Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D., author of The How of Happiness and The Myths of Happiness, says that people are more able to play a direct role in attaining their own joy than earlier studies indicated. Her research showed that happiness levels increased when people took a few surprisingly simple steps:

• Count your blessings
  • Reframe situations in a positive light
  • Perform acts of kindness

Those participants who expressed gratitude and kept an optimistic outlook were less depressed and happier than the control group.  Results seem to indicate that happy people choose to be happy by taking steps to ensure it.