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My definition of happiness
The definition of happiness
My definition of happiness
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When asking the question of whether happiness is the most important thing in life, it is important to understand what happiness actually is. Happiness can mean a great many things; financial security, enjoyment in life, a successful career, a loving family, or changing the world or perhaps a combination of these things. However, can those things actually make a person happy? A survey conducted in 2017 says that only 33% of Americans consider themselves happy. That’s up one from 2016 and two below the all-time high of 35% in 2008. That is a staggeringly low amount for a country that has the pursuit of happiness on its Declaration of Independence. An answer to this seeming contradiction could be found in the idea that no one is sure what they …show more content…
Happiness to a man born in the rural towns of the midwestern United States could have a dramatically different conception of happiness that a woman born in the bustling city of Hong Kong. To get past this problem, one must shrink happiness down to its most simple and generalized form. The easiest way to look at happiness as it applies to everyone is that happiness is the state of experiencing positive emotions, which is essentially saying that happiness is when you are happy. Rather than debate over what quantifies a positive emotion, it is more important to recognize that simply having positive emotions does not mean you will never have negative emotions. However, this does not make a person unhappy. A well rounded, stable, and happy person can experience the full spectrum of emotions-negative, positive, and in between-just like any other person, but the positives will outweigh the negatives. This does not necessarily mean that the frequency of which they experience happiness is higher, simply that those happy moments make them happier. It could also mean that people who are considered happy process negativity differently. By this reasoning, it could mean that one could live a truly miserable existence in the eyes of others, but still be …show more content…
Sometimes they feel happy, sometimes not, sometimes neither happy nor unhappy. But at least some people, at some moments of their lives, are happy, i.e., satisfied with their lives as a whole, and some are unhappy, i.e., unsatisfied with their lives.” What this means is that happiness is a transient thing that is not easily quantified. There isn’t one single event that one can point to as a measure of happiness. It is a collection of events and emotions over a passage of time that can be used as a gauge for happiness. It also shows that happiness is directly related to how we feel about our situation, both current and past, rather than the situation
What makes one person happy may not be enough to make someone else happy; everyone has different standards. For example a few extra dollars may mean rent for one person whereas a few extra dollars may not even make a difference to another person. There is no true definition on happiness. Mueller wrote “ happy ones who never raised their voice” which
Everyone wants to be “happy.” Everyone endeavors to fulfill their desires for their own pleasure. What makes this ironic is, the fact that most don‘t know what the actual definition of happiness is. “In Pursuit of Unhappiness” presents an argument, which states that not everyone will be happy. Darrin McMahon, the article’s author, explores the ways our “relentless pursuit of personal pleasure”(McMahon P.11;S.3) can lead to empty aspirations and impractical expectations, making us sad, and not happy. Rather than working to find the happiness of others, we should all focus on finding what makes ourselves happy. It is easier to find happiness in the little things
Everyone chases after happiness. Everyone’s goal of life is being happy. Each of them chooses a variety of measures, such as earning money, to be happy. However, there are many people that are not happy. People always endeavor after happiness, but they never reach it. For what reason are they not able to fulfill their standards of happiness? What effort should they put into their lives to meet them? This essay will explain why people fail to be happy and what people are supposed to do in order to gain happiness.
The book definition of happiness is a state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. The true meaning of happiness varies from person to person. Everyone has a different definition of what happiness means to them and what can make one person happy, can make another person unhappy. For the citizens of Utopia, those of Bensalem, and those of Brave New World, they all claim to be very happy living in their own “utopias”. However, the real question is are they really happy with the way they are living or are they pretending to be happy because that is what they were taught to believe happiness really is. In this essay, I will be writing about the citizens of Utopia, Bensalem, and Brave New World and explaining which of these citizens I believe are the happiest and why.
Finding the level of ultimate contentment and life satisfaction can be challenging, but the perception of situations or powerful social connections strengthens the level of happiness within a person. Topic Significance: In recent years, the rate of depression in young adults has increased as people struggle to find the meaning of happiness and how they can achieve happiness. As people continue throughout their life, it is important to recognize what makes them happy.
In Martin Seligman and other’s article “A Balanced Psychology and a Full Life,” he states that the definition of happiness, “Is a condition over and above the absence of unhappiness” (Seligman et al 1379).
