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Essay on What makes you Happy

December 13, 2017 by Study Mentor 1 Comment

Being happy is a feeling that each and every human being wants. It’s in human being’s nature to crave happiness. There is nothing wrong in being happy. As a matter of fact, a person should be happy to have a healthy life. There are different people, animals or pets and things that make a person happy.

Each and every human being has different things in which they found happiness. The things may not be of importance to others or look stupid from other’s point of view but for the person, to whom these things belong, knows that they are irreplaceable and for them its value cannot be measured by money. Happiness is a feeling that money cannot ever buy.

Happiness is something that just lights up a person’s whole world in a matter of seconds. Happiness makes a person want to smile always. There are no words that can describe the feeling of happiness properly. It is something that can only be felt by someone. Sometimes the emotion happiness comes out from the eyes in the form of tears. These tears are called as happy tears.

In my life there are a lot of things that makes me happy starting with my family, friends and ends with many non-living thing. I respect each and every thing that makes me happy. However there are two particular things that make me happy the most.

Those two things are listening to music while going for a long walk all by myself. It is weird that these two seemingly unimportant things can give me happiness beyond imagination. But for me these two things are something I treasure from the bottom of my heart and are very important to me.

Music is something that refreshes my mind and keeps me in peace where as walking always calms me down and keeps me relaxed. When I combine walking and listening to music, I am left with relaxed body and refreshed mind which helps me waltz through my day with absolute ease.

From ancient days music is used as a means to calm someone’s mind. Music has always been there. Music can be of different kinds and people can twist music the way they please and create a song. Music has no particular tunes. Different people give different tunes and all of them are music.

I love the way people play with tunes and turn them into something amazing that we call song. These songs are what refresh my mind. Songs are beautiful melodies that are created by people. Every people love songs but not the same songs as people have different types of taste in music.

The kinds of songs that I like are slow songs where the melody is soothing and the lyrics are meaningful. The soothing music is capable of even calming down an angry animal. That is why I like music the most. Listening to music sometimes makes me feel like it is cleansing my soul.

Walking is good for health. A long walk relaxes my body. It makes me feel free of bounds. While walking I can feel the scenery around me. I enjoy walking very much. Walking is also a good exercise and it keeps my body in shape without working out.

While walking my mind wander off to different directions. I get lost in my thoughts often. I think about the problems in my life while walking and walking helps me to make decision in cool and calm mind and free from pressure.

Making important decisions while a person is in a relaxed state, makes the decision important as while the person is relaxed, he or she is free from all the tensions and external pressures and thinks about all the pros and cons of the decision thoroughly before taking it. This helps me in creating a balance in my life.

When I mix music and walking together, I find true peace. I stop thinking about my problems while walking and listening to music and just lose myself in the music and just enjoy a time with myself that I often don’t get. Spending time with me has been a benefit in my case.

In today’s date, each and everyone go through a hectic schedule and don’t get enough holidays to go for a short trip and because of that we don’t get to relax and spend some time with ourselves as much. So, I find some time out from my busy schedule to relax and to spend some time with myself.

Normally, it is not possible for me to relax so I use walking and music to relax. I love doing both individually but as I don’t get much time to do it, I do both of them together and it has benefited me till today and will keep on giving me benefit in the future also.

Whenever I go for a walk to take a break, I listen to music and I am in a hill station and am walking barefoot in a field which is filled with soft grass and the weather is just perfect that is not too warm neither too cold. When I think this, I can almost feel the grass underneath my feet. Yes, all of this is my imagination but this feels me with such happiness that no words will be able to describe that feeling.

Music always soothes me and in my imagination it acts like a back ground soft sound that is emitted throughout the hill to make me addicted to that feeling. This is how it relaxes my mind and body. It is really difficult for me to relax my mind but walking and music has done that for me.

Going for a walk while listening to music every day, has a positive effect on my mind and soul. It makes me happy and allows me to stay calm throughout the whole day. Each day I look forward to the time that I can spend all by myself by taking a break from the busy schedule.

As I mentioned above, the time I spend with myself only happen when the combination of walking and music happens. This is something I won’t ever give up at any cost. It makes me happy specially when I lose myself in the music of the song and think that I am visiting a hill station for a short break.

This is how I release all my frustration and pent up energy. The music flows throughout my body like water and relaxes my muscles too.

Reader Interactions

January 14, 2021 at 11:48 pm

i realy love the all word that you write . please give me some advince to do some writing like this .

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Essays About Happiness: 5 Essay Examples and 6 Writing Prompts

Being happy and content is essential to living a successful life. If you are writing essays about happiness, start by reading our helpful guide.

Whenever we feel positive emotions rushing through our heads, chances are we are feeling happy. Happiness is what you feel when you enter the house, the smell of your favorite food being cooked or when you finally save up enough money to buy something you’ve wanted. It is an undeniably magical feeling.

Happiness can do wonders for your productivity and well-being; when you are happy, you are more energetic, optimistic, and motivated. So it is, without a doubt, important . However, do not become caught up in trying to be happy, as this may lead to worse problems. Instead, allow yourself to feel your emotions; be authentic, even if that means feeling a little more negative.

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5 Top Essay Examples

1. causes of happiness by otis curtis, 2. how to be happy by tara parker-pope, 3. reflections on ‘happiness’ by shahzada sultan.

4. Happiness is Overrated by John Gorman

5. Toxic positivity by Suhani Mahajan

6 prompts for essays about happiness, 1. why is it important to be happy, 2. what is happiness to you, 3. the role of material things in happiness, 4. how does happiness make you more productive, 5. is true happiness achievable, 6. happiness vs. truth.

“If you don’t feel good about yourself you will have a similarly negative attitude towards others and education is one way of having good self-esteem, as it helps you to live life successfully and happily. Education is one way of getting that dream job and education is an essential cog in the wheel to living comfortably and happily. One English survey that included over 15,000 participants revealed that 81 percent of people who had achieved a good level of education had a high level of life satisfaction.”

Based on personal beliefs and research, Curtis’ essay describes different contributing causes to people’s happiness. These include a loving, stable family and good health. Interestingly, there is a positive correlation between education level and happiness, as Curtis cites statistics showing that education leads to high self-esteem, which can make you happier.

“Socratic questioning is the process of challenging and changing irrational thoughts. Studies show that this method can reduce depression symptoms. The goal is to get you from a negative mindset (“I’m a failure.”) to a more positive one (“I’ve had a lot of success in my career. This is just one setback that doesn’t reflect on me. I can learn from it and be better.”)”

Parker-Pope writes about the different factors of happiness and how to practice mindfulness and positivity in this guide. She gives tips such as doing breathing exercises, moving around more, and spending time in places and with people that make you happy. Most importantly, however, she reminds readers that negative thoughts should not be repressed. Instead, we should accept them but challenge that mindset.

“Happiness is our choice of not leaving our mind and soul at the mercy of the sways of excitement. Happiness cannot eliminate sorrow, suffering, pain or death from the scheme of things, but it can help keep fear, anxiety, sadness, hopelessness, pessimism and other fathers of unhappiness at bay.”

Sultan discusses what happiness means to her personally. It provides an escape from all the dreariness and lousy news of daily life, not eliminating negative thoughts but keeping them at a distance, even just for a moment. She writes that to be happy; we should not base our happiness on the outcomes of our actions. We cannot control the world around us, so we should not link our happiness to it. If something doesn’t go our way, that is just how the world works. It is useless to be sad over what we cannot control.

4. Happiness is Overrated by John Gorman

“Our souls do float across the sea of life, taking on water as they go, sinking ever so slightly — perhaps even imperceptibly — into despair. But our souls are not the bucket. Happiness itself is. And it’s the bucket we use to pour water out our souls and keep us afloat. What we really need is peace. Peace patches the holes in our souls and stops the leaking. Once we have peace, we will no longer need to seek happiness.”

In his essay, Gorman reflects on how he stopped trying to chase happiness and instead focused on finding peace in life. He writes that we are often so desperate looking for happiness that our lives become complicated, chaotic, and even depressing at times. He wants readers to do what they are passionate about and be their authentic selves; that way, they will find true happiness. You might also be interested in these essays about courage .

“That’s the mindset most of us have. Half of toxic positivity is just the suppression of 200% acceptable feelings such as anger, fear, sadness, confusion, and more. Any combination of such feelings is deemed “negative.” Honestly, mix ‘em up and serve them to me in a cocktail, eh? (Fine, fine, a mocktail. I reserve my right to one of those little umbrellas though.)

But by closing ourselves off to anything but positivity, we’re experiencing the same effects as being emotionally numb. Why are we doing this to ourselves?”

Mahajan writes about the phenomenon known as “toxic positivity” in which everyone is expected to be happy with their lives. It trivializes people’s misfortunes and sufferings, telling them to be happy with what they have instead. Mahajan opposes this, believing that everyone’s feelings are valid. She writes that it’s okay to be sad or angry at times, and the stigma around “negative feelings” should be erased. When we force ourselves to be happy, we may feel emotionally numb or even sad, the exact opposite of being happy.

Essays About Happiness: Why is it important to be happy?

Many would say that happiness aids you in many aspects of your life. Based on personal experience and research, discuss the importance of being happy. Give a few benefits or advantages of happiness. These can include physical, mental, and psychological benefits, as well as anything else you can think of.

Happiness means different things to different people and may come from various sources. In your essay, you can also explain how you define happiness. Reflect on this feeling and write about what makes you happy and why. Explain in detail for a more convincing essay; be sure to describe what you are writing about well.

Essays About Happiness: The role of material things in happiness

Happiness has a myriad of causes, many of which are material. Research the extent to which material possessions can make one happy, and write your essay about whether or not material things can truly make us happy. Consider the question, “Can money buy happiness?” Evaluate the extent to which it can or cannot, depending on your stance.

Happiness has often been associated with a higher level of productivity . In your essay, look into the link between these two. In particular, discuss the mental and chemical effects of happiness. Since this topic is rooted in research and statistics, vet your sources carefully: only use the most credible sources for an accurate essay.

In their essays, many, including Gorman and Mahajan, seem to hold a more critical view of happiness. Our world is full of suffering and despair, so some ask: “Can we truly be happy on this earth?” Reflect on this question and make the argument for your position. Be sure to provide evidence from your own experiences and those of others.

In dystopian stories, authorities often restrict people’s knowledge to keep them happy. We are seeing this even today, with some governments withholding crucial information to keep the population satisfied or stable. Write about whether you believe what they are doing is defensible or not, and provide evidence to support your point.

