The Search for Happiness

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Recommended: Defining happiness

The search for happiness has been one of the greatest driving forces over the ages. Defined as an active or passive sense of pleasure or satisfaction, happiness drives individuals to accomplish a number of fulfilling activities in their lives. Thus an evaluation of meanings attached to happiness provides insight on how an individual maximizes their pleasure. Concepts of positive-psychology provide an explanation of what is happiness and show a number of activities that enhance contentment.

Najemy (89) argues that the theory of authentic happiness provides an approach for explaining happiness since it employs positive emotions, engagement, and meaning to describe such emotion. The theory states that happiness is the feeling that accompanies other positive emotions such pleasure, comfort and ecstasy. Subsequently, engagement involves flowing with aspects that enhance pleasure. Some of the aspects that initiate flows include listening to favorite music and loss of self-consciousness during involving activities. This aspect of happiness enables individuals to merge with an object of interest. In addition, the aspect of flow requires an individual to utilize their strengths and talents to sustain cheerfulness. The theory of authentic happiness also argues that the third element of happiness is purpose. This element results to happiness since human beings pursue meaning in their activities. According to Ahmed (169), a meaningful life involves belonging to and serving a course that is bigger than self and humanity. This aspect has facilitated the creation of positive institutions that enable individuals to pursue happiness. Some of these institutions include religion, political parties, and hobby groups.
On the other hand, the well-be...

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...s. In addition, happiness results from activities such as well paying jobs, maturity, marriage, entertainment activities, and literature forms. As a result, a section of the populace seeks the aforesaid activities to increase their level of happiness. Conclusively, an evaluation of theories related to positive psychology provides an explanation of what is happiness thereby showing a number of activities that are crucial in enhancing levels of satisfaction.

Works Cited

Ahmed, Sara. The Promise of Happiness. Durham [NC: Duke University Press, 2010.
Internet resource.
Diener, Ed, Daniel Kahneman, and Norbert Schwarz. Well-being: The Foundations of Hedonic
Psychology. New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation, 2003. Print.
Najemy, Robert E. The Psychology of Happiness: Understanding Our Selves and Others.
Worcester, Mass: Holistic Harmony Publishers, 2001. Print.

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