The author of Authentic Happiness (Martin Segliman, 2002) recounts how, after a dispute over whether happiness comes from having fun or from showing kindness, he gave his students an assignment to explore the question. They were to “engage in one pleasurable activity and one philanthropic activity, and write about both.” The results were life-changing. The afterglow of the ‘pleasurable’ activity (hanging out with friends, or watching a movie, or eating a hot fudge sundae) paled in comparison with the effects of the kind action.
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