For help with this topic, read our guide explaining “what is persuasive writing ?”

For help picking your next essay topic, check out our top essay topics about love .

Essay On What Makes Me Happy

There are many things in life that make us happy, but what makes us the happiest? There is no one answer to this question, as everyone has different values and priorities that make them happy. However, there are some things that are common to all people who are happy – they enjoy doing things that make them feel good, they have strong relationships with family and friends, and they find meaning in their lives. In this essay, we will explore each of these topics in greater detail and look at what makes each of them so important to us.

Table of Contents

Short Essay On What Makes Me Happy

Happiness is a feeling that we all strive for in life, and what makes each person happy can be different and unique. For me, there are several things that bring joy and happiness into my life, and I would like to share a few of them.

First and foremost, spending time with loved ones is what makes me the happiest. Whether it is going out for a meal, taking a walk, or simply having a chat, being surrounded by people I care about is what brings me the most joy. Spending quality time with family and friends creates memories and strengthens bonds, and I find that this is what brings me the most happiness in life.

Another thing that brings me happiness is traveling and exploring new places. I love experiencing new cultures, trying new foods, and seeing new sights. Traveling broadens my horizons and provides a sense of adventure and excitement, which I find extremely fulfilling. Whether it is a road trip, a weekend getaway, or a longer trip abroad, exploring new destinations always brings a smile to my face and joy to my heart.

In addition, I find that engaging in hobbies and activities that I am passionate about also brings me happiness. Whether it is photography, reading, or playing a musical instrument, these activities allow me to escape from the stress of daily life and focus on something that brings me joy and fulfillment. Pursuing my hobbies provides a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction, and it is a way for me to express my creativity and individuality.

Finally, volunteering and giving back to others is something that brings me happiness and a sense of purpose. Whether it is helping at a local food bank, volunteering at a local animal shelter, or simply lending a helping hand to someone in need, helping others is a way to make a positive impact on the world and feel good about oneself.

In conclusion, there are many things that bring happiness into my life, and each person’s list will be different. For me, spending time with loved ones, traveling, engaging in hobbies, and giving back to others are all things that bring a smile to my face and joy to my heart. These are the things that make me happy, and I believe that they are the key to a fulfilling and happy life.

Long Essay On What Makes Me Happy

I believe that there are a few qualities that make me happy. One of the things that makes me happy is when I am able to help others. Another thing that makes me happy is spending time with my family and friends. Additionally, I enjoy doing activities that I love or have always loved. Lastly, I am also very grateful for all the blessings in my life.

How have my past experiences made me happy?

I have had a lot of experiences that have made me happy. Some of these experiences were things that I did myself, while others were things that happened to me. Regardless of how they occurred, every single experience has contributed to making me the person I am today.

One example of an experience that I enjoyed myself was when I took my first cooking class. It was a new challenge for me and it was rewarding to learn something new and make something delicious for someone else in the class. Another experience that made me happy was when I got accepted into my dream school. It was a hard process but it was worth it when I got the acceptance letter in the mail.

Some of the happiest moments in my life have come as a result of other people doing things for me. One such moment occurred when my grandma gave me a birthday present that she had been saving up for years – her entire collection of cookbooks! Another time, my friends organized an impromptu party at my house after I got back from travelling overseas and everything went smoothly thanks to their planning.

The list could go on and on, but ultimately what makes me happy is simply experiencing various things in life and feeling grateful for all the good that has come my way. Every little thing – no matter how small – contributes to creating a happiness inside of me which is difficult to shake off even once those special memories have faded away.

What do I need to do to increase my chances of happiness?

There is no single answer to this question, as everyone has different needs and wants. However, some things that may help increase your chances of happiness are: spending time with loved ones, enjoying hobbies or activities you enjoy, maintaining healthy personal relationships, and working towards goals that make you happy. Additionally, it’s important to be mindful of your surroundings and take in all the beauty around you. Happiness can come from small moments as well as larger ones. Be sure to savor both!

Happiness is an elusive concept, but for me, it comes down to a few simple things. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, enjoying nature whenever possible, and indulging in my favorite hobbies. These are all things that make me happy and help me rid myself of stress. If you can find something that makes you happy on a regular basis then I believe you will be just as content as I am. So go out there and find what makes you smile – it might just be the key to happiness!

Manisha Dubey Jha is a skilled educational content writer with 5 years of experience. Specializing in essays and paragraphs, she’s dedicated to crafting engaging and informative content that enriches learning experiences.

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, what brings you joy essay.

Hey peeps! I'm working on a personal essay about what brings me joy for an application. Can anyone suggest a unique approach to take when writing about such a topic? I want it to stand out from the rest. Any tips or examples would be super helpful. Thanks!

Hello! A unique approach to writing about what brings you joy could be to focus on a lesser-known or niche interest that you're passionate about, which might not be as common in other applicants' essays. This way, you can share a more personal side of yourself while also engaging the reader with something unexpected and interesting.

In terms of essay structure, one idea is to choose a specific moment or a series of moments related to that interest or hobby that genuinely brought you joy. Avoid just listing reasons why it makes you happy; instead, describe a scene or two and the emotions you experienced, allowing the reader to "feel" your joy through your writing.

For example, if you love collecting unique coins from around the world, you might share a story about finding a rare coin at a local flea market and how the feeling of owning a piece of history brings you happiness. Alternatively, if you enjoy attending live poetry readings, you could describe the first time you stumbled into a small open-mic poetry night and discuss your newfound appreciation for the power of spoken word performances.

Whichever approach you take, remember to be genuine and honest in your essay. This will make your writing more engaging and memorable for the reader, helping your application stand out from the rest.

Finally, if you want to get a second set of eyes on your essay to verify that your approach is working, remember that CollegeVine offers both free peer essay reviews and paid reviews by expert college admissions advisors. Sometimes, that more objective perspective is just the thing that will take your response from good to great.

Good luck with your essay!

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CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.

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Essay Sample

Happiness is a subjective feeling that varies from person to person. What makes one person happy might not necessarily make another person happy. However, there are some things that tend to bring joy and satisfaction to most people.

One of the things that make me happy is spending time with my loved ones. Being around people who care about me and whom I care about brings a sense of belonging and warmth that is hard to replicate in other circumstances. Whether it is having deep conversations, sharing a meal, or simply enjoying each other’s company, spending time with family and friends is an essential part of my happiness.

Another thing that brings joy to my life is pursuing my passions and hobbies. Engaging in activities that I enjoy, whether it is reading a good book, playing a musical instrument, or practicing yoga, provides me with a sense of purpose and fulfillment. These activities allow me to enter a state of flow, where time seems to stop and my mind is fully engaged in the present moment.

Being in nature is also something that makes me happy. The beauty and serenity of natural environments, such as the beach, the mountains, or a park, have a calming effect on me. They remind me of the simplicity and purity of life, and they help me appreciate the beauty around me.

Finally, helping others is another source of happiness for me. Volunteering, donating to charity, or simply being kind to strangers all contribute to a sense of fulfillment and purpose in my life. Knowing that I am making a positive impact on someone else’s life is a powerful motivator that brings me joy.

In conclusion, happiness is a complex and multifaceted emotion that is influenced by many factors. However, spending time with loved ones, pursuing passions and hobbies, being in nature, and helping others are some of the things that tend to make people happy. By focusing on these aspects of our lives, we can cultivate a sense of joy and contentment that lasts beyond fleeting moments of pleasure.

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What is happiness?

Happiness is a subjective emotional state characterized by feelings of joy, satisfaction, and overall well-being. It varies from person to person and can be influenced by a variety of factors, including relationships, hobbies, environment, and acts of kindness.

Why does spending time with loved ones make you happy?

Spending time with loved ones brings a sense of belonging, warmth, and shared understanding. It’s a way to connect deeply with others, share experiences, and create lasting memories, which contribute to feelings of happiness.

How do passions and hobbies contribute to happiness?

Passions and hobbies contribute to happiness by providing a sense of purpose and fulfillment. Engaging in activities you enjoy can lead to a state of flow, where you’re fully engaged and lose track of time. This immersion in a rewarding activity often results in joy and satisfaction.

Why does being in nature make you happy?

Being in nature can instill feelings of peace and calm. The beauty and serenity of natural environments can simplify one’s perspective on life and help one appreciate the world’s inherent beauty, leading to a sense of happiness and contentment.

How does helping others contribute to happiness?

Helping others can create a sense of fulfillment and purpose. Knowing that you’re making a positive impact on someone else’s life can be a powerful source of joy and satisfaction, contributing to overall happiness.

Are these sources of happiness universal?

While these sources of happiness are common, happiness is a highly individual experience. What brings joy to one person might not have the same effect on another. It’s important to understand your unique sources of happiness and cultivate them.

How can one cultivate lasting happiness?

Cultivating lasting happiness often involves focusing on the aspects of life that bring joy and contentment, such as spending time with loved ones, pursuing passions, appreciating nature, and helping others. Additionally, maintaining a positive mindset, practicing gratitude, and taking care of one’s physical health can also contribute to sustained happiness.

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Essay on What Makes Me Happy

Students are often asked to write an essay on What Makes Me Happy in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on What Makes Me Happy

Spending time with family.

Being with my family makes me very happy. We eat meals together, play games, and share stories. When I’m with them, I feel loved and safe. Their laughter and smiles fill me with joy.

Playing with My Pet

My pet is a big part of my happiness. When I come home, seeing my pet excited to see me makes me forget any bad day. Playing fetch or just cuddling on the couch with them brings me immense joy.

Doing What I Love

I love drawing and reading. When I draw, I create my own world. And reading takes me on adventures I could never imagine. Doing these activities always puts a big smile on my face.

Helping Others

Helping someone in need or just being kind makes me happy. When I see someone smile because of something I did, it makes me feel good inside. Knowing I made a difference, even if it’s small, is very rewarding.

250 Words Essay on What Makes Me Happy

Being in nature has a calming effect on me. Whether I’m hiking in the mountains, walking through a forest, or just sitting in my backyard, being surrounded by nature helps me to relax and appreciate the beauty of the world around me.

Doing things that I enjoy, like reading, writing, and playing music, makes me happy. These activities allow me to express myself creatively and challenge myself intellectually. They also help me to relax and de-stress.

Accomplishments

Achieving goals, no matter how small, gives me a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. It makes me feel good about myself and motivates me to keep going.

