Luttrell 1 Jessica Luttrell Elizabeth Burton English 102 September 2, 2023 What is Happiness?: Qualities That Truly Matter Every heard someone say “ If I was richer, prettier, sucessful,etc” then I would be happier. But looking closer at an individual, it is what is on the inside that brings true joy and a fulfilling life. In this essay we will look at societal standards and material possessions and see that the essential qualities that give you a happier life, that compassion, gratitude and to throughly explore the qualities that help bring true happiness. When look at charactristics of a happy person, being creative is a quality that can make a person happy because the process of creativity involves deep thinking and persisant efforts therefore using mindfulness to make an individual distinguishable between the meaningless things, realizing their own value and the meaning of life and eventually experiencing the feelings of satisfaction, pleasure or happiness as the solution is obtained (Shen et al.). So why is it so important to bring happiness into your life? Try keeping a list of the good things that have happened in your life and you will be surprized at just how fortunate you have been. Happiness is an emotion and years ago a man named Robert Plutchik created a visiual aid that shows the complexity of emotions called The Emotional Wheel. It can help find root causes, different ways to cope with your emotions and improve emotional intelligence (Plutchik). In the most simplest action like smiling, telling jokes,givng compliments and even making your bed can help you to relax and focus on yourself because it is the only true long term way to create happiness. But wonder if you aren’t very creative and don’t find fulfillment by trying only to rely on skills that [Last Name] 2 you don’t have. This can create frustration and will cause a person to be hateful and angry. Let’s not overlook the importance of personal values or physical health. Did you know that happiness isn’t just a state of mind. Recent research has found that people who are happy live longer, have stronger immune systems and are just plain healthier (gallia). With a sense of personal control in your life, you will be healthier and your overall health will be better. Studies have shown that a person not engaging in enjoyable activities reduce the likelihood of experiencing joy and happiness and increases the likelihood of developing depression. Fear of happiness is a real thing and therefore people actively avoid good feelings because they view positivity as dangerous (emamzadon). Therefore, with depression comes loss of interest, weight loss/gain, sad mood, fatigue and self-criticism. Avoiding happiness could lead to less pleasure and joy in life therefore making you unhealthy. When it comes to happiness and relationships, people have close, trusting relationships. Studies have shown that people feel more joy when they are socializing whether it is at the store or work. Other studies have suggested that active forms of leisure such as volunteering, have more excellent daily positive moods. Time spent with others tends to be experienced alone (Quartz). Having a spiritual foundation shows that people are 2x happier and have more balance in their work and personal lives. They use relaxation and reflection often to stay balanced. When it comes to anticipated happiness or choices based on what they believe would make them happier. For many if not most people, the desire to be happy is more important than their other goals (Diener 34-43). One needs to remember that not all relationships bring joy and happiness, and some relationships can be unhealthy and toxic to where they take your happiness away from you. Happiness is a choice, and you can gain it or lose it at any given time. [Last Name] 3 To have a life of fulfillment or purpose is significant and it won’t change unless you change it. So, what is a typical meaning of life? This requires deep relationships, a connection to community, a sense of well-being, contribution to others, growth, learning and continual challenging yourself. According to Darren Hardy in his book “The Pursuit of Happiness: Maybe that’s the Problem,” All of these are good virtues worth pursuing and then you realize that being number one isn’t as important as the journey itself. Two ways to be happy at any given time are gratitude and helping others because you can’t feel fear or worry if you are sharing gratitude. But on the other hand, you can find purpose in your own life, handle your own actions, fulfill your own values and create your own destiny. As people, we are the same in many ways and we are unique, or one of a kind. Each of us is different and has his or her own idea of what happiness is (Kalman). In conclusion, happiness is put on by a bunch of qualities and factors. Qualities such as resilience, empathy, gratitude and lasting relationships serve as the groundwork for a fulfilling and presence of materials. Embracing the connection between inner and outer well-being, we are on the path to a meaningful life. We can create more joy and contentment in others’ lives by giving positively to the world around us. [Last Name] 4 Work Cited Diener, E. "The Science of Happiness and a Proposal for a National Index." American Psychologist, vol. 55, no. 1, 2000, pp. 34-43, https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066x.55.1.34. Accessed 2 Sept. 2023. Gallia, Kathrine. "75 Ways to Be Happy." Natural Health, vol. 30, no. 8, 2000, p. 108, https://doi.org/gale academic OneFile. Accessed 2 Sept. 2023 Emamzadon, Arash. "Are Depressed People Afraid to Be Happy?" Www.Psychlogytoday.Com, 30 Apr. 2021. Accessed 2 Sept. 2023. Kalman, Bobbie. I Can Write a Book about How to Be Happy and Healthy. Crabtree Publishing, 2023, https://doi.org/ebscohost. Plutchik, Richard. "Emotional Wheel." The Nature of Emotions, 2001, www.jstor.org/stable/27857503. Quartz. "The Scientifically- Proven Best Ways to Spend Time If You Want to Be Happy." 2018, galeacademicOneFile,link.gate.com. Accessed 3 Feb. 2018. Shen, Wangbing, et al. "The Mental Welfare Effect of Creativity: How Does Creativity Make People Happy?" Psychology, Health and Medicine, vol. 26, no. 9, 2021. Accessed 1 Oct. 2021.
