Happy people often experience periods of unhappiness as well. But when you’re feeling down, it can be helpful to shift your focus and remind yourself of all the things that are going right in your life.
Researchers have found that happiness comes down to day-to-day pleasure and meaning in life, rather than one-off experiences. So instead of driving the newest car or having a big family, try keeping track of what you’re grateful for and enjoying small daily pleasures!
It’s a feeling
There is a lot of disagreement about what happiness actually is. But the consensus seems to be that it is a feeling, or a state of mind.
Basically, happiness is a feeling that comes about when you have a good time or feel safe or lucky. Usually, people who are happy do not have negative feelings, though sometimes they may have sad moments in their lives.
But it can also be a state of mind that involves feeling joy or excitement, even contentment and satisfaction with your current life situation. That is why it’s important to have a range of emotions in your life, says psychoanalyst Robin Stern, PhD.
Positive psychologists often define happiness as a trifecta of feelings: pleasure, meaning, and engagement. Combining these three components, psychologists have come up with a scientific term for defining happiness: subjective well-being. It’s a combination of your daily happiness, how satisfied you are with your life, and how engaged you are in your social network.
It’s a state of mind
Many people think happiness is a result of everything going right in their lives. They think it’s a matter of finding twenty dollars, getting a compliment from a stranger, or having the perfect date night.
But life isn’t a fairytale and sometimes we have to deal with difficult circumstances, like death or job loss. These things are out of our control, but that doesn’t mean we have to give up on happiness.
Instead, choose happiness by looking for the good in every situation and in every person. Surround yourself with people who challenge you to see the good in everything and find ways to cultivate deep human connections.
It’s a value
Happiness is a value that we all choose to live up to. It’s the choice to focus on positive emotions, relationships, and experiences in life.
In this way, happiness is like a full tank of gas that we all can fill up with positive feelings and experiences in order to improve our overall well-being.
Researchers have found that happiness is a complex experience that is linked to many different things, including health, relationship quality, and financial well-being. However, some people may experience happiness in a completely different way than others.
The way that happiness is defined and evaluated varies from person to person, but experts often agree on the ways that people think about it. Some people say that it’s a feeling of being happy with their lives as a whole, while others say that it’s a feeling of pleasure in specific moments throughout the day.
It’s a choice
If you’ve ever heard the phrase “happiness is a choice” before, you know that it can be pretty confusing and sometimes downright frustrating. This is especially true if you’re dealing with mental health conditions such as depression or anxiety.
People with these conditions often can’t choose their mood or state of mind because the chemical imbalances in their brains make it impossible for them to feel happy. When you tell them that happiness is a choice, they may feel like they aren’t good enough to be happy, and this can actually worsen their symptoms.
Despite this, there are many positive ways to be happy. These include taking time to enjoy the little things, finding joy in small moments and keeping a gratitude journal.