Helping others makes me happy because it makes me feel like I’m making a difference in the world. Whether it’s volunteering my time, donating to charity, or just being a good friend, helping others makes me feel good about myself and the world around me.

500 Words Essay on What Makes Me Happy

Having good friends.

Having friends is one of the most important things that makes me happy. I have a group of close friends who I can always count on. We laugh together, cry together, and support each other through thick and thin. I know that I can always talk to them about anything, and they will always be there for me.

Doing Things I Love

I am also happy when I do things that I love. I love to play sports, read, and write. I also love spending time outside. When I am doing something that I enjoy, I feel relaxed and content.

Learning New Things

I also love learning new things. I am always trying to expand my knowledge and learn new skills. I find that learning new things helps me to grow as a person and makes me more interesting to be around.

There are many things that make me happy. Having good friends, spending time with family, doing things I love, learning new things, and helping others are all important things that contribute to my happiness. I am grateful for all of the things that make me happy, and I know that as long as I have these things in my life, I will be happy.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

Happy studying!

What Is Happiness? – My Essay On Defining Your Happiness

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Definition of happiness

Happiness synonyms, different kinds of happiness, a happy balance, why eternal happiness doesn’t exist, why eternal happiness can still be pursued, defining your own happiness, closing words, what is happiness.

Before starting this essay about happiness, we must at least have a broad idea of what happiness is. Let’s first have a look at how happiness is defined across the web.

Definitions of happiness vary quite a bit across multiple sources. Google thinks happiness is defined as follows:

The state of being happy

You can see how Google is pretty vague about the definition of happiness. Furthermore, it quickly follows with a long list of synonyms.

Wikipedia has a much more interesting definition of what happiness is.

The feeling of an emotion such as pleasure or joy, the appraisal of life satisfaction or the quality of life, subjective well-being and eudaimonia.

Lesson learned? It is really difficult to find a universally correct and agreed-upon definition of what happiness really is.

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Think of all the synonyms that we use to describe feelings that are similar to happiness.

What I like about Google is that it shows synonyms of happiness to people that are looking for its definition.

It’s like they’re saying: “Hey, we don’t know exactly how to define happiness, but here are a couple of concepts that we believe are very much similar!”

The list of synonyms is quite big:

Contentment
Satisfaction
Carefreeness

I think there is a lot we can learn just from the fact that happiness has so many synonyms.

Why? Because these synonyms are all specific variants of what happiness means to me. And I bet you feel the same.

All these different emotions are part of what happiness truly is. And that’s what makes happiness so incredibly difficult to define and measure. It’s a weighted average of all these different synonyms, and the equation of happiness truly changes per person . I’ll even go as far as to say that the happiness equation changes per person per day.

If pleasure makes me happy today, it doesn’t mean that that same amount of pleasure makes me happy tomorrow.

If short-term satisfaction made me happy yesterday, then it won’t necessarily make me happy next week.

What I want you to realize is that your personal definition of happiness is unique. What makes you happy doesn’t necessarily make another person happy. In fact, your definition of happiness is likely a combination of satisfaction, cheeriness, merriment, and jollity.

But the way you personally define happiness will likely change from day to day as well.

And that’s one of the most critical aspects of happiness. That’s also why it’s supposedly so hard to measure and quantify. Here’s an entire article I wrote recently about how difficult it is to define happiness, but you can still try for yourself !

Still with me? Good, because I’m going to add yet another reason why happiness is such a difficult thing to measure!

There are different kinds of happiness. Not just in the way we define happiness, but also in the way we experience it.

As part of this essay, I want to introduce the concepts of short-term and long-term happiness.

Short-term happiness

Short-term happiness is relatively easy to explain. It’s based on small and easy to obtain, yet rather unsustainable happiness. When looking at the list of happiness synonyms, I think the following concepts are clearly centered around short-term happiness:

You see, short-term happiness is based on the release of the chemical dopamine in our brain . This organic chemical is released whenever we are stimulated by things that please us. Some examples are sex, having a laugh with friends, finishing a race, watching a funny video online, or watching an exciting game of football. A more extreme example is drugs.

These things result in short-term happiness because dopamine is released based on a single event. When this event is over, the pleasure is gone. That’s why I consider this to be short-term happiness.

And then there is long-term happiness.

Long-term happiness

Long-term happiness is a little bit harder to explain because it revolves around other concepts of happiness. Instead of joy, pleasure, and ecstasy, the concepts that make up long-term happiness are:

I hope you can spot the difference here. Long-term happiness is created by feeling happy about your purpose in life, the successes that you’ve had and/or the satisfaction of who you are and what you’ve accomplished. Long-term happiness is based on concepts that are not created by a single event. For example, I’m happy at the moment because I’m grateful for the life that I have right now. This happiness is not caused by something I’m doing at this very moment. No, I’m happy because I work hard and have achieved things that I am proud of. I have created a situation in which I am happy by default, without having to rely on single events.

happiness long-term vs short-term balance

Now that you are aware of these two different kinds of happiness, I want you to picture some scenarios.

Picture a life in which you spent your youth partying, doing whatever you want to do, using drugs and living without planning for a good future. Sure, you feel pretty happy when doing these things, but you can probably see how this lifestyle will eventually catch up with you, right?

You might have guessed it, but this scenario is focused exclusively on short-term happiness. And the simple fact is that pursuing nothing but short-term happiness does not lead to a sustainable happy life.

Now picture the following scenario:

You’re in your early twenties and want to become the next Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk. You have great ambitions and are incredibly disciplined and inspired to become everything that you think you can become. You spend an incredible amount of time working on your projects, and you even make sacrifices just for the sake of your goals. You don’t have time for sleep, social activities or relationships. Hell, even your health starts to decline. It doesn’t matter though, because you eventually want to reach your goals, and then you’ll be happy right?

This is another extreme example of happiness. You can probably see how this person is very likely unhappy. He is spending the best years of his life making sacrifices in anticipation of what he eventually wants to become. For a lot of people, this sounds like a logical decision. But to me, this sounds like a huge mistake. You might feel satisfied with the progress you’re making, but are you truly happy? If you get in a fatal car crash tomorrow, would you have any regrets?

I want you to think about this for a moment since a lot of people in industrialized countries have the urge to constantly be planning for the future. And while this is not a bad thing in principle, we often take it too far. As a result, we are constantly sprinting from one deadline to the other. Sure, you want to plan for a happy future, but what’s the point of all of this when you’re not happy in the process itself?

The thing is, these extreme examples are not something that you should want. You can only lead a truly happy life when you actively pursue both short-term and long-term happiness.

It’s important to find out what your perfect balance is.

I’m not here to tell you that you should focus 50% of your attention on short-term happiness and the other 50% on long-term happiness. No. I’m here to tell you that you should be aware of your own happiness. Every single person on this planet has a different definition of happiness. You need to find out what happiness means to you, and how you want to pursue it.

They say happiness is a journey and not a destination. I think happiness can – and should – be both.

For me personally, I often notice how much short-term happiness I’m sacrificing in anticipation of long-term happiness. Some examples:

I go out for a long-distance training run in the pouring rain because I want to eventually finish another marathon in 3 months. I don’t even enjoy the long-distance run but I think that it will eventually lead to a great finish time, and thus long-term happiness.
Instead of just playing a videogame, I decide to write an essay about my understanding of happiness. Why? Because I think it will grow my website, which will make me happy in the long run.
I skip a nice snack because I want to maintain my weight

These are some real examples of how I’ve been sacrificing my short-term happiness for long-term happiness. I want you to think of a couple of examples for yourself. Have you ever made a bad decision that resulted in a decreased level of happiness?

Think about some real scenarios that you’ve experienced and whether you should have acted differently.

I’m not saying that sacrificing short-term happiness for long-term happiness is bad. I just want you to know that you need to find a balance. For example, I do actually want to finish my next marathon within a decent time, but I’m not going to make myself miserable by pushing myself to the limit in preparation. That’s not the balance that I’m after.

The thing is, realizing the difference between short-term and long-term happiness makes it easier for us to pursue happiness in our lives.

Pursue happiness, you ask?

Yes! I believe that happiness can actively be pursued and that you can steer your life in the best direction possible by doing this. However, there are a number of people that believe that pursuing happiness is a loser’s game. These people argue that by pursuing happiness , you’ll be more tempted to choose short-term happiness over long-term happiness. This is where the hedonic treadmill will quickly evaporate whatever happiness you’ve created for yourself.

The hedonic treadmill

Imagine something that you would really like to do right now.

What did you think of? Taking a long warm bath? Drinking wine with your friends? Going to an amusement park?

Wouldn’t it be great if you could do that right now? That would definitely have a positive influence on your happiness, right?

Now think about doing that exact thing every day, for the rest of your life, until the day you die.

Do you think you’d still be happy from doing that same thing after the 10th time? Or the 100th time? Or the 1000th time?

The answer is probably no. Even though this example is extreme, the theory of diminishing returns applies here. When repeated, the effect of the same event on your happiness will diminish to zero. That’s because the norms of what defines your happiness are constantly adapting. Your happiness equation transforms with your changing life, whether it’s for better or worse.

One of the best examples of this hedonic treadmill is the following:

Think of a big salary bump. You receive a raise of 50%! Congratulations, you now have money to spend on all kinds of things that make you and your family happy ! Will that happiness sustain into the future? Unfortunately not. Instead of appreciating the luxury of your raise, you will grow accustomed to this extra money and will slowly take it for granted. This adaptation is known as the hedonic treadmill , and it is generally conceived as the arch-enemy of happiness.

what is happiness essay hedonic treadmill

Now that you know what this hedonic treadmill is, it might seem like a waste of time to continue reading this essay, right?

NO! While the hedonic treadmill is very much real – I’ll never deny that – I don’t want you to think that greater happiness can’t be achieved. You just need to be willing to actively look for it in the right places.

See, nobody on the internet will be able to define happiness for you. What makes you happy is a constantly changing equation that is unique in every way. Why would you believe some scientist when he or she claims that happiness is impossible to pursue? What does that scientist know about you? Nothing!

It’s up to you to define what makes you happy.

How to find your own happiness

By now, you should know 3 things:

Your happiness equation is unique. Nobody can tell you what exactly to do in order to be happy.
You can pursue both short-term happiness and long-term happiness. The key is to find the perfect balance between the two. You can be happy on the journey towards a happy future.
The hedonic treadmill will diminish the effect events have on your happiness over time.

