for to create your new years resolutions, allow yourself to choose happiness < http://happinessclub.com/pages/decision.html > in every moment and watch all of the benefits follow. Thanks to the happiness club who supplies a certificate for us to sign to actually make that decision to take responsibility for your happiness.

It starts with three steps every morning:

1) Choose happiness

2) Say to yourself, "Today is the happiest day of my life."

3) Zestfully jump up and exert your fist in the air exclaiming "IIII AAMMM HHHAAAPPPYY!"

I guaruntee happiness for the rest of your life with my 3 month MIND, BODY, & SPIRIT Happiness Makeover!

It turns out that my 3 month MIND-BODY-SPIRIT Sustainable Happiness program has been getting unprecedented results! At this point, the longest my teaching has been able to sustain someone's happiness is one year and three months! I know this because I have a research team following my clients to see exactly how long I can say I can sustain someone's happiness. At this point, Positive Psychology researchers can not sustain happiness for longer than three months so my work is getting unprecedented results! If you sign up for this program, and follow my leadership, you will have unwavering happiness for the rest of your life! No matter what! No matter if you are going through a divorce, having a bad day at work or whatever! Yes! I am guaranteeing your happiness for the rest of your life or your money back! I know it sounds too good to be true, look at my testimonials! This is not a joke. I have a spiritual calling to help millions of people live happier lives and it turns out I found the formula to accomplish it! Email me for a free consultation.

latest testimonial....

Happiness Coaching showed me that the answer to every question is always right here in my heart! I am attuned to the singing in my heart, my happiness, and now feel the subtle yet rich nuances in my life that I might have before ignored. Aymee has committed her life to the pursuit of happiness for all and I am infinitely wiser from my work with her. I recommend Aymee's Happiness Coaching to everyone who feels they have a purpose driven life; happiness is where it's at.

Daniel Levin, Consultant

latest testimonial, I am really feeling a sense of fulfillment...

As a happiness coach, Aymee Coget gets to the root of problems and works with the client to deal with the identified problems directly, head on, and get through it, by giving them skills and tools that will help them throughout their lives.

Working with Aymee won't just go into talking about the past, being sad about it, no progress, but being completely proactive in doing something about it, happiness is the goal and she won't accept anything less. As she stresses, life is now, it is whatever you make it out to be, the choice is yours, and she gives her clients the confidence to look within themselves to make a change and take control of their lives.

Each session with Aymee begins with her asking where you are now, and what challenges have recently come up, then she goes right into it, by clearly and directly addressing the problems, all the while with you, not talking at you, but guiding you along with real life tools to deal with the problems. I have been surprised at times at how quickly Aymee gets to the core of a problem, dismantles it, and has such confidence in me doing the same because she is with me 100% of the way, not just talking at me, but actually walking through various scenarios and how these tools would be applied. I absolutely recommend Aymee's Happiness coaching to everyone, no matter what problems arise, I have complete confidence that Aymee has the tools, optimism, and cheerful smile to handle it.

- Anonymous

REAL happiness during the holidays

I am so excited, I just can't hide it! A few people in my coaching practice have started to mention how they are concerned about their happiness during the holidays. This made me think, hey! If they are feeling this then so are many others! To combat this world wide angst around the holidays, I am offering a one time only teleseminar series on how you can be happy during the holidays no matter what your circumstances!



In the seminar that is easily a phone call away, you will learn the real fundamentals of happiness and how to be happy in the highest of family drama or even unwanted break-ups. I will also teach you tools from the new science of happiness, positive psychology, we can employ which will boost our happiness at any given time. If you are experiencing that angst yourself of if you know someone, imagine what it would be like if you had a deep inner contentment that offered you a real sense of holiday 'cheer'!



This leap towards sustaining your own happiness during the holidays is really a new idea because usually we look to people, places and things for our happiness because that was what we were taught. It was not until psychology shifted its attention to focus on what is good about us that we even knew we could cultivate that happiness if we knew exactly what to do. The trouble is where do we find this information?



We can go to the nearest book store and find all of the latest books on happiness written by academic researchers. We could meditate on a mountain in the Himalayas. We could sit on Harvard's Happiness class via the internet. We could do endless research looking for the real answers about happiness.



OR….



you could pick up the phone for two hours a week for four weeks.



Trust me, I take people from feeling miserable to experiencing a happiness they never thought possible and this could be you!



I am going to divulge some of my most powerful techniques so you can rest assured you will see results, real happiness this holiday season. However it takes a big leap of faith because you will be taking responsibility for your own happiness and not looking for it elsewhere. Have you noticed that putting the responsibility of your happiness on some one, place or thing does not lead to true happiness? No one person, place or thing knows exactly what you need for your own sustainable happiness.



What do I mean anyway, when I say 'sustainable happiness' this is a type of happiness that positive psychologists refer to as eudaimonic happiness.



Eudaimonic is broken down in Greek/ Latin terms



Eu = good

daimon = spirit

ic = nature of

Nature of a good spirit

This type of happiness really feels like an unwavering inner contentment that has three major tenets: authenticity, knowing and using your strengths and feeling a sense of meaning and purpose.



