Running Head : FINDING HAPPINESS 1 Finding Happiness : Tailoring Positive Activities for Optimal Well-Being Benefits

" We all live with the objective of being happy; our lives are all different and yet the same. " ~Anne Frank No matter how different people's lives – whether due to age, gender, culture, or life experience – the desire for happiness is widespread. Across cultures, the majority of people include happiness as one of their primary goals in life (Diener, 2000), and many seek ways to render themselves happier (Bergsma, 2008). Not surprisingly, the secrets of how to become happier and live a more fulfilling life have been topics of philosophical and lay interest for many years (Kesebir & Diener, 2008). However, the route to happiness may be different for each individual. With recent developments in the field of positive psychology, the question of how to become happier has become a topic of growing scientific interest but few have examined how individuals may differ in their pursuit of happiness. That being so, Anne Frank's recognition of the commonalities and differences in people's lives, as well as in the pursuit of happiness itself, points to important new directions for research.