Let’s combine this knowledge. I want you to realize that you can learn more about your own happiness equation. You can find out what it is that makes you happy.

Got it? Good, because the next step is to define what the difference is between short-term and long-term happiness. You have to find out how much you value your happiness on the journey itself and how much of that happiness you want to sacrifice by investing in a potentially happier future.

Now, what if I told you that a perfect balance between long-term and short-term happiness can limit the effect that the hedonic treadmill has on you?

Yes, by consciously varying the pursuit of short-term and long-term happiness, you can vary the factors in your life in a way that leads to greater happiness. If you are aware of your own happiness equation, you’re able to pursue happiness in the areas where it matters the most.

What I want you to do is consider your personal happiness again for a moment.

Think back at the last week, and remember what things or events had a positive influence on your happiness. Think of the things that really made you smile or feel satisfied with where you were or how you acted.

What came to your mind? Was it work? Was it your relationship? Was it that silly movie you watched? Was it a nice sunny day spent outside? It could be literally anything! What I want most of all now is that you realize how you just measured a part of your happiness.

You see, even though happiness is claimed to be the factor of life that’s the most difficult to measure, you can still measure what is currently part of your happiness equation. It’s simple. For me personally, when I think back to yesterday, I remember that I really enjoyed spending time with my girlfriend, walking through the woods on a sunny day, and just relaxing (a.k.a. doing nothing!)

These are happiness factors that were a vital part of my happiness equation yesterday. It was a weekend day after a long and busy week at work, so I was really trying to find some short-term happiness. The things that I did yesterday were perfect, as it was a very happy day for me.

You should not be surprised if I told you that I was consciously trying to be happy by spending my day doing things that satisfied my short-term happiness.

You can do exactly the same. All you need to do is to define your own happiness.

And with that said, I want to conclude this essay about happiness. Happiness is different for every single human being on this planet. If you arrived at this essay without having a clear idea of what happiness is, I hope you now know that your personal happiness can be defined, measured, and quantified. But only YOU can do this, no one else will be able to tell you what happiness really is. If you are willing to actively pursue greater happiness, I believe you can steer your life in the best direction.

Now it’s time to hear from you! How do you define your own happiness right now? What has been your biggest happiness factor last week? Do you think you can learn from your own happiness?

I’d love to hear all about it in the comments!

Founder of Tracking Happiness, with over 100 interviews and a focus on practical advice, our content extends beyond happiness tracking. Hailing from the Netherlands, I’m a skateboarding enthusiast, marathon runner, and a dedicated data junkie, tracking my happiness for over a decade.

The Science of Happiness in Positive Psychology 101

Whether on a global or an individual level, the pursuit of happiness is one that is gaining traction and scientific recognition.

There are many definitions of happiness, and we will also explore those in this article. For now, we invite you to think of a time when you were happy. Were you alone? With others? Inside? Outside.

At the end of this article, revisit that memory. You may have new insight as to what made that moment “happy,” as well as tips to train your brain towards more happiness.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Happiness & Subjective Wellbeing Exercises for free . These detailed, science-based exercises will help you or your clients identify sources of authentic happiness and strategies to boost wellbeing.

This Article Contains:

A definition of happiness, a look at the science of happiness, the scientific research on happiness at work, 17 interesting facts and findings, a study showing how acts of kindness make us happier, the global pursuit of happiness, measures of happiness, four qualities of life.

How to Train your Brain for Happiness

A Take-Home Message

In general, happiness is understood as the positive emotions we have in regards to the pleasurable activities we take part in through our daily lives.

Pleasure, comfort, gratitude, hope, and inspiration are examples of positive emotions that increase our happiness and move us to flourish. In scientific literature, happiness is referred to as hedonia (Ryan & Deci, 2001), the presence of positive emotions and the absence of negative emotions.

In a more broad understanding, human wellbeing is made up of both hedonic and Eudaimonic principles, the literature on which is vast and describes our personal meaning and purpose in life (Ryan & Deci, 2001).

Research on happiness over the years has found that there are some contributing correlational factors that affect our happiness. These include (Ryan & Deci, 2001):

Personality Type
Positive Emotions versus Negative Emotions
Attitude towards Physical Health
Social Class and Wealth
Attachment and Relatedness
Goals and Self-Efficacy
Time and Place.

So what is the “ science of happiness? ”

This is one of those times when something is exactly what it sounds like – it’s all about the science behinds what happiness is and how to experience it, what happy people do differently, and what we can do to feel happier.

This focus on happiness is new to the field of psychology; for many decades – basically since the foundation of psychology as a science in the mid- to late-1800s – the focus was on the less pleasant in life. The field focused on pathology, on the worst-scenario cases, on what can go wrong in our lives.

Although there was some attention paid to wellbeing, success, and high functioning, the vast majority of funding and research was dedicated to those who were struggling the most: those with severe mental illness, mental disorders, or those who have survived trauma and tragedy.

While there’s certainly nothing wrong with doing what we can to raise up those who are struggling, there was an unfortunate lack of knowledge about what we can do to bring us all up to a higher level of functioning and happiness.

Positive psychology changed all of that. Suddenly, there was space at the table for a focus on the positive in life, for “ what thoughts, actions, and behaviors make us more productive at work, happier in our relationships, and more fulfilled at the end of the day ” (Happify Daily, n.d.).

The science of happiness has opened our eyes to a plethora of new findings about the sunny side of life.

Current research and studies

For instance, we have learned a lot about what happiness is and what drives us.

Recent studies have shown us that:

Money can only buy happiness up to about $75,000 – after that, it has no significant effect on our emotional wellbeing (Kahneman & Deaton, 2010).
Most of our happiness is not determined by our genetics, but by our experiences and our day-to-day lives (Lyubomirsky et al., 2005).
Trying too hard to find happiness often has the opposite effect and can lead us to be overly selfish (Mauss et al., 2012).
Pursuing happiness through social means (e.g., spending more time with family and friends) is more likely to be effective than other methods (Rohrer et al., 2018).
The pursuit of happiness is one place where we should consider ditching the SMART goals; it may be more effective to pursue “vague” happiness goals than more specific ones (Rodas et al., 2018).
Happiness makes us better citizens – it is a good predictor of civic engagement in the transition to adulthood (Fang et al., 2018).
Happiness leads to career success, and it doesn’t have to be “natural” happiness – researchers found that “experimentally enhancing” positive emotions also contributed to improved outcomes at work (Walsh et al., 2018).
There is a linear relationship between religious involvement and happiness. Higher worship service attendance is correlated with more commitment to faith, and commitment to faith is related to greater compassion. Those more compassionate individuals are more likely to provide emotional support to others, and those who provide emotional support to others are more likely to be happy (Krause et al., 2018). It’s a long road, but a direct one!

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There’s been a ton of research on the effects of happiness in the workplace. Much of this is driven by companies who want to find a way to improve productivity, attract new talent, and get a dose of good publicity, all at the same time. After all, who wouldn’t want to do business with and/or work for a company full of happy employees?

Although the jury is still out on exactly how happy employees “should” be for maximum productivity, efficiency, and health, we have learned a few things about the effects of a happy workforce:

People who are happy with their jobs are less likely to leave their jobs, less likely to be absent, and less likely to engage in counterproductive behaviors at work.
People who are happy with their jobs are more likely to engage in behavior that contributes to a happy and productive organization, more likely to be physically healthy, and more likely to be mentally healthy.
Happiness and job performance are related—and the relationship likely works in both directions (e.g., happy people do a better job and people who do a good job are more likely to be happy).
Unit- or team-level happiness is also linked to positive outcomes, including higher customer satisfaction, profit, productivity, employee turnover, and a safer work environment.
In general, a happier organization is a more productive and successful organization (Fisher, 2010).

To sum up the findings we have so far, it’s easy to see that happiness at work does matter – for individuals, for teams, and for organizations overall. We don’t have all the answers about exactly how the relationship between happiness and productivity works, but we know that there is a relationship there.

Lately, many human resources managers, executives, and other organizational leaders have decided that knowing there’s a relationship is good enough evidence to establish happiness-boosting practices at work, which means that we have a lot of opportunities to see the impact of greater happiness at work in the future.

Research in this field is booming, and new findings are coming out all the time. Here are a few of the most interesting facts and findings so far:

Happiness is linked to lower heart rate and blood pressure, as well as healthier heart rate variability.
Happiness can also act as a barrier between you and germs – happier people are less likely to get sick.
People who are happier enjoy greater protection against stress and release less of the stress hormone cortisol.
Happy people tend to experience fewer aches and pains, including dizziness, muscle strain, and heartburn.
Happiness acts as a protective factor against disease and disability (in general, of course).
Those who are happiest tend to live significantly longer than those who are not.
Happiness boosts our immune system, which can help us fight and fend off the common cold.
Happy people tend to make others happier as well, and vice versa – those who do good, feel good!
A portion of our happiness is determined by our genetics (but there’s still plenty of room for attitude adjustments and happiness-boosting exercises!).
Smelling floral scents like roses can make us happier.
Those who are paid by the hour may be happier than those on salary (however, these findings are limited, so take them with a grain of salt!).
Relationships are much more conducive to a happy life than money.
Happier people tend to wear bright colors; it’s not certain which way the relationship works, but it can’t hurt to throw on some brighter hues once in a while—just in case!
Happiness can help people cope with arthritis and chronic pain better.
Being outdoors – especially near the water – can make us happier.
The holidays can be a stressful time, even for the happiest among us – an estimated 44% of women and 31% of men get the “holiday blues.”
Happiness is contagious! When we spend time around happy people, we’re likely to get a boost of happiness as well.

Newman (2015) is the source for the first six facts and findings, and Florentine (2016) for the latter 11 .

Feeling blue? Treat yourself to a decadent dessert.

Feeling frustrated after an argument with a friend? Skip your workout and have an extra scoop of ice cream.

The message is clear: If you want to feel happy, you should focus on your own wishes and desires. Yet this is not the advice that many people grew up hearing. Indeed, most of the world’s religions (and grandmothers everywhere) have long suggested that people should focus on others first and themselves second.

Psychologists refer to such behavior as prosocial behavior and many recent studies have shown that when people have a prosocial focus, doing kind acts for others, their own happiness increases.

But how does prosocial behavior compare to treating yourself in terms of your happiness? And does treating yourself really make you feel happy?

Nelson et al. (2016) presented their research answering these questions.