Can any person place of thing tell you if you are being authentic, using your strengths or feeling a sense of meaning or purpose? No way! Only you can… so this means you have no other choice to than to teach yourself how to achieve this happiness.



Please try something new this holiday season, learn how to be happy instead of expecting it is going to be a gift you unwrap this holiday season.



Register here for the teleseminar series called "Sustainable Happiness Secrets for the Holidays"

http://makemehappyteleseminar.eventbrite.com/

Latest Testimonial - Wow! I'm Blushing again

After hearing a radio interview featuring Aymee Coget that really intrigued me, I decided to become a client. What caught my attention was her statement about “incubating happiness” and that she could help people create sustainable happiness for themselves. If you make a commitment to do all the things Aymee says and you also tune into her energy frequency, you will find yourself shifting perspectives and learning how to take charge of your own happiness in a very powerful way. In fact, it’s the only truly effective way to go generating your own happiness if you want long term results. Aymee’s enthusiastic and positive outlook is infectious and her bright spirit is deeply rooted in gratitude. As she helps you to come back to your own inner light and authenticity, you will experience a delightful slow and steady burn . . . one that is meant for you to honor and celebrate and of course . . . to pass on to others. Thank you Aymee for your wonderful work!

Rachelle Lamb

President

Mindful Communication

Sustainable Happiness gets Noticed!

I am now blogging for Yahoo! Health! Check out my article there now!

AND

I am working with People Jam, an LA-based company that promotes coaches and experts. Yeah! I am their resident Happiness Expert! Visit www.peoplejam.com.

AND

I co-host a LIVE CALL-IN internet radio show with Dr. Bob Nozik, another sustainable happiness expert. The show is called "Make Me Happy!" and airs every Friday at Happy Hour from 4-5 pm PT. We interview other sustainable happiness experts and more! Visit www.adviceradio.com to listen to the show or the podcast if you miss the live taping. The call-in number is 800-405-6425.

AND

Stay tuned! My videos will be featured at a new Internet TV station called The Manifest Station, which is a station devoted to the Enlightenment of others and features Neal Donald Walsh, Deepak Chopra and David Lynch!

AND FINALLY...

Keep your eyes and ears open for my upcoming teleseminar series on "REAL happiness for the holidays!" Anyone in the world can attend!

Latest Testimonial - Wow! I'm Blushing...

Aymee must be another word for "angel," which to me means a messenger of divine truth. My intuition alerted me when I received an emailed petition to get more happiness on TV, originated by Aymee, a complete stranger to me at that time. I signed the petition, clicked on the link to her website, and got chills when she spoke of her work. She even LOOKED like an angel! I immediately contacted her and set up a phone meeting. The conversation evolved into her telling me about a nutritional program, Isagenix, with which one of her clients experienced dramatic results in conjunction with her work with Aymee. THAT WAS IT! My intuition "zinged" me again, and a little while later, thanks to her follow up, I started that program.

My body, mind and spirit transformed dramatically on so many levels just through using Isagenix, but there was still some hurdle I couldn't identify. Aymee, no doubt sensing it was time to deliver her next message to profoundly impact my life, called one day to touch base. When I shared with her this sense of a blockage, she emphatically suggested I "JUST DO IT!" meaning receive her coaching. She said assisting in the release of "blocks" was her specialty. Honestly, I figured I owed it to HER, since she'd been instrumental in sharing what had had such great impact on the improvement of my life in so many ways. So...I said yes! "Oh ye of little faith" comes to mind. How could I have doubted how impactful this work would be? She'd already delivered a "message" of such HUGE impact! Thank God for her persistence!

Through her firm and loving guidance, and...oh my GOD, her REIKI work, I experienced phenomenal release and empowerment. Clarity came to me through visions during and after our Reiki attunements, and profound symbolic dreams left me feeling not just happiness, but pure unadulterated JOY! It's as if she sowed seeds in my subconscious, that continue to germinate in new and beautiful ways...even now that our weekly sessions are done. The work keeps on blessing me.

My life will never be the same, and I am so much further along in my path to achieving the greatness for which I always knew I was destined. Shackles have been removed, and my heart smiles with gratitude every day. Words cannot do justice in describing the impact Aymee's appearance into my life has had. She is a true conduit of divine inspiration for me. And...after reading about angels in Wikipedia...I'm relatively convinced she really is an angel, whether she knows it or not!

Aymee, thank you for ASKING me to do your coaching program. You're truly an instrument of peace and so much more in my life.

With sincerest gratitude,

Karolynn Davis

In November this video will accompany my new blog on yahoo!

Good news! I was asked to blog for yahoo health on Sustainable Happiness! The video above was produced by a fantastic company named Capessa. This company gathers footage of women who have overcome a challenge and can now teach a lesson. They supply content for yahoo health so this video will accompany my new blog in the Mind & Mood section on yahoo starting in November! YEAH!!!!

If you want to view more videos where I give one minute lessons on happiness then visit video.google.com and search 'aymee coget'

Let me know what you think!

