Happiness is a complex emotional state that is built up from small positive events or outcomes, leading to a sense of self-satisfaction and contentment. It can come from meeting physical, emotional, and spiritual needs, achieving a sense of accomplishment, or having material or spiritual needs met. What creates happiness can vary widely from person to person.
Defining happiness in a few paragraphs or fewer may seem like an exercise in philosophical futility, but the attempt could bring a person personal satisfaction, which in turn could generate a sense of happiness. This is how we humans arrive at the complex emotional state known as true happiness. A number of small, positive events or outcomes build up to provide a sense of self-satisfaction and contentment, which we interpret as personal happiness. For most of us, this is a state of mind rather than a specific emotion or response to positive external forces.
An important element is the sense of self-satisfaction. Whether we want to admit it or not, many of us spend our days in a constant state of need. We have physical, emotional, and spiritual needs that we believe must be met in order to experience any degree of happiness. When we drink that morning cup of coffee, socialize with colleagues, enjoy a delicious lunch, or finish an important project, at least one of our daily needs will be met. In a sense, this feeling occurs when our list of needs is replaced by a new list of physical, emotional and spiritual satisfactions.
Another important element of happiness is a sense of accomplishment. Consider how many times our ideas and plans fail in an average day. These failures tend to create inner tension and anxiety, which in turn create a sense of unhappiness. But when an idea comes to fruition or a plan comes to fruition, there is often a feeling of exhilaration and accomplishment. This feeling can be the reward for persevering through difficult or challenging times and not succumbing to despair. Winning a competition or being recognized for a successful project often triggers feelings of happiness.
For some of us, the feeling can come from having our material or spiritual needs met. There’s an old saying that money can’t buy happiness, but it can actually come pretty close. For many wage earners, the thought of receiving enough cash or other tangible rewards for their efforts can certainly trigger a sense of happiness. Knowing that our immediate needs and even some personal desires will be met can be very reassuring, which in turn breeds feelings of security. In the same sense, many people find happiness after hearing a life-affirming spiritual message or spending time in deep reflection or meditation. It could mean a sense of harmony between mind, body and spirit.
What creates a sense of happiness can vary widely from person to person. Young children with little life experience may find happiness in the form of an ice cream cone or a Saturday morning cartoon, while adults may find it through traveling or pursuing outside interests. Some people require that many of their needs be met before they experience happiness, while others find it in simplicity. Happiness is said to be the one free thing that all people strive for and would give anything to get.
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