Intuitively, happiness is a feeling we get that we associate with having joy.
It’s the opposite of feeling depressed or sad.
Being happy is something that people will generally consider good while being sad is not so great.
But there are degrees of happiness and different people feel it in different ways.
A perfect example of this comes from the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond.
The parents of Raymond were constantly fighting. Everyone believed they hated each other. But in one particular episode, it was revealed that their behaviour towards each other is how they are happy. The back and forth digs that they give each other is actually affection in their eyes.
There are those who are not very good at showing emotion.
They could be elated and yet give no expression to show for it.
You probably know people like this. It’s hard to read them, too.
You may think they are not happy and yet they are quite the opposite.
They simply are not the type of people to give you that kind of indication.
Then, there are people who go overboard and show excessive happy emotions.
They become too happy.
To many, these people seem almost unreal as no one can be that happy all the time.
They are so perky that it is hard to take them seriously.
Wikipedia even defines happiness as an emotion ranging from contentment to immense joy.
Even this definition allows for varying degrees of happiness.
There is no right answer as to what happiness means to any person just as there is no one definition of how it should be expressed.
It is as personal as any other emotion.
Most people will agree that when it does occur, happiness makes you feel good.
It is something that people try to have continued for as long as possible, even though it is not possible for it to go on indefinitely.
There is going to be a certain point or event that changes and you lose the feeling of happiness.
But you want to try to maximize the good feelings of happiness whenever it is possible, for as long as you can.
Happiness has also been shown to be better for your overall health.
Doctors have long believed that patients that maintain a positive and happy outlook during serious medical conditions have a much better chance of recovery than people that are gloomy about their prospects.
I’d love to hear from you as to what you define as “Happiness”.
What is it, and what it is not >>>
