When you're watching television and you see a man getting hit in the groin, you feel their pain. As the observer, your gut clenches up and you bend over, almost as if you yourself had been hit. On a logical level, you know you're not in any danger, but your brain still reacts as though what you're witnessing is actually happening to you.

Scientists call the cells in our brain responsible for driving these kinds of reactions "mirror neurons". Of course they work when we see another person in peril or injured...I suspect that they're the foundation for the emotion we call empathy.

I also suspect that they don't just work for pain, but pleasure as well. One of my favorite things to do is sit outside and look at the mountains. I'll conjure up the images of John Locke, a character from the TV show "Lost", sitting placidly on the beach and staring out at the water, and it tranquilizes me.

To attain contentment, visualize a contented person.