How to Increase Happiness

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Happiness is intangible and described differently by various people. People have an influence over their happiness by their life choices. However, a person can be genetically wired to have a higher set happiness level. A person’s way of life and human biology will affect his level of happiness.
The qualities of one’s relationships with others greatly influence his overall well-being. A person that is lonely before he gets married will have an increase in happiness and his set level will be higher than it was before marriage. However, marriage is one relationship that has little influence over people who are sociable. The couple’s level of happiness will temporarily increase, but after two years, each individual’s level of happiness will return to his set level (Stein A37-A40).According to Sharon McCormick, her marriage has made her happier because he “takes good care of her” (McCormick).
Another relationship that has a lasting impact on a person is one’s family. Parents play a large role in their child’s overall well-being. One way parents help is by helping their child be resilient. Resilience plays a large role in the speed that one will recover from a negative event. Therefore, children who are brought up in a rough environment will have a higher level of resilience to negative things later in life. Parents can influence their child’s level of resilience by helping their child find a skill that their child can be passionate about and feel successful doing. A child can also gain resilience by planning for tough situations, before these situations occur (Gorman A52-A55).
A common misconception that people believe is the idea that money will make them happy. However, money does not play a big role in one’s level of happiness....

... middle of paper ...

...f happiness if they chose to.

Works Cited

Barker, Chris. "Income and Happiness: Why isn't Research Acted Upon?." Social
Alternatives 31.4 (2012): 62-67. Ebsco Host. Web. 19 Dec 2013.
Easterbrook, Gregg. "The Real Truth About Money." Time. 17 Jan 2005: A32-A34. Print.
Gorman, Christine. "The Importance of Resilience." Time. 17 Jan 2005: A52-A55. Print.
“Happiness.” 20/20. ABC: 01 Nov. 2008. DVD.
Harrison, Mimi. "Beyond Happy? You're Exuberant!." Time. 17 Jan 2005: A68. Print.
Lemonick, Michael D. "The Biology of Joy." Times. 17 Jan 2005: A12-A17. Print.
Lyubomirsky, Sonya. "Eight Steps Toward a More Satisfying Life." Time. 17 Jan 2005:
A8-A9. Print.
McCormick, Sharon. Personal Interview. 8 January 2014.
Stein, Joel. “Is There a Hitch?” Time. 17 Jan 2005: A37-A40. Print.
Wright, Robert. "Dancing to Evolution's Tune." Time. 17 Jan 2005: A11. Print.

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