The essential standard for one’s living is being happy which is found in different forms and differs among individuals. It can be associated with purchase of inanimate objects or with someone else that one is associated with. On the whole, consistent feelings of happiness may be determined by individual factors as well as environmental factors. The importance of happiness is apparent in numerous life domains. In a meta-analysis of the literature with adults, Lyubormirsky, King, and Diener (2005) found that happier individuals lived longer, earned more money and were more productive at work, and reported more satisfying interpersonal relationships. Research with adolescents has revealed the importance of happiness in school as well as in the …show more content…
Argyle, Martin and Crossland (1989) defined happiness as having three partly independent components: (1) the average level of satisfaction over a specific time period; (2) the frequency and degree of positive affect; and (3) the relative absence of negative affect. “Happiness” denotes a measure of an individual 's evaluation of one 's overall quality of life (Veenhoven, 1997). The term is usually used interchangeably with “life satisfaction”. People reporting to be happy tend to smile more and show lower levels of stress responses (heart rate, blood pressure), and they are less likely to commit suicide (Diener, Suh, Lucas & Smith, 1999). Research on happiness has identified a number of personal, demographic and socio-economic covariates of happiness that explain observed happiness patterns. Important personal and demographic characteristics which affect happiness are health, age, sex, marital status, the size and structure of the household, the education level, and the degree of urbanization (Clark, Frijters & Shields, 2008; Frey & Stutzer, 2002; Welsch, 2007). The present study made an attempt to identify the relationship of optimism, parental expectation and peer attachment with happiness of female college
In his article "In Pursuit of Happiness: Better Living from Plato to Prozac," Mark Kingwell describes how there has been many debates on the meaning of happiness for many years yet still a singular, justifiable definition eludes society. The pursuit to define and understand happiness has invited several debates, questions, arguments, and suggestions alike. In 1996, a hand full of genetic and behavioral studies suggest evidence that one’s achievable degree of happiness is genetically decided, with evidences showing that no achievement will change your happiness, you are either happy or you’re not. Some studies demonstrated a correlation between dopamine levels in the brain and expressions of personal satisfaction, while others indicated that
The fact that happiness is a state of well-being pursued by humans since the beginning of humanity is not new. Since the ancient Greek philosophers, happiness has always been a goal for people. However, the definition of happiness is still subjective and controversial as Mark Kingwell, an award-winning social critic, essayist, and professor of philosophy at the University of Toronto, presents in his article “In pursuit of Happiness." The author begins to build his credibility by calling everyday facts and emotions, also by citing philosophers, researchers, and other authors. Using the sources effectively in a persuasive piece, Kingwell demonstrates, through examples and science researches, the difficulty in defining happiness, which can result in unhappiness.
In Mark Kingwell’s excerpt, “In Pursuit of Happiness,” he discusses the challenge of defining happiness. This work serves to inform the audience on a topic they may never have considered while using evidence and support from philosophers, authors, and even scientists to contribute to various viewpoints on the subject. At the end of the excerpt, Kingwell discusses happiness, even unhappiness, and concludes with his own opinions on the subject. Since the beginning of human existence, people have tried to define happiness, but no one has described it sufficiently, which means the search continues.
Happiness is a state of mind, and one doesn’t need physical material to be happy, which a majority of people view to be the primary source of happiness. Simply put, a person has the power to control whether they are happy or not. The author utilizes pathos, ethos, and logos to highlight the main ideas, demonstrating his mastery of the material. His usury of pathos, ethos, and logos illustrate to the readers that happiness is primarily a state of mind which isn’t automatically influenced by material things. Ethos is the ethical appeal an author makes to emphasize his authority as a knowledgeable and experienced veteran who corroborates any particular subject matter.
