This Is What Happiness Is Really All About

What is happiness?

It seems like such an easy question, but defining the importance of happiness is rather difficult, not to mention the meaning. Thanks to scientific breakthroughs many simply choose to regard it as a chemical reaction while others prefer to view it as spiritual. Opinions regarding the pursuit of happiness have been the center of numerous discussions and for some, the conclusion isn’t very optimistic. One author wrote that if everyone would just stop trying to achieve happiness then it could result in a very good time. The author has a very good point, but in order to answer this easy question we need to find what happiness means in the first place.

According to scientific studies, happiness is generated through various elements.

For instance, if the temperature for the day is 57.02 degrees Fahrenheit, then chances are good that the majority of people are going to be in happy mood. A study in 2012 showed a clear link between happiness and genes. Apparently 50% of happiness resides within the DNA while the other half is caused by the outside world. Bright colors and buying things for other people also proved to make people happy. Even though these studies might be accurate, they still aren’t able to provide the source or explain why it exists. The world might be changing at a rapid pace, but there is one thing that has always remained the same. This one thing is known as balance.

It is a universal rule and balance is a necessity, whether it’s up or down, good and evil, happy or sad – there is always an opposite in order to maintain balance.

Happiness can come from being your own boss, having a healthy relationship, raising kids, driving a certain car, it knows no bounds but the truth is that the majority of happiness is internal and comes from within and this happiness for everyone cannot be measured without the knowing of sadness.

After establishing where happiness comes from, it is easier to measure its importance. Why is it so damn important?

In the simplest terms, it keeps people driven. It generates energy to keep going and find more. It provides a reason to get up in the morning. More importantly it keeps the balance of life in check. For those who don’t have large amounts of money it is easy to think that it buys happiness, but studies show that the wealthiest people in the world aren’t necessarily happier than middle class citizens. Yes, science has proven that money can’t buy happiness. On the other side of the spectrum there are the more “realistic” individuals who think that the pursuit of happiness just causes misery. To them being happy is like grabbing at grains of blowing sand. They prefer to measure happiness by the work they do or the status they have within the community. They obviously haven’t seen the studies that show happiness as the cause of success.

Happy people are more successful and this makes a lot of sense, because sad people tend to linger on failure.

Many people go through life chasing dreams they know aren’t remotely realistic, but it keeps them moving forward. Usually these people reach a point where they realize that happiness isn’t confined within a single dream and that something else might prove to be even more liberating.

It is impossible to be happy all the time.

It is also unhealthy when you think about it. Sometimes sadness is needed to help find closure due to a tragic event and it forms part of the balance.

What matters is that people can get beyond those sad feelings and return to experiencing the great things life has to offer.

Whether it’s watching a favorite television show or climbing Mount Everest, it doesn’t matter.

Happiness is what makes life worth living, for such things like; your first kiss, getting your first paycheck, moving into your own place or even buying your own scrappy little car. One BIG thing I have observed is that your happiness cannot be compared to anyone else’s. You must work on YOU and find it within to truly be able to answer this question for yourself.