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What is a song that makes you happy?
-
Um, "Paris" by Magic Man
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[song]
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[laughter]
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Like Rocky
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[song]
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[laughter]
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Ironic
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Timer two minutes
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[phone - Siri (?)] Ok, two minutes counting
-
[laughter]
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Just you look, what a coincidence [?]
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Ok, can you introduce yourself please?
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To you or the camera?
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[Camera Person]
To me.
-
Ok
-
Um, I'm Mike Thomas, I'm a fifth year CS student
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and I just got out of a test
-
My name is Jeff [unintelligible],
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I was just walking around,
because I was here for a conference
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Happiness.. is... uh
-
You need a good place, spiritually
-
physically, emotionally...
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Being at a place you want to be in life.
-
It's being on a journey to that point where
-
you feel that sensation of being happy.
-
Having something to wake up in the morning for
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Fulfilment.
-
Like, not in a material way but a spiritual way.
-
When I feel something warm
-
inside of my heart,
-
like it just spreads out through my body
-
and then, like, something just releases
-
in the back of my brain and then
-
the smile comes out.
-
When you smile a lot
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and when you're, like,
-
surrounded by people that you love
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and that love you.
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Spending good quality time with friends.
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Family... friends...
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and just doing what you love.
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Mainly doing what you love.
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Doing what you enjoy
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for the most amount of time possible.
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Finding what you want
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and doing what you want.
-
[unintelligible - background noise]
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... a way to improve and move forward.
-
You're kind of content
-
with where you're at,
-
you're no longer constantly
-
thinking of the past or the future.
-
[Camera person] Do you guys have a song
-
that makes you happy right now?
-
Right now it's probably
-
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.
-
[plays song in background]
-
[Camera Person]
Is there something about, like,
-
drugs that make you happy?
-
Um not.. exactly.
-
It opens up your mind.
-
Nah really it just makes you [censored].
-
[laughs]
-
Makes you see cool [censored]
-
[song continues]
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God.
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Having a purpose.
-
Well, I think that it stems from
-
serotonine.
-
The creation of things
-
and as a computer scientist
-
I get to do that a lot,
-
like in a virtual environment.
-
And, um, it's the release of that
-
in my brain, or that and dopamine
-
are what makes me feel happy.
-
Trail running, climbing, being in the outdoors.
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Our startup now.
-
Doing something that I do well
-
and being surround by people that
-
encourage me to do those things.
-
You gotta have people around you.
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[Camera person]
Are you happy right now?
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[laughs] Yes.
-
[Camera person] You are?
-
Yeah.
-
[Camera person]
Why? What's going on right now?
-
Because this is a little absurd to me.
-
[Camera person]
This is absurd?
-
In the moment yeah it's a good day.
-
Um... I'm apathetic.
-
No.
-
We went for a walk
-
and the air outside feels good.
-
Yeah... I guess, yeah.
-
No.
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[Camera person] Why?
-
Um, because I'm uncomfortable.
-
Not currently, not where I want to be.
-
It's not super cold.
-
You know, cold is the opposite
of happiness.
-
And knowing that there is a God
and that we're living here
-
and make the most of our lives.
-
[Camera person]
What is a song that makes you happy?
-
Grace Kelly by Mika.
-
[Camera Person]
Can you sing a little bit for us?
-
No.
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[Camera person]
Ok.
-
But you should put it in the background
as I'm speaking, I promise you.
-
[song]
-
For me it's to bring value to the world.
the way that I want to do that is by
-
being an entrepreneur, so any opportunity
that I have to build something, to create
-
something, and it benefits other people,
it makes me happy, it makes me very happy.
-
To contribute and help anyone I can
and get to heaven.
-
Spread the love. I know that's a a cliche
but that's what it's all about, right?
-
To serve.
-
God put me on this earth
to make a difference.
-
To help children.
-
I don't serve with the intent of making
myself feel good.
-
I think being happy is one of them,
definitely.
-
Many of us don't realize that we're
not far from the situations that
-
we, um, tend to ignore, such as
homelessness.
-
Somehow, you know, just giving back
to society or the environment.
-
A gentleman was eating out of a trashcan
at Tech Square and
-
people, who I'm pretty sure have healthy
bank accounts, were walking past him
-
but I bought him a meal. It's my
responsibility as a human.
-
Got a solid education,
-
so getting a good job,
-
feeling like I'm making a difference.
-
I'm in financial planning
-
so I deal with a lot of individuals
-
and just make sure that
they have financial security.
-
I think also being a nurse and working
-
with, you know, people who are not
-
- they are not as fortunate, and
-
it makes you realize what you have and
-
what you could not have.
-
Right now, it's like the people you meet
-
not the grades you make.
-
What song?
-
[Camera Person]
Yeah
-
[Indistinguishable, Latin ] - it's a very good song
-
it has a lot of like meaning into the song
-
that brings out my inner happiness.
-
Should I try singing a little part to it?
-
[Camera Person]
You can if you want to.
-
[Off-pitch singing]
-
[Actual song]
-
Yeah that's like one little excerpt
-
I wouldn't consider myself a religious guy.
-
I think there's no point in life without
-
a religious explanation, really.
-
Like I said, my definition of happiness has
-
nothing to do with religion.
-
For some it gives them hope.
-
I was raised Jewish, but I don't --
-
I'm not extremely religious
-
but I see how religion really can save somone.
-
[Camera Person]
Do you think there is a basis for happiness
-
without religion explanations?
-
Definitely.
-
[Camera Person]
Why?
-
Uh, because I'm Atheist.
-
Physiologically, happiness relates to
-
the way the brain interacts with
-
stimuli from the outside world.
-
The proposition that that stems from a
-
religious perspective is to me erroneous.
-
A song that makes me happy?
-
Oh, well [laughs]
-
I enjoy Fork, by 2 Chainz
-
[Fork - 2 Chainz]
-
I think you can pretty much completely
-
control your happiness.
-
Well you don't react to your environment
-
you learn how to, how to - it takes years,
-
but you learn how to move in your environment
-
You either change with it or you find
-
what's wrong with it and move out of it
-
or accept it.
-
Attitude is the only thing you've got
-
that you can control yourself.
-
So I think you have full control over how
-
happy you are.
-
Internally I like to meditate, focus.
-
But it's like the people around me that
-
really bring out my happiness.
-
I'm a pretty level person,
-
so I'm in control of my emotions.
-
When am I happy enough?
-
Um
-
Uh
-
Hmm
-
Um
-
When do I feel that I am happy enough?
-
Oh, never!
-
Are you guys engineers?
-
[Camera Person]
Yeah
-
Ok
-
[Camera person]
Or at least I am.
-
I wouldn't say that it's an "enough" thing.
-
I don't think you have quantify that.
-
It's more just like a state of being.
-
I wouldn't say that there are
-
degrees of happiness in my definition.
-
When you like, look at your life and
-
you're like, ok with it.
-
I guess when I'm content and in that I can
-
go to sleep at night and say,
-
ok that was a good day.
-
To be honest, I'll never be happy
-
because I see too much suffering.
-
When someone else
-
is also feeling that happiness.
-
[Indistinguishable]
-
It perpetuates.
-
I don't think you ever can be happy enough.
-
I just don't think so.
-
[Camera Person]
Why?
-
Because there's always going to be more.
-
[Music starts playing]
[Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Home]