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Elena Hoffman
Prof. Kay Flewelling
Humanities II
Feb-March 2014
Happiness Journal
-Conclusion/Analysis on Personal Pursuit of Happiness
Observation Journal (7 February 2014)
My research question for the Personal Pursuit of Happiness activity/experiments that we
did in class this week was: Which of these (I planned out a different activity for each day of the
week) increased my inner peace/happiness, and which did not? Compare the moods that each
activity brings me. My hypothesis was: I predict that Wednesdays activities (to sit back on a
bench and either nap, blog, or read) will bring me the most peace, because I am allowing myself
to select the activity based on my mood, and doing each of those brings me tranquility and makes
me placid (in the moment). Theyre short term happiness triggers.
What I expected would happen (my hypothesis), did actually occur for the most part. I
decided to repeat Wednesdays plan on Friday, except I changed the specific activity I did while
on the bench. On Wednesday I read, and on Friday I more or less wasted time (I played Flappy
Birds, scrolled through pictures on Instagram, and looked through my Tumblr dashboard). I was
surprised to find that I actually had a better/more enjoyable and peaceful time on Wednesday
than I did on Friday. My reasoning for this is that I am a very busy person. If Im not doing
something that is on my list of priorities, I tend to stress and panic that I will not do my duties. I
will get absolutely nothing in life from beating my high score in Flappy Birds, liking a picture on

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Instagram, or reblogging a post on Tumblr, which is why as I did all these things, I was
constantly asking myself if I should put down my cellphone and just catch up on chemistry
homework. Wednesday on the other hand, was different. One of this weeks indication items is
our January Book Assignment, and as of Wednesday I hadnt finished reading my book. This
meant that even though I was doing something somewhat lazy and pleasant, I was also crossing
off one item off my to do list (for homework), so I was at greater peace knowing I was being
productive.
An inference I can make from the occurrences of this week is I like to keep myself busy,
and that I value long term happiness over short term. Im happiest most when Im working up to
something that I believe will eventually bring me happiness. What I need to find is something
that can bring me short term happiness in the moment and also bring my long term happiness in
the future. I suppose reading a book for homework can be one example. It gives you pleasure as
you read it, but youre also working to finish an assignment which can help result in a good
grade. I would be interested in finding other activities that can bring me short term and long term
happiness in correlation. Taking an easy jog with music can be another example. It brings me
peace and serenity in the moment, but it also helps keep me in shape so I can become a healthier
person and runner.
-Philosophy of Happiness from Movie of Choice
Research Journal (3 March 2014)
(Its format is different than the other journal entries because it had to be printed like that).

13 Going on 30 (2004)

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Jenna Rink is an unpopular 13 year old girl who
wishes she could be thirty, flirty, and thriving. After
the popular girls in her school ditch her birthday party,
she furiously blames her best friend Matt for being the
reason they left, and after yelling at him to leave, she
sits in her closet and repeatedly wishes she could be
thirty, flirty, and thriving. To her surprise, she
suddenly wakes up seventeen years later in a 5th
Avenue apartment and finds out that is what she is.
After getting over the initial shock that she is no longer
13, Jenna begins to make the most of her new dream
life. Unfortunately, Jenna starts to realize that the
person she has become is untrustable, unliked, and
detestable, and after a series of unfortunate events,
realizes the things she wanted so badly are irrelevant,
and wishes she could be 13 again so she could have the
opportunity to make things right. She then wakes up
back in her closet as a 13 year old, and 17 years later,
she is happily newly wed to Matt.
The philosophy presented in this movie has many aspects. The happiness wrought from
materialistic things is simply an illusion. One can find true happiness in the ambience of those
they love, and in the little things. You must live every moment to its fullest and trust in fate and
its plan for your future. We must treat others with kindness, compassion, love, trust, friendliness,
and fairness/justice, for this will not only contribute towards our own happiness, but it will
improve the quality and success of our own lives. People will treat you the way you treat them.
I was able to find connections between 13 Going on 30s philosophy and the philosophies of Lao
Tzu, Aristotle, and Bertrand Russell. 13 Going on 30s philosophy is alike Lao Tzus in that they
believe we must not attempt to change what is out of our control, and through accepting the way
things are, we will obtain tranquility and happiness. Aristotles philosophy is that happiness is
achieved through a life of rational activity that expresses virtue. In 13 Going on 30, we see that
Jenna leads a life filled with more vices than virtues, and we ultimately see how miserable this
ends up making her. However, when she attempts to do turn things around and do whats right,
we see her happiness significantly increase. 13 Going on 30 is also similar to Russells
philosophy in that even the little things can bring us happiness; for example Jennas and Matts
love for a type of candy called Razzles. Russells philosophy states that we must find genuine
pleasure in the individual traits of others for it will help us become happier and friendlier people,
and when Jenna began to do this, she was not only happier, but treated much better by the people
in her life.