However, happiness also takes into account a wide range of other aspects of our lives, including our thoughts and actions, and even genetics. Therefore, happiness should be defined as the amalgamation of how we think and act, and how we interpret our experiences as positive or negative. What this means is that in order to become happier, we must simply force ourselves to become more optimistic. This is easier said than done, however. In order to have a noticeable increase in happiness, people must be willing to make lifestyle changes in addition to changing their mindset. However, the difference between optimism and delusion is a fine line, so people must be cautious to not exaggerate the positive parts of an experience or become overly optimistic. If we practice seeking out the positive views of our circumstances, with time we will find ourselves happier than
Happiness plays an important and necessary role in the lives of people around the world. In America, happiness has been engrained in our national consciousness since Thomas Jefferson penned these famous words in the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” (Jefferson). Since then, Americans have been engaged in that act: pursuing happiness. The problem however, as Ray Bradbury demonstrates in his novel Fahrenheit 451, is that those things which make us happy initially may eventually lead to our downfall. By examining Guy Montag, the protagonist in Fahrenheit 451, and the world he lives in we can gain valuable insights to direct us in our own pursuit of happiness. From Montag and other characters we will learn how physical, emotional, and spiritual happiness can drastically affect our lives. We must ask ourselves what our lives, words, and actions are worth. We should hope that our words are not meaningless, “as wind in dried grass” (Eliot).
But in this debate, one question still raises its head - What is happiness? Happiness is not actually leading a luxurious life, but the luxury of living a life. Happiness is not actually about expanding your business, but it lies in expanding the horizons of life. Happiness is not having a meal in the most famous restaurant, but having it with your most beloved family. It does not lie in attending honorable parties, but to attend a party with honor.
Happiness is a feeling that everyone aims to accomplish, yet some people seem to only catch a sight of it. Gratifying atonement, a state of well-being, and serenity are the more eminent elements of happiness. David G. Myers and Ed Diener propose the article “Who Is Happy?” which present aspects of happiness, a theory that recognizes adaptation, cultural world view, and personal goals. I believe through word of mouth and through those whom we look up to, we are told many myths about happiness, especially the biggest myth that money can buy happiness. In Daniel Gilbert’s “Reporting Live from Tomorrow”, he argues that the definition of happiness is not defined by wealth and that we rely on super-replicators and surrogates to make decisions that we feel will enhance our happiness. Our economic history has proven the idea of declining marginal utility. If we pursue life and liberty without happiness, our lives, quality, and value will slowly vanish, but the absence of wealth has nothing to do with one’s happiness.
Real happiness is more than brief positive feelings but rather a lasting state of peace or contentedness. According to Reich, a former professor of psychology at Arizona State University, happiness is “deeper than a momentary good mood” (Reich). When ordinary happiness is experienced, Jacobsen, a professor in the Department
Contrary to belief, genuine happiness is very rarely found at the bottom of a shopping basket or on the leather seats of a brand new car. Often we hear the cliché saying “Money can’t buy happiness” but this is in fact true. Whilst the elation and delight brought from finally owning a wanted item is extraordinary, you must remind yourself that your happiness should not become dependant upon your ownership of this item. Being happy is not something you can purchase from a shop or car dealership, it is the way you take on life. Unfortunately, happiness does not have its own aisle at shops and never will.
Happiness is a feeling that humans naturally desire. Without it, one feels incomplete. In this generation, happiness has taken on a definition by how we are presented to one another. It is measured by how much money we have, how famous we are, or the things we possess. When in reality, none of these things guarantee a happy life. Happiness is something that cannot be bought with money, but rather, it must be found, earned, sought after. Each and every one of us has our own list of things that we consider to make us happy. However, happiness shines brightest through the relationships we create, and the goals we make for ourselves to strive after. Along with these two essential sources, we then can mix and match those things in life that we enjoy to create our own unique formula for happiness.
Throughout history, philosophers and scientists of various kinds have been trying to define happiness, identify its causes and the obstacles to reaching it. According to Jon Gertner, psychologist Gilbert and economist Loewenstein have succeeded in pointing out several reasons why people are unhappy (pp: 444-6). It is important to note that according to Gilbert, it is not that people cannot g...
Is life really about the 'money', the 'cash', who has the biggest gold chain or who drives the shiniest or fastest car, who sells the most albums or who has the most respect? Today happiness is viewed in many different ways. Everyone defines happiness according to their personal perpectives. Each individual describes their inner feelings in a way that you can't compare with another. Happiness originally and logically means the inner state of well being or a pleasurable or satisfying experience. It enables you to profit from your highest: thoughts, wisdom, intelligence, common sense, emotions, health, and spiritual values in your life. What makes you happy and what makes me happy are different things. Whatever it is that gives you warm fuzzes is determined by you, and only you. This difference is what makes the world interesting.