Why Am I Happy Essay - 1551 Words

Why am I happy? This is perhaps one of the most common questions that the average person asks themselves. Our society has become obsessed with happiness. Even in our very constitution it is written that citizens are entitled to â€Å"life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness† (constitution). Advertisements abound that tell consumers how much more happy they will be if they were to buy a product. In this quest for positive well-being, people take many different paths. In this paper I shall be discussing three separate and distinct ways in which people pursue pleasant experiences, as well as what makes a person more likely to agree with any one perspectives. This is not a paper about happiness; this is a paper about the road to it. Before†¦show more content†¦One widely held definition, as outlined by Layard, states that â€Å"happiness is feeling good as opposed to unhappiness which is feeling bad and wanting things to be different,† or more simply put â₠¬Å"happiness begins where sadness ends.†(Layard) For the purposes of this paper, this definition is very suitable. It takes into account both schools of happiness as well as all levels of happiness. The first cause of happiness is from â€Å"unexpected positive events.† (Lewis) According to this school of thought, happiness arises due to specific positive instances such as being given a gift, receiving a promotion, or winning the lottery. Interviews suggest that this is a large factor in creating happiness. While most agree that this does not really create day to day happiness, all agree that they are happy after an unexpected positive event occurs. (All interviews) The unexpectedness of the event is key. Evidence shows that people in generally are not very good at estimating how much happiness that an event will produce. In fact, almost always one tends to overestimate how happy they will be after an event. Thus, if that event is expected it almost always fails to m eet this idealistic expectation and can actually cause sadness and disappointment. (Weiten) This can be seen in interviews, where, when questioned about McDonalds French fries, interviewees almost invariably answered that theShow MoreRelatedThe Poem The Refuge 1233 Words   |  5 Pagesare, and will be looser. This is funny to say that I was, I am, and and will be great title winner, where nobody loose but I the winner always win. You may think I am dumb and talk about I am being winner is dumbest thing I have ever talk. You can call me whatever you can because I was born with great title that few people in this world had, have, and will have. The title that might get you to know what is that. Let s talk about Bhutan. 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