Some people are happy with their friends, some people are happy with money, some people are happy with cats...the possibilities are endless. Although this relates to happiness, I broaden the aspects and took the ideas a step further. Every being in this world can improve themselves in their own unique ways. Just like how people have their own sources of happiness, students have their own ways to expand their thinking, skills, knowledge, and
The pursuit of happiness was something I never gave much thought to until it was brought up this year. Reflecting back over this past school year I can honestly say that I not only learned more about what the pursuit of happiness is as a whole, but also how it applies in my personal life. I think it is fair to say that different things make us humans happy. Just a small example, it may make you very happy when your favorite sports team wins, and for someone else they could care less. It may make you very happy if it is sunny and 75 outside, but to some people that isn’t something that makes them happy.
Arguably, the happier an individual is, the better the quality of their life, and the better off they are. But despite this, there are people who will even argue that lower levels of happiness are the best because you maintain the ability to progress in life and your motivation is still present. Although many people will only see two sides to this argument, there is a totally different view that provides the optimal quality of life and the most beneficial outcome in the big picture; and that is moderate happiness. Cliff Oxford’s essay “High Performance Happy” evaluates the effect that an individual’s happiness has on their beneficiality to society and how you should always strive to be the happiest you can be. Oxford’s main point is that
Introduction The articles written by Graves and Whippman present valid, well-substantiated arguments on the wellspring of long-lasting happiness. Graves argues that happiness can be found within oneself (Graves, 2017), while Whippman argues that happiness is manifested in meaningful interaction with others (Whippman, 2017). Whippman appears to be more persuasive to the audience as she presents a balanced viewpoint, appeals to their emotions, and presents credible research data in her writing, as such, effectively engaging the audience. Argument Structure
Lack of Happiness in Farenheight 451 Happiness plays an important and necessary role in the lives of people all around the world. In America, happiness has been an important idea in people’s minds since Thomas Jefferson wrote these 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 Jefferson wrote those famous words in the Constitutution Americans have been focused on the idea of pursuing happiness. Happiness seems to be the ultimate goal in our society.
People miss the fact that happiness comes from within. In an attempt to find joy – we must also be cautious about over excessive desire to acquire material objects and wealth. There is a delicate balance that must be reached between the pursuit of happiness, satisfaction, and contentment. While there are many conditions that fulfill ones emotional wellbeing, happiness and how we acquired it, depends upon the
Not many achieve happiness in their lifetime. Either they do not live long enough to witness it or they are not prepared for what their happiness is. Happiness is very subjective. Each person’s version of happiness is different. This version of happiness is universal.
Choosing to Live Happily Does it ever appear to you as if people live their lives trying to attain happiness? The decisions people make every day seem to revolve around what will make them the happiest. No one knows the true meaning of happiness but we all want to have it. Many people try to attain happiness through actions or things. Some people buy everything that they want to try and make themselves happy.
Happy people are more open and easier to approach in public. Additionally, as Susan David states, “In some cases, they even help broaden how we think and act by directing our attention to new information and opportunities” (David 124). By being happy, one is more likely to listen to other people to learn the way they think or feel about a certain thing. Someone is even more likely to accept what is said or even start to feel that way about that particular topic as well. Happiness has other benefits as well.
(1991) indicates that the balance between negative and positive feelings is a good indicator of happiness. This suggests the measurement of objective happiness by means of individual balance of positive and negative experiences. Other studies revealed that purely measuring positive emotions, strong implications could be made about the individual happiness level; they can be seen as markers and sources of happiness (Diener, 2005). This is the reason why Seligman only used positive emotions in the PERMA model. Having a valued and worth filling positive life also strongly depends on positive emotions, (Fredrickson, 2001) due to the high correlation of life satisfaction and SWB (Michalos, et al., 2009).
A collection of philosophical, religious, psychological and biological approaches had attempted to define happiness and analyze its connections. Researchers have found that about 50% of people happiness depends on our genes, based on studies of identical twins, whose happiness was 50% correlated even when growing up in different houses. About 10% to 15% is a result of various measurable life circumstances variables, such as socioeconomic status, marital status, health, income, and others. The remaining 40% is a combination of intentional factors and the results of actions that individuals deliberately engage in to become happier. Studies have also found that most of us are born with a fixed “set point” of happiness that we fall in throughout our lives.