Veterinary happiness.

Since the dawn of written history, happiness has attracted the attention of great philosophers, including Confucius, Buddha, Socrates, and Aristotle (McMahon, 2006; The Pursuit of Happiness). Happiness has been variously conceptualized and defined throughout history, influenced by the thinking of the times. Today it has come to be recognized as, “the experience of joy, contentment, or positive well-being, combined with a sense that one’s life is good, meaningful, and worthwhile” (Lyubomirsky, 2007, p. 32). This definition of happiness encompasses two distinct components: eudaimonic happiness, which comes from meaningful pursuits and is associated with life satisfaction, and hedonic happiness, which comes from pleasure or goal fulfilment and is associated with positive affect (Ryan and Deci, 2001). Perhaps because it sounds more precise or scientific, researchers often refer to happiness as “subjective well-being.”