Introduction
People constantly have the desire to want more and often believe that by fulfilling those desires, it will increase their happiness. One problem is, people do not just live with simplicity in their lives, which is a direct reflection of their environment and societal factors that influence these continuous desires. Happiness is a very pertinent goal for people to reach. Today’s society has the misconception of happiness as being blinded by monetary and materialistic gains such as wealth, power, social media, and success. The “Mental Health Foundation's survey illustrating that 76 per cent of respondents think society is becoming more materialistic and selfish” (Buggey). Many people contemplate on whether or not it is even possible for individuals to attain happiness, which has driven researchers to neglect to study happiness because some believe that we would be better off by simply accepting our current happiness. However, we believe another reason for this neglect is the pessimistic view “over whether it is even possible to achieve sustainable increases in happiness” (Sheldon, K. & Lyubomirsky, S. (2006). With several different aspects of if happiness is even achievable, there are still individuals who believe there are.
Happiness is not a constant, an individual must practice the art of finding it within themselves in order to have more frequent increases throughout their lives and have an appreciation for the simple things. Finding happiness results
Happiness belongs to Hedonism. If one experience more happiness during life, his life will be better.
Lazy fall days, colorful leaves, cooler weather, birds singing, frogs croaking, crickets chirping, relaxing to the sounds of the outdoors. Waves of water crashing upon each other, fishing, telling stories around a campfire, making s’mores, memories with family and friends; this is what happiness is to me. Happiness is in the eye of the beholder, what brings happiness to one person may not bring happiness to another person. When I think of the word happiness, I think of descriptive words like Contentment, enjoyment, satisfaction, delightfulness, something that makes a person smile. I have always looked at the word happiness as a feeling, an action, never have I thought of happiness as an overall affect. However, it is a proven fact, that happiness can affect the over-all health and longevity of human life. Happy people live longer than those that are lonely, stressed, or depressed.
Attention Materials: Many times I have wondered what is true happiness. Is there such thing as true happiness? Can it even be attained if there is such a thing? Is it more of fulfilling desires, or satisfying psychological needs? Every person attempts to realize happiness in its fullest essence. It seems like today people are too busy trying to get rich. Nowadays it is believed that happiness lies in that new mansion, or a nice Ferrari. People are mistakingly assuming that wealth will bring to them a personal significance in which they will achieve happiness.
Happiness is not something that only lucky people come across, but rather, happiness is uncovered through a positive mindset and an optimistic outlook on life. People who take the time to appreciate the little things in life and view
Happiness is a key to everybodys life. Even the most depressed man on earth has a little happiness deep down inside. Its what keeps us striving to fulfil our needs and wants on an everyday basis. There is not one kid who does not get excited over a dollar to spend at the candy shop. What about the feeling of getting a promotion at your job, or even finding the cure for cancer. Being happy is not just healthy, but it is also rewarding for each and every individual. We strive to find anything that will turn a bad day to a good one. Individuals will compromise to attain their happiness. You can not get what you want without giving something first.
The Merriam Webster dictionary describes happiness as a “state of well-being and contentment. Though there are multiple things that can make one happy. The Happiness Myth, by Jennifer Hecht and the article, Which One of These Food Will Stop Cancer? (Not so Fast) by Gina Kolata both discuss the category of bodies. Hecht has a whole section of the book dedicated to this, describing that when it comes to taking care of our bodies we often think of the extreme or nothing at all. Meanwhile, Kolata’s article talks about people who change their diets because they believe it can protect one from cancer and that even though there is little to no scientific proof it actually does. However, whether these measures make people happy is ideally up to the person. Therefore, if eating healthy or working out makes a person feel like they have control over themselves then who is to say that is not happiness.
Happiness is not a strange term to us. We usually use that word to express our feelings in every day. Additionally, more than a word, “happiness” is what we really need and always seek in life. However, finding and understanding deeply its meaning is not easy. The online dictionary, “vocabulary.com” defines, “Happiness is a sense of well-being, joy, or contentment. When people are successful, or safe, or lucky, they feel happiness.” Thus, we always wonder if we are happy or how could we be happier in our life. Happiness, therefore, becomes a goal for everybody.
