By DMA Sophomore Alexandra Kirby

In my sophomore year of high school, I signed up to take a course called Science of Happiness. In this class, I learned helpful tools to use in my everyday life going forward. I learned fun facts about our brain and how it tricks us into seeing and thinking certain things. All brains are different and therefore different things will make different people happy. Our brains make us think that certain things will make us happy, but when it comes down to it, they don’t. If I were to ask you right now what would make you happy, you would probably say a large amount of money, good grades, or society’s expectations of a “perfect body”. We learned that in the moment, these things would most likely make you happy, but no matter what, you will always want more. You just got a better job as the boss? Well now you can aim for being the boss’s boss. The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise. In this class we are taught to make memories and relish in the small moments that make us happy. We learn that not every piece of happiness has to do with big changes in your life like being the boss or getting plastic surgery, but the small things that we remember for the rest of our lives. Science of Happiness will teach you to be proud of where you are in your life right now, and to take advantage of the opportunities that are currently available to you. Science of Happiness will change the way you perceive happiness in many different ways.