Definition of happiness

Definition of Happiness

What Is Happiness?

Most of us probably don’t believe we need a formal definition of happiness, we know it when we feel it, and we often use the term to describe a range of positive emotions, including joy, pride, contentment, and gratitude. But to understand the causes and effects of happiness, researchers first need to define it. Many of them use the term interchangeably with “subjective well-being,” which they measure by simply asking people to report how satisfied they feel with their own lives and how much positive and negative emotion they’re experiencing. 

In her 2007 book The How of Happiness, positive psychology researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky elaborates, describing happiness as  “the experience of joy, contentment, or positive well-being, combined with a sense that one’s life is good, meaningful, and worthwhile.” That definition resonates with us here at Greater Good: It captures the fleeting positive emotions that come with happiness, along with a deeper sense of meaning and purpose in life and suggests how these emotions and sense of meaning reinforce one another.

   Philosophers, theologians, psychologists, even economists, have long sought to define it, and since the 1990's, a whole branch of psychology positive psychology has been dedicated to pinning it down and propagating it. More than simply positive mood, happiness is a state of well-being that encompasses living a good life that is, with a sense of meaning and deep satisfaction. Research shows that happiness is not the result of bouncing from one joy to the next; achieving happiness typically involves times of considerable discomfort.  Money is important to happiness, but only to a certain point. Money buys freedom from worry about the basics in life housing, food, clothing. Genetic makeup, life circumstances, achievements, marital status, social relationships, even your neighbors all influence how happy you are. Or can be.

Happiness in Philippines

The Philippines has emerged as one of the happiest countries in the world, according to a global survey by US-based firm Gallup

International. According to the survey,86 percent of Filipinos said they were happy,2 percent unhappy,and 10 percent were neutral, resulting in a net score of +84. Malacañang welcomed the result of the survey, saying it shows Filipino resiliency despite adversities.“We Filipinos are known as a happy, resilient people. We even manage to smile amid difficulties. It is therefore not surprising that we rank high in the global happiness index,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said in a statement.

Fiji was the happiest country in the world, getting a score of +92, followed by Colombia with +87.

Completing the top 10 are Mexico (+82), Vietnam (+77), Kazakhstan (+74), Papua New Guinea (+74), Indonesia (+68), India (+64), and Argentina and the Netherlands (+64).

Iran, meanwhile, was the unhappiest country in the world with a net score of +5.

sources