18 brilliantpositivepsychology Many people think that the following things are what will make them happy: More money A nicer house Losing weight A new car New job New boyfriend/girlfriend. Although these things may make a difference to how happy you are, their impact is often short lived. The true sources of happi- ness and well-being are more subtle and come from both what you do and how you think. Two ways to be happy There are two main distinctions to being happy: 1 Being happy in the moment, feeling good, experiencing pleasure and having joy in whatever activity we are presently engaged in. 2 Feeing `gratified' and fulfilled, which is a longer-lasting and more satisfying sense of well-being. 1 Hedonic happiness The former, `being happy in the moment', was, in ancient Greece, called hedonic happiness. People who only seek happi- ness this way we speak of as pleasure seekers or hedonists. Being happy and finding pleasure in the moment are wonderful. In fact, all physical pleasure can only really be experienced in the moment. Hedonic happiness is great and is the immediate expe- rience of positive emotions such as joy, pleasure and excitement.