What Makes You Happy: The Environment, Feeling Good, and an Italian Photographer

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(photo: by Piero Morello. getting confirmation on the body of water, but I believe it’s the Stretto di Messina)

One of the most satisfying moments associated with the warm weather months is the immense existential euphoria or perception of sun (temperature and sight), wind (hearing and touch), and scent (smell).   Take today, for example, it’s 83°F and sunny in the northeastern part of the United States and I feel extraordinarily happy.  I can’t make a connection between my happy state and a particular item, but I think it has something to do with the weather, my wife and child, and the many neurotransmitters (i.e., amino acids, peptides, and monoamines) floating around in my brain.  In a reductionist and philosophical kind of way, I feel happy because the things around me are helping me be happy (that is to say, they are creating the behavior and I’m <viz., my brain> experiencing the aforementioned representation).

Feeling good, of course, doesn’t need to be brought to the level of the philosophical; that is, one can just feel happy and move on but making sense of what brings you happiness can help you replicate the feeling(s) as often as possible and avoid things like existential angst, depression, and the classic, “what the heck am I doing with my life” mindset.     

In turn, I thought I’d share more photos from the photographer Piero Morello who lives in Reggio Calabria (near my parent’s hometown of Pellegrina) as his photos make me feel good and may do the same for you, as well.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, Piero shoots mostly in black and white and captures that wonderful simplicity and beauty of living in Calabria, like many areas of Italy.
I hope you enjoy Piero’s photos:

 

(photo: by Piero Morello. Man sitting and smoking a cigarette)

 

(photo: by Piero Morello. Fishing for swordfish)

 

(photo: by Piero Morello. Boy staring)

 

(photo: by Piero Morello. Woman walking)

(photo: by Piero Morello. Boys engaging.)

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