Everyone's life has superlative moments—times when we feel extraordinary and our experiences are recorded in Technicolor. "It's part of the human condition,"

Psychologist Abraham Maslow famously coined the term "peak experience" in 1964 to denote sudden feelings of intense well-being that fill us with wonder and awe. Psychologically healthy people tend to have more of them, and such experiences can also bring feelings of interconnectedness and create a sharper sense of life purpose.

Happiness Big Moments

A New Jersey judge Wednesday sentenced Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, the MTV "Jersey Shore" star, to two days of community service with animal control and a $500 fine after she agreed to plead guilty to "interfering with the enjoyment of the quiet use of the beach or public boardwalk."