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.
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 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. He also states that people choose to do things that make them instantaneously happy, even though that choice could harm them in the long run. Another thing that Porter thinks happiness relates to is the quality of someone’s life and how when
The outstanding ways that people can be brainwashed. Hitler was a dictator that didn't so much brainwash people he would just capture them and make them slaves in World War ll. In the book Anthem, they have been taught to think a certain way and make them live the way they want. Comparing the Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow, and then putting Anthem next to it, it shows that Hitler was a dictator that did not care about anyone.
The Declaration of Independence states: “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." The Declaration of Independence is a written version of our rights as humans in America. It is saying that every person is equal, with equal opportunities. The people are given rights at birth that can not be taken away. The document gives all the “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” as basic human rights.
In all of Plato 's dialogues, Socrates ' main goal is to achieve happiness, although friends and foes alike present him pathways that could lead to pleasure, but not true happiness. Moreover, in Crito, Socrates pursues happiness by obediently following the Athenian law, whereas, Crito tries to lure him into committing an unjust action so that he can obtain the pleasure of having a friend and keeping a good reputation and so that Socrates can still have the pleasure of life on earth1. One can know that happiness and pleasure are different due to the fact that happiness is a state of being eternally fulfilled, but pleasure provides a person only an immediate and short-lived image of fulfillment.
You can read, you can sit for hours and think about what is the meaning of life what is my purpose of living. But you’ll never experience it if you don’t understand the beauty of life until you experience it yourself.
It’s human nature to seek happiness, since it’s one of the “central motivations in life” (Kaufman). Psychologists have found out that people that live happy lives, “is associated with being a ‘taker’” (Smith). Because "Happy people get a lot of joy from receiving benefits from others” (Smith). Which means that these “happy people” are considered selfish people. Because their happiness is based on what they’re getting from the others. People that live happy lives, gets their happiness from satisfying the human desire. Happiness is also related to “Feeling healthy” (Kaufman). It’s also associated with “Feeling good” (Kaufman). Which is why happiness shouldn’t be something to sacrifice. Feeling good and healthy will give humans a good quality life. Happiness is considered an ephemeral moment. But this short-lived moment is what motivates huamns to chase after
It is a fundamental aspect of society and of mankind that individuals seek their own happiness. Almost every aspect of life centres on the importance of self-fulfillment, and throughout history, the often selfish nature of man loans itself to the idea that life is about pursuing one’s own happiness. In a perfect world, the search for satisfaction in life would go unheeded, and every man would come to realize a perfect sense of self. Unfortunately, there are often many challenges and compromising aspects of society that inhibit individuals from achieving happiness. In Timothy Findley’s 1977 novel, The Wars, the nature in which individuals pursue and or compromise their happiness is explored through the actions of characters,
Correlation between wealth and happiness is reflected upon with Sandra Bullock presented as an example. She is an admired and highly successful actress but with her downsides. Her husband is presumably unfaithful but her career is taking no blows as of yet. Would one call that a happy life? There is no question to how successful she is, but there follows the question, does material wealth equal happiness? We are met with studies with interesting results that tilts to both side of discussion. Money does lead to happiness of some sort whether you like to believe it or not. What quantitative studies do not really clarify is what happiness is. If we break down the chemistry, it becomes much more complicated. Money has shown to cause short-term happiness. Getting a promotion and winning the lottery is minor happiness compared to that of non-materialistic joys. The happiness money invigorates is vastly overestimated says experts. Other studies has shown that the level of people’s happiness peaks during their 60’s, which is around the age of retirement.
: 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. Every time we think about some mistakes that we did in past or think about our future. There are some factors which affect it.
Happiness can be defined in many different ways depending on who you are talking to. To me, it can be found listening to my favorite music with the volume turned all the way up. Through this experience I am able to immerse myself in something I truly love and be a be a better, lighter version of myself. For some, happiness is living in the moment and experiencing life as it passes, but for others it means living a life of virtue. Though happiness may look different for everyone, it is something that everyone is striving for. The definition of happiness incorporates different aspects of religion, science, and philosophy. To me, being happy means that someone has discovered who they truly are and what they believe in.
I believe people over think this question too much, I mean I get it, the question itself is vague and arises other questions. Even the word "meaning ", makes you think. But if we mean "the purpose of life. Then to me it 's not complex at all. The meaning of life is whatever we choose it to be. We are in control of given our life meaning, it 's all a matter of perspective. If you decided you want to live your life a certain way and that way makes you happy, then you 're given your life meaning. The meaning of life to me is just to live a healthy, happy, honest lifestyle. A life I can look back at and feel proud of. I love being someone people can look up to, so I work really hard to make myself and others happy. I take much pride in being a good daughter, sister, and friend. I do things that I know deep down inside gives my life purpose, and a few of those things are caring for people, inspiring, learning and helping animals. The meaning of life is complex and a touchy subject for many but to me the simple answer is simply this: the meaning of life is
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. We will tend to return to our set point despite whether good or bad things happen to