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References:
13 Going on 30 (the movie)
Happiness Reader
My Reading Journals
Notes from Socratic Seminar
-Stress
Reflection Journal (11 February 2014)
When I experience stress, I feel panic and exhaustion. My body tenses up and I begin to
panic about whatever is stressing me out (for example if Im stressing out over a homework
assignment, Ill panic that I wont be able to complete it). I get tense because stress is the
opposite of being relaxed, and when a body tenses up it means it is anything but relaxed. My
internal monologue becomes very negative, and Ill lose hope that Ill accomplish my goals.
There are a variety of ways that people can tell if Im stressed out. I may lose my patience with
others, and treat them badly as a response. On occasion Ill zone out and not put my full attention
into my surroundings as my thoughts will be solely focused on my stress. I have been so-so
about handling stress this year. I try to run once a day when possible, but that really only relieves
the stress of the school day. Ill go home, begin homework, and get stressed again, and at this
point I usually do nothing. Sometimes Ill eat a piece of dessert in an attempt to cheer myself up,
but sometimes Ill just stress out further concerned about my health and weight. I am in
desperate need to learn a productive way to handle my negative emotions in front of others,
because I have been unable to do so till this very day, and it brings a hindrance between myself
and the people I love. Our relationships will slowly corrode as no one wants to spend time with
someone thats only going to bring down their mood as well. It makes me sad to think that one
day, I might be left friendless. A situation in which I experienced a large quantity of stress was

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during the project we are currently working on in math. Ive been experiencing a lot of stress in
this project, and have lost plenteous hours of sleep staying up late at night to work on it. Last
night I was so tired, that I decided I would email Kolina and ask her for an extension. I explained
why I needed one, and she gladly gave me the extension. Calming down and paying attention to
my bodys needs helped me in this situation, and it is something I need to do more often.
-Stress
Observation Journal (21 February 2014)
Location: My bed, which is located in my bedroom in my house.
Date: The nights of February 18-21
Time: 5-6 hours

Question: What happens when I actually sleep at night?

Hypothesis: I predicted that I would feel more energized and would be able to work more
productively as Id be more awake and alert. I also would be able to refrain from dozing off in
class.

Data Analysis:
My plan for the nights of February 18-21 was to sleep at least six hours a night (from
midnight to six AM). I attempted to complete as much Indication Items as possible during the
four day weekend in order to not have too much homework during the week, which would allow
me to go to sleep earlier. I attempted productivity during the evenings on school nights by
plugging in my cellphone in my room and doing homework elsewhere so that I wouldnt get
distracted by it. During the first two nights of the week, I went to sleep at midnight regardless of

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how much homework I had left. However, I was forced to prioritize my homework the last two
nights of the week, as some of it was math homework that was due the next day (as opposed to
Humanities or Chemistry homework that I just wanted to get out of the way). Because of this, I
ended up only receiving five hours of sleep each of these nights. One of the nights, I drank some
caffeinated tea prior to going to bed, and this kept me up awake in bed for over an hour.
To be completely honest, I did not notice any major long term changes in my body. There
were still classes/periods that Id doze off in, and I didnt necessarily feel as though I could think
or focus better as I had previously anticipated. While it didnt provide any meaningful long term
changes, going to sleep earlier did feel relaxing in the moment. There is no feeling quite like
tucking yourself into bed after a long day, and it definitely beats trying to stay awake to finish
reading philosophy. However, I did not feel any different waking up after six hours of sleep than
I would if I had only slept five.

Conclusion/Analysis:
Going to sleep earlier was definitely nice in the moment, I will not deny that. When I did
not have homework to complete, it felt highly tranquil and relaxing. However, especially after
the first two nights, I was faced with the following option: go to sleep, and then wake up in the
morning stressed out because I didnt finish all my homework, or keep myself awake and stress
out, but in the very least complete my homework. I was going to have to choose stress either
way, so I decided I might as well just complete my homework to keep my grades up. The lack of
physical changes in my body suggested to me that the amount of sleep I received a night really
did not majorly affect my feelings/actions.
My conclusion is this: Getting 6 hours of sleep a night is a wonderful way to obtain short
term happiness. Unfortunately, when faced with other obligations, it is not a priority. If I want to

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receive 6 hours of sleep a night, I will need to improve my time management during the
weekends so that I can complete as much homework as possible during them. Its all for a good
cause.