Participants were divided into four groups and given new instructions each week for four weeks.

One group was instructed to perform random acts of kindness for themselves (such as going shopping or enjoying a favorite hobby); the second group was instructed to perform acts of kindness for others (such as visiting an elderly relative or helping someone carry groceries); the third group was instructed to perform acts of kindness to improve the world (such as recycling or donating to charity); the fourth group was instructed to keep track of their daily activities.

Each week, the participants reported their activities from the previous week, as well as their experience of positive and negative emotions.

At the beginning, the end, and again two weeks after the four-week period, participants completed a questionnaire to assess their psychological flourishing. As a measure of overall happiness, the questionnaire included questions about psychological, social, and emotional wellbeing .

The Results

The results of the study were striking. Only participants who engaged in prosocial behavior demonstrated improvements in psychological flourishing.

Participants who practiced prosocial behavior demonstrated increases in positive emotions from one week to the next. In turn, these increases in feelings such as happiness, joy, and enjoyment predicted increases in psychological flourishing at the end of the study. In other words, positive emotions appeared to have been a critical ingredient linking prosocial behavior to increases in flourishing.

But what about the people who treated themselves?

They did not show the same increases in positive emotions or psychological flourishing as those who engaged in acts of kindness. In fact, people who treated themselves did not differ in positive emotions, negative emotions, or psychological flourishing over the course of the study compared to those who merely kept track of their daily activities.

This research does not say that we shouldn’t treat ourselves, show ourselves self-love when we need it, or enjoy our relaxation when we have it. However, the results of this study strongly suggest that we are more likely to reach greater levels of happiness when we exhibit prosocial behavior and show others kindness through our actions.

In world economic circles, Richard Easterlin investigated the relationship between money and wellbeing.

The Easterlin paradox—”money does not buy happiness” (Mohun, 2012)—sparked a new wave of thinking about wealth and wellbeing.

In 1972, Bhutan chose to pursue a policy of happiness rather than a focus on economic growth tracked via their gross domestic product (GDPP). Subsequently, this little nation has been among the happiest, ranking amongst nations with far superior wealth (Kelly, 2012).

More global organizations and nations are becoming aware and supportive of the importance of happiness in today’s world. This has lead to The United Nations inviting nations to take part in a happiness survey, resulting in the “ World Happiness Report ,” a basis from which to steer public policy. Learn about the World Happiness Report for 2016 .

The United Nations also established World Happiness Day , March 20 th , which was the result of efforts of the Bhutan Kingdom and their Gross National Happiness initiative (Helliwell et al., 2013).

Organizations such as the New Economic Foundation are playing an influential role as an economic think tank that focuses on steering economic policy and development for the betterment of human wellbeing.

Ruut Veenhoven, a world authority on the scientific study of happiness, was one of the sources of inspiration for the United Nations General Assembly (2013) adopting happiness measures. Veenhoven is a founding member of the World Database of Happiness , which is a comprehensive scientific repository of happiness measures worldwide.

The objective of this organization is to provide a coordinated collection of data, with common interpretation according to a scientifically validated happiness theory, model, and body of research.

At this point, you might be wondering: Is it possible to measure happiness? Many psychologists have devoted their careers to answering this question and in short, the answer is yes.

Happiness can be measured by these three factors: the presence of positive emotions, the absence of negative emotions, and life satisfaction (Ryan & Deci, 2001). It is a uniquely subjective experience, which means that nobody is better at reporting on someone’s happiness than the individuals themselves.

For this reason scales, self-report measures, and questionnaires are the most common formats for measuring happiness. The most recognized examples are the following:

The PANAS (Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule);
The SWLS (Satisfaction With Life Scale) ;
The SHS (Subjective Happiness Scale)

However, there are many instruments available to measure happiness that have proven reliable and valid over time (Hefferon & Boniwell, 2011).

Of the four dimensions, satisfaction is our personal subjective measure of happiness as we interpret life as a whole. Veenhoven’s (2010) global research into happiness suggests that happiness is possible for many.

This is an overview of his Four Qualities:

	Outer Qualities	Inner Qualities
Life Chances	Liveability of Environment	Life-ability of Individual
Life Results	Utility of Life	Satisfaction

Using Veenhoven’s Four Qualities it is possible to assess the happiness of any country.

Liveability of environment

This dimension includes factors such as law, freedom, schooling, employment, electricity or gas, etc. It is a measurement of how well an environment meets what Maslow proposed as our basic needs (safety, security, shelter, food) (Maslow, 1943).

Life-ability of individuals

The ability of individuals to deal with life is important; both mental and physical health are identified as important factors, together with social values of solidarity, tolerance, and love (Veenhoven, 2010).

Utility of life

In this dimension, Veenhoven (2010) references a higher-order meaning, for example, religious affiliations.

Uchida et al. (2014) found that high levels of national disaster negatively impacted a nation’s level of happiness.

Satisfaction

Happiness is a complex construct that cannot be directly controlled. Through policy and individual and organizational action, one can endeavor to influence and increase happiness (Veenhoven, 2010).

However, happiness is a subjective experience and only once we change the way we perceive the world can we really begin sharing and creating happiness for others.

But is it possible to train yourself to be happier?

The answer is yes!

How to Train Your Brain for Happiness

At birth, our genetics provide us a set point that accounts for some portion of our happiness. Having enough food, shelter, and safety account for another portion.

There’s also quite a bit of happiness that’s entirely up to us (Lyubomirsky et al., 2005).

By training our brain through awareness and exercises to think in a happier, more optimistic, and more resilient way, we can effectively train our brains for happiness.

New discoveries in the field of positive psychology show that physical health, psychological wellbeing, and physiological functioning are all improved by how we learn to “feel good” (Fredrickson, et al., 2000).

What Are The Patterns We Need To “Train Out” of Our Brains?

Perfectionism – Often confused with conscientiousness, which involves appropriate and tangible expectations, perfectionism involves inappropriate levels of expectations and intangible goals. It often produces problems for adults, adolescents, and children.
Social comparison – When we compare ourselves to others we often find ourselves lacking. Healthy social comparison is about finding what you admire in others and learning to strive for those qualities. However, the best comparisons we can make are with ourselves. How are you better than you were in the past?
Materialism – Attaching our happiness to external things and material wealth is dangerous, as we can lose our happiness if our material circumstances change (Carter & Gilovich, 2010).
Maximizing – Maximizers search for better options even when they are satisfied. This leaves them little time to be present for the good moments in their lives and with very little gratitude (Schwartz et al., 2002).

Misconceptions About Mind Training

Some of the misconceptions about retraining your brain are simply untrue. Here are a few myths that need debunking:

1. We are products of our genetics so we cannot create change in our brains.

Our minds are malleable. Ten years ago we thought brain pathways were set in early childhood. In fact, we now know that there is huge potential for large changes through to your twenties, and neuroplasticity is still changing throughout one’s life.

The myelin sheath that covers your neural pathways gets thicker and stronger the more it is used (think of the plastic protective covering on wires); the more a pathway is used, the stronger the myelin and the faster the neural pathway. Simply put, when you practice feeling grateful, you notice more things to be grateful for.

2. Brain training is brainwashing.

Brainwashing is an involuntary change. If we focus on training our mind to see the glass half full instead of half empty, that is a choice.

3. If we are too happy we run the risk of becoming overly optimistic.

There is no such thing as overly optimistic, and science shows that brain training for positivity includes practices like mindfulness and gratitude. No one has ever overdosed on these habits.

How Is The Brain Wired For Happiness?

Can You Train Your Mind for Happiness? - Brain scan

Our brains come already designed for happiness. We have caregiving systems in place for eye contact, touch, and vocalizations to let others know we are trustworthy and secure .

Our brains also regulate chemicals like oxytocin.

People who have more oxytocin trust more readily, have increased tendencies towards monogamy, and exhibit more caregiving behavior. These behaviors reduce stress which lowers production of hormones like cortisol and inhibits the cardiovascular response to stress (Kosfeld et al., 2005).

The following TED talk provides an insight into how we can overcome our negative mental patterns:

If happiness has little to do with having too many resources, then it is an inner state that we have the power to cultivate. The above video even offers specific exercises for you to try. Just by doing them, you are actively re-wiring your brain towards calm and happy sensations.

Meanwhile, this TED talk gives a better understanding of how to wire your brain to accept the positivity and happiness in your life:

The negativity bias that Dr. Rick Hanson discusses can help us understand how we can activate and “install” positive thinking as part of our core brain chemistry. If you don’t have a moment to watch either of these videos now, make time for it later—they are rich with relevant data and tips.

17 Exercises To Increase Happiness and Wellbeing

Add these 17 Happiness & Subjective Well-Being Exercises [PDF] to your toolkit and help others experience greater purpose, meaning, and positive emotions.

Created by Experts. 100% Science-based.

Happiness is the overall subjective experience of our positive emotions. There are many factors which influence our happiness, and ongoing research continues to uncover what makes us happiest.

This global pursuit of happiness has resulted in measures such as the World Happiness Report, while the World Happiness Database is working to collaborate and consolidate the existing happiness pursuits of different nations.

We are living in a time when the conditions for happiness are known. This can be disheartening at times when there is much negativity in the world.

There is, however, good news in this situation: neuroplasticity.

The human brain is wired for happiness and positive connections with others. It is actually possible to experience and learn happiness despite what has been genetically hardwired.

In a world where the focus on happiness is growing and the mirror is turning back towards ourselves, the happiness of the world relies on the happiness within each one of us and how we act, share, and voice the importance of happiness for everyone.

What are the steps you are taking to make yourself and others happier? Let us know by leaving a comment below!

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Happiness Exercises for free .

Carter, T. J., & Gilovich, T. (2010). The relative relativity of material and experiential purchases. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 98 (1), 146.
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Thank you for this beautiful well written article. I came across it during my research regarding the science of happiness. The beauty in writing this post is the power to influence souls in a positive manner many who you will not meet.

Sending some love and light to you and all those who get to read your blog.

Being in the field of Human Resource for four decades, coming across and dealing with millions of minds, after reading your article, gives a feeling that I have learnt something new today…

Thank you and congratulations for such a informative work.

God bless…

Thank you for your search light into one of the nerve center of our generation. i will like to use part of this in my upcoming book

Hello Katherine, Now reading https://positivepsychology.com/happiness/ Salute to you for enriching us. Nearly hundred of us relatives are creating an audio book for our blind uncle about life skills. Any quote from you that I can add in the document? Will be grateful. regards, Prabodh Sirur

Hi Prabodh,

Wow, that sounds like a lovely gift for your uncle! We actually have a couple of posts containing quotes about happiness, so you may want to take a look at those for some inspiration. You can find those here and here .

