Happiness In A Nutshell Analysis

Wherever one may look, whether on billboards throughout a city or on any television channel, the lifestyle of successful people is shown as a lavish accomplishment that the average person should strive to achieve. We have grown up surrounded by industries and media that sell pleasure, whether it be in the form of sex, drugs, or commercial wealth. These factors are implied to be the ingredients to a life of happiness as advertised by many celebrities today. People are looking for new ways to indulge in their hedonistic desires, blindly believing they would reach a state of content as promised. Despite the fact that these factors may increase happiness initially, the idea that they lead to a life of prosperity is questionable. Undoubtedly,

Source H explains, “In a nutshell, they find that people who are involved in religion also report greater levels of happiness than do those who are not religious...Among weekly churchgoers, 85% reported being very satisfied with life, but this number reduced to 77% among those who never went to church” (Nielsen par. 3). According to the author, following a religion is like being a part of a loving community. A person has social support within that community, which can decrease stress levels and lead to a more peaceful life. Whether or not one believes in an omnipotent entity controlling the universe, the idea that other people are there for them in their time of need would bring about lifelong peace of mind. Non-religious people don’t have this luxury and tend to give in to more self-indulgent ways of achieving brief happiness. Indeed, achieving lifelong happiness through a sense of security and peace works out better than the short-lived glee received from

According to Source B, there are four types of happiness: hard work and material success, charity and service to others, freedom and self-expression, and devotion to a higher power/religion (Marquette). Sure, some of these provide needs that are detrimental to a human society such as freedom, but does wealth really bring a sense of lifelong fulfillment? Partially, this may be true. Money can afford both basic and frivolous needs that increase our happiness momentarily. However, in the long run this is not the case. After a while, money is just money and having more of it would not increase happiness as much as it did when it was providing for our basic needs. We would get less happiness from another unit of a good or service consumed if we continue to indulge in whatever we want. One can even say that Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs comes into play. After the needs of safety and shelter are taken care of, there are things that money cannot buy such as love, confidence, and social acceptance. At this point, money becomes almost useless when trying to obtain lifelong