Psychologists and psychiatrists have always traditionally worked to solve their patient's problems, but in the late 1990s psychologist Martin Seligman of the University of Pennsylvania encouraged colleagues in the profession to spend as much time as they do mental wellness as they do mental illness. An explosion of research into what causes happiness ensued.

As a result, there were a whopping 4,000 books on happiness published in 2008. Not all were academic works penned by professional psychologists; many were self-help books. All of the new research created a kind of happiness fad for writers and readers.

A recent article titled "The Pursuit of Happiness" appeared in the U.S.-based magazine Psychology Today. The article conveniently summarizes some of the bits of information that many psychologists believe are true concerning happiness.

On Mindfulness

When experiencing negative feelings like angry, sadness or anxiety, psychologists say you should be mindful of your feelings. Mindfulness is a mental state of relaxed awareness about your present negative emotion, in which you are honest with yourself and others and intellectually curious about what is causing your negative emotion. If this sounds like a cheap mind trick, just consider the opposite approach: a hothead who doesn't think about his problem but just feels, and perhaps drags others down by lashing out.