The Importance Of The Pursuit Of Happiness

It seems like in America, everyone is searching for happiness; afterall, the pursuit of happiness is in the American Constitution. However, after taking a deeper look, happiness is not all it is cracked up to be. Although positive psychologists believe happiness is of the utmost importance, the truth is other emotions are just as vital because, just like happiness, they too can play important roles in the human life. Negative Emotions, such as sadness, help people rationalize and make wiser decisions. Often times, gloomy emotions, such as sadness, fear, or anger, are given a bad rap because they are often associated with psychological disorders; however, many psychologist and researchers have found evidence to prove the opposite. Sharon Begley

In Bergley’s article, psychologist Ed Diener states that “too much happiness might not be such a good thing” (454). Happiness in moderation is beneficial, just as negative emotions are also helpful in moderation to humans. The article “The New Science of Happiness” by Claudia Wallis shares what Diener found while he studied happiness. Wallis claims that “once your basic needs are met, additional income does little to raise your sense of satisfaction with life” (Wallis). Therefore, statements such as: money can buy happiness, are false. This additionally shows that while happiness is important, it is only necessary to an extent. Being happy all of the time should not control one’s life because they may not be truly happy in the end. Diener’s studies have also revealed that being somewhat discontent is helpful when achieving a goal (Begley 456). In his study, when people were rated on a scale from one to ten, ten being the most happy, people who were rated as eights are more successful than nines and tens (Begley 457). When people are a little discontent, they seem to achieve more. If a person were to be completely happy, they would not continue to reach for anything more because they would be perfectly content where they are in life. Furthermore, a little discontentment and unhappiness is vital for achieving goals and success in

David claims that “positive emotions also drive us to success, help us make better decisions, reduce the risk of disease and allow us to live longer.” Negative and positive emotions go hand in hand when it comes to success; however, unlike sadness, anger, or fear, happiness undeniably makes people live longer and healthier lives. As stated by Richard Schoch in his article, “A Critique of Positive Psychology,” people are always striving “to become happy by maximising pleasure and minimising pain” (452). Although, happiness is pleasurable and it is what every human longs for, there is still more benefit in mixed emotions, rather than all positive ones. There is benefit in both pleasure and in pain. In many cases, negative events in life make people more appreciative of the happy times when they come around. If people are all happy all the time, they might not truly treasure happiness. Ultimately, a balance of all emotions, including negative emotions, will result in a full and best life experience for