It is often said that, “Money can’t buy happiness.” In Cass R. Sunstein’s Yes, Money Can Make You Happy, Sunstein provides a summary and review of Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton’s Happy Money: The Science of Happier Spending; he declares that money, when spent wisely and with the right attitude, can provide the most elusive of all human experiences: happiness. In a changing social climate with advances in technology offering unmatched convenience, and a culture in which diverse people with equally diverse sets of values come together, the study of what truly makes us happy is especially relevant now more than ever. While money can certainly be spent in a manner which will create happiness, what Sunstein neglects to address in his writing is that more money does not always equate to more happiness, regardless of how and when it is spent.
So, what is happiness? The research suggests that happiness is a combination of how satisfied you are with your life. For example, finding meaning in your work and how good you feel on a day to day basis. Both of these are relatively stable. Life changes and our mood changes, but our general happiness is more genetically determined than anything else. The good news is that with consistent effort, this can be offset. Think of it like you think about weight: if you eat how you want to
Happiness… It could be said that there is no one in this whole wide world who does not want to be happy. We live every single day in hope to find happiness, which also known as pursuit of happiness. We strive to bring happiness in our life. Nonetheless, along the journey to find happiness, some people stumble and find themselves unhappy instead. One might question why, but actually we all have different value and understanding to describe happiness. Therefore, we have our own unique approach to pursue happiness and there is no telling to the exact cause of our wrongs and errors in the process. What might have been the cause, which most people hardly notice, is their perception of happiness. There are three most common misconception of happiness that lead to unhappy life.
Happiness can come in a wide variety of things. Different things make different people happy. Seeing a cute dog can make me happy for a moment. Do we long to be happy one day at a time or are we longing to know we will never be sad? Assume every person on the planet has had their happy moments, there is always a deterrent. Always the next moment that can be taken in any direction and if you have experienced emotions then it is known. People may long to be happy but. I think no one can ever be one hundred percent happy for their whole life, but I think people can be content. There will always be moments that are not happy moments but there will always be another moment that can bring joy. I believe you can be happy with your life, even with those moments of other emotion. One of the main things that I want in life is happiness. What can make me happy are many different things. I long for happiness, and in that longing many things that have the
There is a lingering question with happiness and its place in a modern day society, to what extent is happiness a healthy goal for a society? Yes, since happiness being a goal for a society makes resources like medical attention readily available and may being attention to figurative and physical diseases that plagues our society. But, basic needs such as the ones discussed in Maslow’s hierarchy may create issues in a modern day society due to it having a different definition from person to person. Happiness is a healthy goal for a society since it can bring attention to problems like diseases and it can promote good health, but the modern day assumptions about wealth materialism influence in happiness often conflicts with what is needed to live like housing, food, and water, versus what is wanted like jewelry, expensive shoes, or even media subscriptions. Happiness is a necessity that shouldn’t be neglected in a society, but certainly has changed and been thought of for many years.
Happiness is a feeling and a choice rather than a state of being. Happiness comes within us, we chose to be satisfied or not. People that are optimistic compared to others that are not, are happier and care free. When we are happy, it is considered a moment of perfection, of joyfulness. Happiness does not all come at once, nor does it stay, happiness comes one moment at a time. People usually say, “I’ll be happy when….” Individuals are picking and choosing when to be happy. We are so fortunate to have the right, liberty and the freedom to be happy. For example, the children in Africa have little to nothing and they are sill satisfied, they choose to be happy. They may not have much food or water, poor shelter, and no money but they are still joyful. We have so much more than they do and we still feel the need to have even more, if we do not have whatever we are seeking, we tend to choose to be unhappy.
When you hear the word happiness, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Do you think of material possessions like designer clothes and accessories, the newest iPhone with the highest possible storage capacity, or a shiny red supercar? Do you think the amount of money you have or your current financial status has an effect on how happy you are? Plenty of college students, myself included, would associate happiness with possessing items like these or just having a lot of money in general. In today’s society, one common belief about social class is that the richer and more money or things that one has, the happier this will make them. This belief is reinforced by countless advertisements we see and hear everywhere, whether that be on
Happiness may have diverse meanings to diverse individuals. But regardless of how we define happiness, our distinct passions and life experiences contribute in making each one of us cheerful. Undoubtedly, the secrets on how to live a happy and healthy life depends on how we sort out all the factors that play an imperative role in accomplishing the level of happiness we desire for ourselves.