Canada beats U.S. in global happiness index

Canada beats U.S. in global happiness index

Updated Mon. Sep. 3 2007 7:29 AM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

We might be worried about how our loonie is doing, or our vanishing manufacturing sector, but overall Canada is doing well on the global "happiness index" created by a European academic.

Ruut Veenhoven, who created the World Database of Happiness in 1999, now lists 95 countries in his intricately crafted tables.

Canada has a score of 7.6 on the index, compared to the United States' 7.4 score. We're ninth overall in the world, and the U.S. is down at 17th place.

The top rated countries are: Denmark (8.2) and Switzerland (8.1), followed by Colombia, Austria, Iceland, Finland, Australia, Sweden, and then Canada.

Tanzania, by contrast, received a score of only 3.2.

Veenhoven says all countries in the top group scored closely, with the differences small.

"All these countries in the top are Western and they're rich," Veenhoven told CTV.ca in a phone interview from Rotterdam. "They're democratic, and they have a lot of gender equality and are fairly tolerant."

Veenhoven says his work is motivated by a desire to promote happiness. To do that, he needs to define happiness and learn what makes people happy.

"My definition of happiness is how much you like the life you live. That's something you know. And that's something you can measure by asking people, and of course you must do that in a systematic way," he said.

So Veenhoven bases much of his study on anonymous questionnaires. But self-reporting can be notoriously inaccurate; for example, drug addicts, by their own measure, would likely say they are always happy. So the index also uses more measures. For Veenhover's research, the three major factors contributing to happiness are:

1. The quality of society at large -- the main focus of Veenhover's research.

2. The quality of the organizations where we work -- how good your employer is for you, and how nice school is for your children.

3. Personal choices and variations. "Some people make more out of life than others," Veenhoven says.

While the scores for the top-ranking nations were tight, Veenhoven says there are some big differences. Adequate social programs, for example, lead to happiness, though not absolutely. Veenhoven found that citizens are no more satisfied in welfare states than in purer free-market economies.

"In the beginning, I didn't believe my eyes,'' said Veenhoven of his data. "Icelanders are just as happy as Swedes, yet their country spends half what Sweden does (per capita) on social welfare,'' he said.

Typically, people are happier when they have choices.

"In Saudi Arabia, they're very rich but choice is rather limited and as a result, people are less happy than equally rich countries," Veenhoven says.

The freedom factor

Individualistic cultures, such as Canada, bring about more satisfaction than collectivistic cultures, such as Japan, which received a score of 6.2, tied with Uzbekistan. Veenhoven believes lack of freedom of choice is the biggest factor. While Japanese culture is becoming a more individualistic society, it isn't there yet.

"Freedom of choice is particularly relevant. If we get stuck in a way of life that makes us unhappy and then we have a way out, we can leave an unhappy marriage. Divorce is no fun but you can get out. And you can also leave unsatisfying jobs. In collectivistic cultures, it's less possible."

Spirituality can lead to happiness, though again, it's not a hard and fast rule. Veenhoven found that nations in which citizens are religious are typically slightly happier. For example, previous research in the U.S. has shown that religious individuals are happier than non-religious individuals.

"That's not reproduced in Denmark and the Netherlands," he says. "So it's not a universal pattern that people are happier than when they're members of the church and when they're religious."

He says that if you look closer at the relationship between happiness and religion in the U.S., the strongest correlation is with membership of church and church attendance, not so much with religious practices such as praying.

"So I think it's typically the social effects of church that accounts for the greater happiness."

The growing field of happiness

Veenhoven believes that happiness measures are catching on, and he is now one of many academics who try to gauge the health of a nation by its happiness score.

Recently, the OECD (Organization of Economic Ccooperation and Development) held a conference called "Is happiness measurable and what do those measures mean for policy?" looking at the determinants of happiness and the methodology issues in satisfaction measurement. Veenhoven was one of the participants.

He notes that organizations like the OECD are now thinking beyond the traditional measures of GNP and economic growth, and looking more at individuals and what makes them satisfied.

"Increasingly, there's an interest in happiness," he says. "It's just the beginning."

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TOP NATIONS (Top 14 out of 95)

· DENMARK 8.2 (rank 1)

· SWITZERLAND 8.1 (tied, rank 2-3)

· COLOMBIA 8,1 (rank 2-3)

· AUSTRIA 8.,0 (rank 4)

· ICELAND 7.8 (rank 5)

· FINLAND 7.7 (tied, rank 6-8)

· AUSTRALIA 7.7 (rank 6-8)

· SWEDEN 7.7 (rank 6-8)

· CANADA 7.6 (tied, rank 9-14)

· GUATEMALA 7.6 (rank 9-14)

· IRELAND 7.6 (rank 9-14)

· LUXEMBOURG 7.6 (rank 9-14)

· MEXICO 7.6 (rank 9-14)

· NORWAY 7.6 (rank 9-14)

(The U.S.A. has a rating of 7.4, with an overall rank of 17)

BOTTOM 5 NATIONS

· ARMENIA 3.7 (rank 91)

· UKRAINE 3.6 (rank 92)

· MOLDOVA 3.5 (rank 92)

· ZIMBABWE 3.3 (rank 94)

· TANZANIA 3.2 (rank 95)