Hope this helps, and good luck with the audiobook!

– Nicole | Community Manager

Thanks for your article, I translated this article for a mental health lesson and I really enjoyed this article.

Thank you for this super helpful article!!

Thank You for such an Informative and Detailed Article on Science of Happiness. I am a Budding Happiness Life Coach and stumbled on this Article. This gives me more understanding of Happiness in Scientific way, with your permission, I would like to share my learning in my course. Thank You and looking forward for more such Articles. Thank You and God Bless You

Hi Srinivas, Thank you for your lovely feedback. We’re glad you liked the article. Feel free to share it with others by clicking ‘Yes’ on the ‘Was this article useful to you’ button. From there, a range of sharing options will appear. – Nicole | Community Manager

Thanks, very nice lecture and informative But I wish to know more about role of religious effects on Happiness? another thing is it ok to translate lecture to other language and share it? Regards Dr Eirebi Albogasim

Hi Dr. Albogasim, Thanks for reading. There’s quite a bit of research showing that those who practice religion tend to be happier than the general population ( here’s an article on the topic). And yes, feel free to translate and share the lecture. – Nicole | Community Manager

I stumbled on your article as I am researching on Happiness to publish my 3rd book. Thanks for sharing! A very elaborate and informative article. The “Take home message” is very encouraging. And I vouch for the neuroplasticity of the brain. We can train ourselves to be Happy. Once we change our attitude, it is easy to be Happy. I learnt how to be Happy at the age of 23. Few years back I posted an article sharing my findings on Happiness in this Linked-in forum. Please see the link for the same https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/easy-happy-ramesh-thota-pmp-cqa/ . Appreciate if you can share your views.

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What Does Happiness Really Mean?

It's not the same for everyone

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

Rachel Goldman, PhD FTOS, is a licensed psychologist, clinical assistant professor, speaker, wellness expert specializing in eating behaviors, stress management, and health behavior change.

Verywell/ Jiaqi Zhou

How to Cultivate Happiness

How to be a happier person.

Happiness is something that people seek to find, yet what defines happiness can vary from one person to the next. Typically, happiness is an emotional state characterized by feelings of joy, satisfaction, contentment, and fulfillment. While happiness has many different definitions, it is often described as involving positive emotions and life satisfaction.

When most people talk about the true meaning of happiness, they might be talking about how they feel in the present moment or referring to a more general sense of how they feel about life overall.

Because happiness tends to be such a broadly defined term, psychologists and other social scientists typically use the term ' subjective well-being ' when they talk about this emotional state. Just as it sounds, subjective well-being tends to focus on an individual's overall personal feelings about their life in the present.

Two key components of happiness (or subjective well-being) are:

The balance of emotions: Everyone experiences both positive and negative emotions, feelings, and moods. Happiness is generally linked to experiencing more positive feelings than negative ones.
Life satisfaction: This relates to how satisfied you feel with different areas of your life including your relationships, work, achievements, and other things that you consider important.

Another definition of happiness comes from the ancient philosopher Aristotle, who suggested that happiness is the one human desire, and all other human desires exist as a way to obtain happiness. He believed that there were four levels of happiness: happiness from immediate gratification, from comparison and achievement, from making positive contributions, and from achieving fulfillment.

Happiness, Aristotle suggested, could be achieved through the golden mean, which involves finding a balance between deficiency and excess.

Signs of Happiness

While perceptions of happiness may be different from one person to the next, there are some key signs that psychologists look for when measuring and assessing happiness.

Some key signs of happiness include:

Feeling like you are living the life you wanted
Going with the flow and a willingness to take life as it comes
Feeling that the conditions of your life are good
Enjoying positive, healthy relationships with other people
Feeling that you have accomplished (or will accomplish) what you want in life
Feeling satisfied with your life
Feeling positive more than negative
Being open to new ideas and experiences
Practicing self-care and treating yourself with kindness and compassion
Experiencing gratitude
Feeling that you are living life with a sense of meaning and purpose
Wanting to share your happiness and joy with others

One important thing to remember is that happiness isn't a state of constant euphoria . Instead, happiness is an overall sense of experiencing more positive emotions than negative ones.

Happy people still feel the whole range of human emotions—anger, frustrastion, boredom, loneliness, and even sadness—from time to time. But even when faced with discomfort, they have an underlying sense of optimism that things will get better, that they can deal with what is happening, and that they will be able to feel happy again.

"Even people who have experienced terrible trauma can still also experience happiness," says Hannah Owens, LMSW , "though it is important to recognize that it might be more difficult for them to obtain the balance generally associated with overall happiness, and that their happiness might look very different from others' who have not had to deal with such challenges."

Types of Happiness

There are many different ways of thinking about happiness. For example, the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle made a distinction between two different kinds of happiness: hedonia and eudaimonia.

Hedonia: Hedonic happiness is derived from pleasure. It is most often associated with doing what feels good, self-care, fulfilling desires, experiencing enjoyment, and feeling a sense of satisfaction.
Eudaimonia: This type of happiness is derived from seeking virtue and meaning. Important components of eudaimonic well-being including feeling that your life has meaning, value, and purpose. It is associated more with fulfilling responsibilities, investing in long-term goals, concern for the welfare of other people, and living up to personal ideals.

Hedonia and eudemonia are more commonly known today in psychology as pleasure and meaning, respectively. More recently, psychologists have suggested the addition of the third component that relates to engagement . These are feelings of commitment and participation in different areas of life.

Research suggests that happy people tend to rank pretty high on eudaimonic life satisfaction and better than average on their hedonic life satisfaction.

All of these can play an important role in the overall experience of happiness, although the relative value of each can be highly subjective. Some activities may be both pleasurable and meaningful, while others might skew more one way or the other.

For example, volunteering for a cause you believe in might be more meaningful than pleasurable. Watching your favorite tv show, on the other hand, might rank lower in meaning and higher on pleasure.

Some types of happiness that may fall under these three main categories include:

Joy: A often relatively brief feeling that is felt in the present moment
Excitement: A happy feeling that involves looking forward to something with positive anticipation
Gratitude: A positive emotion that involves being thankful and appreciative
Pride: A feeling of satisfaction in something that you have accomplished
Optimism: This is a way of looking at life with a positive, upbeat outlook
Contentment: This type of happiness involves a sense of satisfaction

While some people just tend to be naturally happier, there are things that you can do to cultivate your sense of happiness.

Pursue Intrinsic Goals

Achieving goals that you are intrinsically motivated to pursue, particularly ones that are focused on personal growth and community, can help boost happiness. Research suggests that pursuing these types of intrinsically-motivated goals can increase happiness more than pursuing extrinsic goals like gaining money or status.

Enjoy the Moment

Studies have found that people tend to over earn—they become so focused on accumulating things that they lose track of actually enjoying what they are doing.

So, rather than falling into the trap of mindlessly accumulating to the detriment of your own happiness, focus on practicing gratitude for the things you have and enjoying the process as you go.

Reframe Negative Thoughts

When you find yourself stuck in a pessimistic outlook or experiencing negativity, look for ways that you can reframe your thoughts in a more positive way.

People have a natural negativity bias , or a tendency to pay more attention to bad things than to good things. This can have an impact on everything from how you make decisions to how you form impressions of other people. Discounting the positive—a cognitive distortion where people focus on the negative and ignore the positive—can also contribute to negative thoughts.

Reframing these negative perceptions isn't about ignoring the bad. Instead, it means trying to take a more balanced, realistic look at events. It allows you to notice patterns in your thinking and then challenge negative thoughts.

Avoid Social Comparison

Another way to cultivate happiness and to make sure that you are able to maintain your happiness, Owens says, is to stop comparing yourself to others.

"No two lives are alike, and focusing on what others have is a sure-fire way to feel envy and regret. Focus on the good things in your own life, and you'll be more likely to find contentment in them," she says.

Impact of Happiness

Why is happiness so important? Happiness has been shown to predict positive outcomes in many different areas of life including mental well-being, physical health, and overall longevity.

Positive emotions increase satisfaction with life.
Happiness helps people build stronger coping skills and emotional resources.
Positive emotions are linked to better health and longevity. One study found that people who experienced more positive emotions than negative ones were more likely to have survived over a 13 year period.
Positive feelings increase resilience. Resilience helps people better manage stress and bounce back better when faced with setbacks. For example, one study found that happier people tend to have lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol and that these benefits tend to persist over time.
People who report having a positive state of well-being are more likely to engage in healthy behaviors such as eating fruits and vegetables and engaging in regular physical exercise.
Being happy may make help you get sick less often. Happier mental states are linked to increased immunity.

Some people seem to have a naturally higher baseline for happiness—one large-scale study of more than 2,000 twins suggested that around 50% of overall life satisfaction was due to genetics, 10% to external events, and 40% to individual activities.

So while you might not be able to control what your “base level” of happiness is, there are things that you can do to make your life happier and more fulfilling. Even the happiest of individuals can feel down from time to time and happiness is something that all people need to consciously pursue.

Cultivate Strong Relationships

Social support is an essential part of well-being. Research has found that good social relationships are the strongest predictor of happiness. Having positive and supportive connections with people you care about can provide a buffer against stress, improve your health, and help you become a happier person.

In the Harvard Study of Adult Development, a longitudinal study that looked at participants over 80 years, researchers found that relationships and how happy people are in those relationships strongly impacted overall health.

So if you are trying to improve your happiness, cultivating solid social connections is a great place to start. Consider deepening your existing relationships and explore ways to make new friends.

Get Regular Exercise

Exercise is good for both your body and mind. Physical activity is linked to a range of physical and psychological benefits including improved mood. Numerous studies have shown that regular exercise may play a role in warding off symptoms of depression, but evidence also suggests that it may also help make people happier, too.

In one analysis of past research on the connection between physical activity and happiness, researchers found a consistent positive link.

Even a little bit of exercise produces a happiness boost—people who were physically active for as little as 10 minutes a day or who worked out only once a week had higher levels of happiness than people who never exercised.

Show Gratitude

In one study, participants were asked to engage in a writing exercise for 10 to 20 minutes each night before bed. Some were instructed to write about daily hassles, some about neutral events, and some about things they were grateful for. The results found that people who had written about gratitude had increase positive emotions, increased subjective happiness, and improve life satisfaction.

