SUNY Oneonta professor looks to bring cheer on World Happy Day

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February 2, 2012

By Shirley O'Shea Contributing Writer The Daily Star Thu Feb 02, 2012, 02:30 AM EST

Contrary to prevailing wisdom, there may be a few simple keys to happiness.

Karen Henry, an adjunct lecturer in the psychology department at the State University College at Oneonta, will present a film and program about happiness as part of World Happy Day on Feb. 11.

Henry, who also has a private practice as a life coach in Cooperstown, is a student and practitioner of positive psychology, a subfield of psychology that explores what makes people happiest. And Henry said it isn't the usual suspects of money, possessions and fame.

With economic and political turmoil simmering, it may seem that human happiness is in short supply.

Henry said Tuesday that achieving happiness is a matter of "a shift in thinking toward our strengths" and having good relationships with other people.

When people talk about their day-to-day experiences, Henry said, they tend to be "positive and hopeful." While negative events on the world stage may find their way into conversations, people usually revert to talking about "what's good in their lives," Henry said.

Maintaining that focus on the good is the core of positive psychology, an area of study in which Henry became engaged as a graduate student. Henry said she has taught courses in positive psychology at SUNY Oneonta for four semesters.

Henry will screen "Happy," a documentary film about what creates happiness, at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 11 in Lee Hall on the college campus. A discussion will follow the film. The event is free and open to the public.

According to Henry, the film will be shown at 157 locations on that date. The producers of the film decided to dub Feb. 11 World Happy Day to draw attention to the large number of virtually simultaneous screenings of the film around the world.

"Happy" was directed by Roko Belic and developed under the not-for-profit Creative Visions Foundation, a media release said.

Henry said the movie "is very compelling because it takes you inside and out of places where you wouldn't expect people to be happy."

However, many of the people on which the film focuses are content with themselves and their lives, she said.

Henry said the movie "was many years in the making" and "showcases research in happiness studies."

The ideas of positive psychology are featured in the film, Henry said.

Henry said she is showing "Happy" as a thank-you gift to the SUNY Oneonta community. According to the release, Henry's private practice is subsidizing the $200 cost to show the film.

"Oneonta has some of the most amazing, loving and caring students I've ever met," she said in an e-mail. "I'm always moved deeply by their capacity to make a positive difference in people's lives."

The college's Psychology Club will sell refreshments at the screening as a fundraiser for their activities.