ipl-logo

Happiness: The Development Of The Concept Of Happiness

887 Words4 Pages

feeling of exhilaration. Happiness is enduring satisfaction with one’s life as a whole. It is an overall evaluation of the quality of the individual’s authentic experience. It calls for balance and positive affectivity over a long period of time. In a similar assertion given by Fordyce, it is accounted to all the pleasant and unpleasant experiences in the recent past. Bentham (1789) and Kahneman (2000) supported the idea of Fordyce that happiness is the sum of pleasure and pains and it underlies with the overall evaluation of life. The qualities of life and kinds of satisfaction pertain to the diverse sources or determinants of happiness of an individual. These put in a nutshell the various sources which are included in the development of the happiness scale. Martin Seligman, a pioneer of positive psychology has also defined happiness in a holistic method like the other authorities. Happiness has three dimensions namely the pleasant life, the good life, and the meaningful life. The pleasant life is achieved if an individual learns to appreciate and value the basic pleasures like companionship, the natural environment and bodily needs. The first dimension of Seligman regarding happiness is in contradiction of Veenhoven’s idea of happiness that it is not merely pleasure and stimulation of the basic senses. However, Seligman argued that an individual can evolve from this initial stage if he or she can experience the good life which is realized through discovering one’s set of

Show More
Related

  • Mark Kingwell In Pursuit Of Happiness

    160 Words  | 1 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Mark Kingwell's In Pursuit Of Happiness

    753 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Mark Kingwell In Pursuit Of Happiness Analysis

    573 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Cliff Oxford's High Performance Happy

    605 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Symbolism Of Happiness In Station Eleven

    1379 Words  | 6 Pages

    Station Eleven and I: What is Happiness? Happiness is being around your self-chosen family with a career in a profession that simultaneously gives you purpose and help improve our society. It is the feeling of comfort and being considerate of others. The novel Station Eleven has many different definitions of happiness as defined by various characters within the book.

    Read More

  • What Happiness Is Eduardo Porter Summary

    130 Words  | 1 Pages

    What Happiness Is In the essay “What Happiness Is,” Eduardo Porter states that happiness is a slippery concept. He believes that happiness doesn’t have a specific definition, it means different things to each person. In the essay happiness is broken down into 3 parts: satisfaction, positive feelings, and the absence of negative feelings. Porter says that most people think that money and economic stability will bring them happiness and because of that they will push themselves to do better at their jobs.

    Read More

  • Can Money Buy Happiness Rhetorical Analysis

    680 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Happiness In Willy Loman's Death Of A Salesman

    1008 Words  | 5 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Essay On Antonia And Happiness

    814 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Websters Dictionary portrays or defines happiness as a state of content,satisfaction or euphoria. Happiness is something that cannot be forced or simulated and it is more that just a simple feeling or emotion. It is more than just a noun used in the vocabulary of the average third grade child. Happiness is an undescribable sentiment that anything can experience depending on that specific thing. It is natural and one of a kind.

    Read More

  • Happiness In Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics

    1087 Words  | 5 Pages

    In Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, the concept of happiness is introduced as the ultimate good one can achieve in life as well as the ultimate goal of human existence. As Aristotle goes on to further define happiness, one can see that his concept is much different from the 21st-century view. Aristotelian happiness can be achieved through choosing to live the contemplative life, which would naturally encompass moralistic virtue. This differs significantly from the modern view of happiness, which is heavily reliant on material goods. To a person in the 21st-century, happiness is simply an emotional byproduct one experiences as a result of acquiring material goods.

    Read More

  • Martin Seligman's Positive Psychology Fun Vs. Philanthropy

    1517 Words  | 7 Pages

    Martin Seligman’s Positive Psychology Fun versus Philanthropy reflective essay Introduction: In this reflective essay, a number of aspects of happiness and well-being, as well as questions relating to Martin Seligman’s task. Firstly, an explanations of the doctrine will be examined. Then, the relation between fun and the philanthropy will be discussed. To sum up, the question whether happiness is everything.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay About Happiness

    899 Words  | 4 Pages

    well, it’s just feeling good­enjoying life and wanting the feeling to be maintained” (Schoch). It is strived for in relationships, in successful endeavors or actions, or in taking up particular hobbies. Happiness is an amazing thing and makes one feel great, but can too much happiness be a bad thing? Too much happiness is a surprising statement, but is nonetheless true, because too much happiness can have negative impacts on one's life. Negative emotions, despite the fact that they are less coveted than the positive emotions, serve just as vital a role in terms of giving perspective, creating arguments, and preventing unnecessary risk.

    Read More

  • Extended Definition Essay Happiness

    325 Words  | 2 Pages

    : Definition of happiness is different from person to person. Happiness is a inner feelings or emotions of the person. For some people, happiness is to enjoy their work, social life, but for other it may be money or family. Happiness is an experience in which we can understand more and learn appreciation. Sometimes, happiness is difficult for many to achieve just because of we can not enjoy the moment that we have.

    Read More

  • Happiness Informative Speech

    1187 Words  | 5 Pages

    Happiness Happiness is not feeling good all the time, having more money and affording everything you want, not a final destination. Then what actually is happiness? People have agonized over this question for ages, but now today science has begun to weigh in on the debate. Many people think that getting what you want is happiness, being more rich is happiness which helps you buy every branded cloth, phone, make-up, shoe, being mentally satisfied is happiness, but no there are things beyond these desires which actually sum up happiness.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Aristotle And Martin Seligman

    908 Words  | 4 Pages

    Basically, Seligman says human beings desire to flourish; in addition to wanting happiness, they desire to be good at something, to have fulfilling relationships, and to have meaning in their lives (Flourish, page 16). Seligman’s theory strives to influence individuals and increase their psychological well-being. His positive psychology offers a unique view on mental health through focusing on individual strengths. The goal of positive psychology is to assist individuals in creating meaningful lives through the promotion of positive emotions, individual character strengths, as well as, happiness, as key components to optimal mental health. So happiness to Seligman is an important component and essential but it is not the ultimate end as Aristotle views

    Read More

More about Happiness: The Development Of The Concept Of Happiness

Open Document