As the authors of the study suggest, keeping a gratitude list is a relatively easy, affordable, simple, and pleasant way to boost your mood. Try setting aside a few minutes each night to write down or think about things in your life that you are grateful for.

Find a Sense of Purpose

Research has found that people who feel like they have a purpose have better well-being and feel more fulfilled. A sense of purpose involves seeing your life as having goals, direction, and meaning. It may help improve happiness by promoting healthier behaviors.

Some things you can do to help find a sense of purpose include:

Explore your interests and passions
Engage in prosocial and altruistic causes
Work to address injustices
Look for new things you might want to learn more about

This sense of purpose is influenced by a variety of factors, but it is also something that you can cultivate. It involves finding a goal that you care deeply about that will lead you to engage in productive, positive actions in order to work toward that goal.

Challenges of Finding Happiness

While seeking happiness is important, there are times when the pursuit of life satisfaction falls short. Some challenges to watch for include:

Valuing the Wrong Things

Money may not be able to buy happiness, but there is research that spending money on things like experiences can make you happier than spending it on material possessions.

One study, for example, found that spending money on things that buy time—such as spending money on time-saving services—can increase happiness and life satisfaction.

Rather than overvaluing things such as money, status, or material possessions, pursuing goals that result in more free time or enjoyable experiences may have a higher happiness reward.

Not Seeking Social Support

Social support means having friends and loved ones that you can turn to for support. Research has found that perceived social support plays an important role in subjective well-being. For example, one study found that perceptions of social support were responsible for 43% of a person's level of happiness.

It is important to remember that when it comes to social support, quality is more important than quantity. Having just a few very close and trusted friends will have a greater impact on your overall happiness than having many casual acquaintances.

Thinking of Happiness as an Endpoint

Happiness isn’t a goal that you can simply reach and be done with. It is a constant pursuit that requires continual nurturing and sustenance.

One study found that people who tend to value happiness most also tended to feel the least satisfied with their lives. Essentially, happiness becomes such a lofty goal that it becomes virtually unattainable.

“Valuing happiness could be self-defeating because the more people value happiness, the more likely they will feel disappointed,” suggest the authors of the study.

Perhaps the lesson is to not make something as broadly defined as “happiness” your goal. Instead, focus on building and cultivating the sort of life and relationships that bring fulfillment and satisfaction to your life.

It is also important to consider how you personally define happiness. Happiness is a broad term that means different things to different people. Rather than looking at happiness as an endpoint, it can be more helpful to think about what happiness really means to you and then work on small things that will help you become happier. This can make achieving these goals more manageable and less overwhelming.

History of Happiness

Happiness has long been recognized as a critical part of health and well-being. The "pursuit of happiness" is even given as an inalienable right in the U.S. Declaration of Independence. Our understanding of what will bring happiness, however, has shifted over time.

Psychologists have also proposed a number of different theories to explain how people experience and pursue happiness. These theories include:

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

The hierarchy of needs suggests that people are motivated to pursue increasingly complex needs. Once more basic needs are fulfilled, people are then motivated by more psychological and emotional needs.

At the peak of the hierarchy is the need for self-actualization, or the need to achieve one's full potential. The theory also stresses the importance of peak experiences or transcendent moments in which a person feels deep understanding, happiness, and joy.

Positive Psychology

The pursuit of happiness is central to the field of positive psychology . Psychologists who study positive psychology are interested in learning ways to increase positivity and helping people live happier, more satisfying lives.

Rather than focusing on mental pathologies, the field instead strives to find ways to help people, communities, and societies improve positive emotions and achieve greater happiness.

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By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

How to Recognize What Really Makes You Happy

Happiness isn’t what you think it is: it’s less, and more..

Posted September 12, 2022 | Reviewed by Michelle Quirk

To be happy and have your life be an ongoing, ever-intriguing adventure, it has to be dynamic and free of self-constricting insecurities.
Released from outdated fears, you can be more open and curious, and ready to take on the risks associated with trying new things.
If you feel isolated from others, then, independent of how much wealth you have, you’ll experience the unhappy malaise of alienation.

Part 2 of “How Happiness Integrates the Values of Income, Relationships, and Purpose."

It may be that you’ve concentrated on gaining financial security as preliminary to giving serious thought to your personal happiness. Or maybe you believed achieving such security would “secure” your happiness.

But what if your financial concerns actually obstructed the state of well-being that you—and, frankly, everybody else—seeks? And what if you’re now financially prosperous but that hasn’t actually brought (or bought) you a state of well-being?

This post centers on the different factors social scientists have linked to this ideal mental and emotional state. And, although this seminal subject is hardly without controversy, a consensus does exist about what people generally require to feel good about themselves and satisfied with their life.

Preoccupation With Your Occupation Can Hinder Opportunities for Happiness

Happy individuals regard their life as an adventure. Yet, if you’ve single-mindedly focused on bettering your finances, it’s possible that you’ve also come to experience your life as burdensome—more a source of worry and fear than wonder and gratification.

Plus, once your income reaches a level commensurate with your goals and you recognize that you’ve finally made it financially, you may also come to realize that your longer-term issues and self-doubts haven’t been resolved at all. Nor had you concretely planned what the free time now at your disposal could most beneficially be used for.

Worse than this, the “grind” that characterized your work-related commitments may have become second nature to you (virtually a compulsion), such that altering your lifestyle might not even feel viable.

Ironically, the freedom and self-determination you assumed making enough money would provide could engender anxiety all on its own. Instead of creating happiness, it could create a distressing vacuum.

It’s like a newly retired person expecting that the day of their eagerly awaited retirement will—intrinsically—be fulfilling. But, after first delighting in this long-sought-after freedom, they experience an emptiness much like lethargy or boredom , or depression .

There are other downsides of financial security that space doesn’t permit me to go into here. But I think what I’ve just described should be suggestive.

In short, money can definitely buy you more leisure time, material goods, and enjoyable experiences. In itself, however, it can’t do much to rectify deficits in your self-image or offer you a sense of purpose (i.e., other than making more money).

What Contributes to Happiness as Much as, or More Than, One’s Income

Other writers have reported instances of people living in poverty who are yet happy with their life. And what accounts for their contentment is their gratefulness for what they’ve been “ gifted ” with: namely, a caring family and community—which they’re at once a part of and nurtured by.

On the contrary, if we feel isolated from those around us, then, without such affinity and independent of how much wealth we’ve accumulated, we’ll experience the unfortunate malaise of alienation.

Plagued by mental and moral ill-being , emotionally we’ll continue to yearn for the contented state impossible to come by until we’re able to feel we fit in, that we have a genuine connection and sense of belonging to what’s outside us. We may feel financially secure but not relationally secure, and that leaves us lacking in what, otherwise, would help enable our well-being.

The so-called “golden triangle of happiness,” based on a 20-year research study executed through Deakin Univesity’s partnership with Australian Unity Real Wellbeing, posits that the three crucial aspects of happiness are standard of living ( cf. finances); strong, validating relationships (which aren’t necessarily romantic); and an abiding sense of meaning, purpose, or achievement.

Getting more into the particulars of these three key areas, we might add that once they’re effectively addressed, individuals will no longer be held back by primitively conceived threats of survival, usually stemming from the emotional instabilities of childhood .

Released from outdated fears, then, by standing up to their potential-limiting anxieties, they can be more “out there,” open and curious, and ready to take on the additional anxiety and risks associated with trying new things.

After all, if living is to be an ongoing, ever-intriguing adventure, it has to be dynamic. So, as long as we’re saddled with mental and emotional insecurities, we won’t be prepared to engage in life fully—whether by ourselves, with others, or with our physical surroundings.

Courage and confidence blossom when we’re able to quell former anxieties that in various ways may have kept us stuck in life. And, once we can disentangle from these self-confinements, our much-expanded comfort zone will free us to feel all our feelings—not just the safe ones that kept us closed off from so much life might have to offer us.

And it can hardly be overemphasized that, done correctly, such engagement entails a creative, individualistic balancing of (childlike) immediate pleasures with (more adult and pleasure-restricting) longer-term goals and aspirations.

Newly awake to possibilities we hadn’t before opened to, we can envision, welcome, and experiment with things that felt too scary when our modus operandi was too often one of defensive avoidance. From this broadened perspective, our life can take on dimensions yielding a level of contentment earlier unavailable to us.

Adam Omary, in his post “The Science of Happiness,” downplays the importance of finances and tersely outlines the components of well-being by stating: “Overall, being happy is to live with mindfulness , meaning, and purpose.” And it’s up to each individual to decide, based on their particular values, just what purpose they wish to pursue.

I’ll get to the most concrete, “how-to” level of specificity in my next post on happiness. Here I’ll just allude to some elements that, more explicitly, contribute to a state of well-being.

And that includes (but is hardly confined to) fostering dietary health, fitness, and resilience ; cultivating authenticity , gratitude , and forgiveness (for both yourself and others); advancing your motivation and sense of self-worth (but without arrogance or egotism); and spending more time returning to, and communing with, nature.

Part 1 of this three-part post focused on the relationship between financial security and happiness; part 3 will discuss in detail the many things you can start doing right now to make yourself happier.

Bunn, T. (2019, May 15). The good news and the bad news about feeling secure. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/conquer-fear-flying/201905/the-…

Dieker, N. (2017, Oct 24). How important is financial security to happiness? https://www.thebillfold.com/2017/10/how-important-is-financial-security…

Hamblin, J. (2017, Oct 23). A lazy person’s guide to happiness. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/10/get-rid-of-everythin…

Lycett, K. [Lead Researcher]. (2022, Mar 31). The golden triangle of happiness. https://www.australianunity.com.au/wellbeing/What-is-real-wellbeing/The…

Omary, Adam. (2022, Aug 2). The science of happiness. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/natured-nurture/202208/the-scie…

Seltzer, L. F. (2012, Oct 17). Greed: The ultimate addiction. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/evolution-the-self/201210/greed…

Zlatopolsky, A. (2021, Nov 24). How much money do you really need to be happy? https://www.health.com/money/how-much-money-do-you-need-to-be-happy

Leon F. Seltzer, Ph.D. , is the author of Paradoxical Strategies in Psychotherapy and The Vision of Melville and Conrad . He holds doctorates in English and Psychology. His posts have received over 53 million views.

