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Nanci Pascual
Professor: Corri
English 114A
February 14, 2019
1 Essay

Happiness refers to the state of being satisfied and at peace with oneself and the world around.

Many definitions are provided by different authors but happiness remains the most sought-after

commodity by humans alike. Naturally, happiness is subjective with different individuals having

different perspectives and ideas on what constitutes happiness. Only those who know the secret

to happiness usually end up being happy in life. Happiness boosts productivity and performance

due to the ability to focus on one task at a time. According to various authors, happiness does not

require any form of money or possessions but simply an open loving and contented heart (Flora).

Of course, being happy is much easier said than done with many people often looking for

happiness in the wrong place. True happiness is only attained by those who choose to have a

positive mentality in life and those who pursue their purpose and dreams fearlessly and boldly.

In the article by Brooks, happiness is presented as the most valuable commodity for mankind.

Brooks asserts that everywhere in the world people are seeking the path to happiness. Most

individuals think that having a lot of wealth and money equates to happiness. However, this is

not the case as only financially rich persons would be happy in the world. Paradoxically, those

with little or no material possessions are usually the happiest people. The poor, as they are

referred to, are mostly content with their simplistic existence with nothing much to lose in their

lives. Contrarily, most rich people suffer from a lack of humility and appreciation for the things

they own. The question for mankind remains; do we need to be happy to be successful? Or do we

have to be successful to attain happiness? The answer to this question can be found by looking at

the lives of small children; they are usually happy and satisfied even without knowledge of what
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life or success entails. As people grow up, they tend to lose their happiness due to daily problems

in life. Brooks believes that the attitude that one wears in their everyday life determines whether

he/ she is happy or not.

On the other hand, Sonja Lyubomirsky defines happiness in the context of being positive even in

the most negative situations. Lyubomirsky asserts that the expectations placed upon us by society

serve to weigh us down from time to time. According to the author, people have been fed the

wrong idea of what happiness should look like. As we grow up, we are taught that true happiness

comes from success. Most people, therefore, spend most of their lives seeking to be successful in

the knowledge that happiness will ensue. However, this is a fallacious and misleading point of

view. Instead of being the best version of ourselves, societal pressures and expectations cause an

individual to question his/her direction and well-being in life (Flora). When an individual is fully

content with where he/she is in life, happiness will tend to follow that person. Moreover, finding

the right balance in life requires finding inner peace within one’s heart and soul.

In his article, Hill focuses on the importance of happiness for all individuals. The key factor is

whether one chooses to view life as a gift or a curse. In the case where one sees the positive

aspect of life, it is easier to find happiness (Lambert). However, a negative mentality towards life

is described as the first step towards unhappiness. Hill maintains that anyone can be happy at any

time regardless of how long they have been chasing happiness. Happiness is further explained to

be a process rather than a situation. True happiness lies in understanding oneself and how the

world works. However, life must be appreciated in order to understand its meaning and purpose.

A comparison of the various texts on happiness reveals key similarities and differences. The

authors agree that happiness is definitely in short supply everywhere in the world. Brooks opines

that happiness is the main purpose of life for all human beings. Logically, one has to be content
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and satisfied with his/her life in order to experience true happiness. However, most individuals

chase happiness all their lives without actually finding it. It is ironical that happiness is the most

important thing in life but it does not cost us anything. Lyubomirsky asserts that happiness

requires one to acknowledge and appreciate everything in life. According to Lyubomirsky, the

good moments in life exist to bring joy but the bad phases are exactly what we need to be happy.

Happiness is found in the bad moments because only then can one recognize the value and rarity

of the good times.

The main difference between the authors is that Brooks believes happiness is found in the pursuit

of one’s true purpose while Lyubomirsky considers bad moments to be the catalysts for

happiness. Although both views are right about happiness, they fail to point out that happiness is

a product of many factors. Although happiness comes from within, one has to ride the good and

bad moments in life while actively following one’s dreams. Therefore, many virtues are needed

to unlock happiness; patience, gratitude, humility and passion. Furthermore, it is virtually

impossible to be happy without love; one must love oneself, family and friends (Stein). It is often

said that no man is an island in reference to the support system that we need as human beings to

function.

The attainment of true happiness is measured by the mode of existence that one applies in

society. If an individual co-exists harmoniously with the world around, happiness will ensue. In

this case, happiness emanates from the contentment and peace that such an individual derives

from society and life (Boven). However, a person who is always complaining about bad things in

life is seldom happy. The absence of happiness is due to the foul attitude of unappreciative

individuals that curtails them from seeing the good in life. The difference between happiness and

unhappiness stems from the difference in attitude and mentality towards life. For happiness to be
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achieved, one must navigate the stormy waters of life with a positive attitude and with the

mentality that it is only possible to live once.

In conclusion, the subject of happiness breeds a lot of confusion and questions for everyone.

Happiness is described as the state of contentment and peace with oneself and everything around

the individual. Texts from Brooks and Lyubomirsky provide varying insights into the world of

happiness. Brooks believes that happiness is discovered by those who boldly chase after their

dreams. Lyubomirsky, on the other hand, considers happiness to be forged from learning through

bad experiences in life. Hill considers happiness to be a product of positivity and appreciation of

one’s life. All authors concur that happiness is the most important thing in life. Additionally,

many people associate happiness with money which is a grave mistake in life. To achieve true

happiness, everyone has to understand their purpose in life and set out to accomplish it with a

positive attitude.
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Works Cited

Boven, Leaf Van. "Experientialism, Materialism, and the Pursuit of Happiness." Review of

General Psychology (2005): 132-142. Document.

Flora, Carlin. The Pursuit of Happiness. 27 November 2018. Document . 28 February 2019.

Lambert, Craig. The Science of Happiness. January 2007. Print. 28 February 2019.

Stein, Rob. Happiness Can Spread Among People Like a Contagion, Study Indicates. 5

December 2008. Document. 28 February 2018.