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Is social media making you unhappy? The answer is not so simple

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You may have seen headlines that link social media to sadness and depression. Social media use goes up, happiness goes down. But recent studies suggest those findings might not be so straightforward.

Although it is true that people’s feelings of envy and depression are linked to high social media use, there is evidence to suggest social media use may not be causing that relationship. Instead, your mindset may be the biggest thing affecting how social media connects to your wellbeing.

People who feel they are able to use social media, rather than social media “using them”, tend to gain more benefits from their online interactions.

Why do people use social media?

Social media covers a broad range of platforms: social networking, discussion forums, bookmarking and sharing content, disseminating news, exchanging media like photos and videos, and microblogging. These appeal to a wide range of users, from individuals of all ages through to massive businesses.

For some, social media is a way to connect with people we may not otherwise see. In the United States, 39% of people say they are friends with people they only interact with online .

For older people, this is especially important for increasing feelings of connectedness and wellbeing. Interestingly though, for older people, social media contact with family does not increase happiness . Meanwhile, younger adults report increased happiness when they have more social media contact with family members.

Teens, in particular, find social media most useful for deepening connections and building their social networks .

With social media clearly playing such an important role in society, many researchers have tried to figure out: does it make us happier or not?

Does social media make us happier?

Studies have taken a variety of approaches, including asking people directly through surveys or looking at the content people post and seeing how positive or negative it is.

One survey study from 2023 showed that as individuals’ social media use increased, life satisfaction and happiness decreased . Another found that less time on social media was related to increases in work satisfaction, work engagement and positive mental health – so improved mental health and motivation at work.

Comparing yourself to others on social media is connected to feelings of envy and depression. However, there is evidence to suggest depression is the predictor, rather than the outcome, of both social comparison and envy.

All this shows the way you feel about social media matters . People who see themselves using social media rather than “being used” by it, tend to gain benefits from social media and not experience the harms.

Interviews with young people (15–24 years) using social media suggest that positive mental health among that age group was influenced by three features :

connection with friends and their global community
engagement with social media content
the value of social media as an outlet for expression.

There are also studies that look at the emotions expressed by more frequent social media users.

The so-called “ happiness paradox ” shows that most people think their friends on social media appear happier than themselves. This is a seeming impossibility that arises because of the mathematical properties of how friendship networks work on social media.

In one of our studies, Twitter content with recorded locations showed residents of cities in the United States that tweeted more tended to express less happiness .

On the other hand, in Instagram direct messages, happiness has been found to be four times more prevalent than sadness .

How does internet use in general affect our wellbeing?

Some of the factors associated with decreased mental health are not aligned with social media use alone.

One recent study shows that the path to decreased wellbeing is, at least partially, connected to digital media use overall (rather than social media use specifically). This can be due to sleep disruption, reduced face-to-face social interaction or physical activity, social comparison, and cyberbullying. None of these exist for social media alone.

However, social media platforms are known to be driven by recommendation algorithms that may send us down “rabbit holes” of the same type of (increasingly extreme) content. This can lead to a distorted view of the world and our place in it. The important point here is to maintain a diverse and balanced information diet online.

Interestingly, interacting on social media is not the only thing affecting our mental state. Rainfall influnces the emotional content of social media posts of both the user experiencing rain, and parts of their extended network (even if they don’t experience rain!).

This suggests that how we feel is influenced by the emotions in the posts we see. The good news is that happy posts are the most influential, with each happy post encouraging close to two additional happy updates from a user’s friends.

The secret to online happiness therefore may not be to “delete your account” entirely (which, as we have found , may not even be effective), but to be mindful about what you consume online. And if you feel like social media is starting to use you, it might be time to change it up a bit.

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What Makes You Happy? 10 Different Answers With Examples
1. Appreciating the small things. Enjoying simple pleasures, such as reading a good book, basking in the morning sun, or looking out at a nice view, can instantly spark our happiness. Appreciating the simple joys that life brings can help us to be fully present in the moment and enjoy the experience to its fullest.
Essay on What Makes You Happy
One of the best things that can make you happy is spending time with the people you love. This could be your family, friends, or significant other. When you're with people you care about, you feel connected and supported. You can laugh and talk about your day, and you can just be yourself.
Exploring The Path to Happiness: What Makes Me Happy
Happiness is a universal and cherished pursuit that transcends cultural, geographical, and personal boundaries. As individuals, we all have unique sources of joy and fulfillment that contribute to our happiness. In this essay, I will delve into the diverse elements that make me happy, reflecting on the importance of understanding one's own sources of happiness and the pursuit of a fulfilling life.
Essay on What makes you Happy
Happiness is something that just lights up a person's whole world in a matter of seconds. Happiness makes a person want to smile always. There are no words that can describe the feeling of happiness properly. It is something that can only be felt by someone. Sometimes the emotion happiness comes out from the eyes in the form of tears.
Essays About Happiness: 5 Essay Examples and 6 Writing Prompts
You might also be interested in these essays about courage. 5. Toxic positivity by Suhani Mahajan. "That's the mindset most of us have. Half of toxic positivity is just the suppression of 200% acceptable feelings such as anger, fear, sadness, confusion, and more. Any combination of such feelings is deemed "negative.".
What really makes us happy?
There are those who say that happiness is caused by life events experiences (nurture) such as happy relationships, social influences, social status, employment (Layard, 3), achievement of goals and so on, however, others assert insist on the genetic makeup of individuals. The latter has been criticized for its heavy dependence on social construct.
Essay On What Makes Me Happy (Short & Long)
Short Essay On What Makes Me Happy. Happiness is a feeling that we all strive for in life, and what makes each person happy can be different and unique. For me, there are several things that bring joy and happiness into my life, and I would like to share a few of them. First and foremost, spending time with loved ones is what makes me the happiest.
What brings you joy essay
In terms of essay structure, one idea is to choose a specific moment or a series of moments related to that interest or hobby that genuinely brought you joy. Avoid just listing reasons why it makes you happy; instead, describe a scene or two and the emotions you experienced, allowing the reader to "feel" your joy through your writing.
What Is Happiness Essay
We can ask hundreds of people, and each of them would probably give different answers. One would say that happiness is to be with a loved one, the second would say that happiness is the stability, and the third, on the contrary, would say that happiness is the unpredictability. For someone, to be happy is to have a lot of money while for others ...
Things that make me happy Essay Sample, Example
Being in nature is also something that makes me happy. The beauty and serenity of natural environments, such as the beach, the mountains, or a park, have a calming effect on me. They remind me of the simplicity and purity of life, and they help me appreciate the beauty around me. Finally, helping others is another source of happiness for me.
Psychology of Happiness: A Summary of the Theory & Research
Affective state theory. To recap, this theory of happiness proposes that happiness is the result of one's overall emotional state. Bradburn (1969) put forward the argument that happiness is made up of two separate components that are quite independent and uncorrelated: positive affect and negative affect.
Essay on What Makes Me Happy
Conclusion. There are many things that make me happy. Having good friends, spending time with family, doing things I love, learning new things, and helping others are all important things that contribute to my happiness. I am grateful for all of the things that make me happy, and I know that as long as I have these things in my life, I will be ...
What Makes You Happy? Why Fun Matters to Your Happiness
Aristotle proposed that eudaimonia, or leading a virtuous life by chasing success and mastery, is the pinnacle of happiness. Epicurus proposed that happiness was achieved from ataraxia—a state ...
What Is Happiness?
Wikipedia has a much more interesting definition of what happiness is. The feeling of an emotion such as pleasure or joy, the appraisal of life satisfaction or the quality of life, subjective well-being and eudaimonia. Wikipedia seems to better acknowledge how hard it is to define happiness.
The Science of Happiness in Positive Psychology 101
Pleasure, comfort, gratitude, hope, and inspiration are examples of positive emotions that increase our happiness and move us to flourish. In scientific literature, happiness is referred to as hedonia (Ryan & Deci, 2001), the presence of positive emotions and the absence of negative emotions. In a more broad understanding, human wellbeing is ...
What makes you happy?
The one thing all humans have in common is that each of us wants to be happy, says Brother David Steindl-Rast, a monk and interfaith scholar. And happiness, he suggests, is born from gratitude. An inspiring lesson in slowing down, looking where you're going, and above all, being grateful. 03:15. Laura Trice.
Happiness: What It Really Means and How to Find It
History. Happiness is something that people seek to find, yet what defines happiness can vary from one person to the next. Typically, happiness is an emotional state characterized by feelings of joy, satisfaction, contentment, and fulfillment. While happiness has many different definitions, it is often described as involving positive emotions ...
How to Recognize What Really Makes You Happy
Key points. To be happy and have your life be an ongoing, ever-intriguing adventure, it has to be dynamic and free of self-constricting insecurities. Released from outdated fears, you can be more ...
What Makes Me Happy? Free Essay Example
Categories: Chocolate Happiest Moment In My Life Happiness. Download. Essay, Pages 2 (298 words) Views. 792. Happiness, for me - is when my heart feels warmness. Time goes by, I grow fast, changes come; therefore I might have different feelings that make me happy. Sometimes it is hard to see yourself from aside, but at the same time knows you ...
The Top 45 Responses We Found To The Question, "What Makes You Happy
1. akeldama1984. Having my head scratched, I just melt. 2. HappyAfrican. What makes me happy is being in control of my happiness. I realized that my happiness is not dependent on external things, but a choice I make in every moment. I practice being happy every day, it didn't just happen. Even when things are going badly, I can still be a ...
WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY? (How to ANSWER This VERY TOUGH ...
WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY? (How to ANSWER This VERY TOUGH Interview Question!) by Richard McMunn of: https://passmyinterview.com/50-interview-questions-and-answer...
What makes you happy essay examples?
Here are a few examples of things that might make a person happy: Spending time with loved ones: Being surrounded by people we care about and who care about us can be a major source of happiness and fulfillment. Whether it's spending quality time with family, going on a fun outing with friends, or simply having a heart-to-heart conversation ...
Is social media making you unhappy? The answer is not so simple
You may have seen headlines that link social media to sadness and depression. Social media use goes up, happiness goes down. But recent studies suggest those findings might not be so straightforward.

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Essay Sample

What is happiness?

Why does spending time with loved ones make you happy?

How do passions and hobbies contribute to happiness?

Why does being in nature make you happy?

How does helping others contribute to happiness?

Are these sources of happiness universal?

How can one cultivate lasting happiness?

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The Science of Happiness in Positive Psychology 101

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