The word happiness is most commonly used in the psychological context of happy feelings, ranging from blissful contentment to extreme happiness, ranging from elation to despair. It is also occasionally used in the wider context of subjective well Being, life satisfaction, flourishing and overall well being. For the purposes of discussion it is best to use the word happiness to refer to an enduring state of joy that does not need to be perpetually augmented, but rather maintained or replenished on a day-to-day basis.
Most people would agree that happiness is a positive psychological state. So, the meaning of the term happiness should be something along the lines of “a disposition of being pleased or elated”. The more specific the meaning of this definition, the more certain we can be of the fact that there is no universal meaning for happiness.
A better definition might be: The presence of positive emotions or sensations that is the product of having appropriate interpersonal relationships and/or being in a meaningful and satisfying relationship. When looking at the definition of happiness, one of the more important factors to note is that there are varying levels of happiness. People may report being completely satisfied with their lives as “happiness” while in another situation they may report being as contented as they can be when in fact they are not really happy at all. This variation in happiness is the very crux of the issue of what constitutes true positive psychology, because the quality and level of happiness have to be taken seriously.
In order to clarify the meaning further, we will move away from the psychology of happiness and look at how it relates to our physical, mental, and spiritual well being. When we are completely satisfied and at peace, then the quality of our lives improves, which of course leads to an increased quality of life. If we are not happy then we will begin to experience physical ailments, health complications, and tension. We will also have emotional disturbances such as low self esteem, depression, and stress. On the other hand, if we are constantly worrying about these things and have negative emotions related to them, then we are not happy at all.
To put it simply, our mental, emotional, and spiritual well being is the definition of happiness. When we are healthy, balanced, and in balance we have great happiness and fulfillment. It is when we experience low self esteem, negative emotions, and lack of harmony that we become unhappy and have problems with the law of attraction. This brings us to the most significant factor in determining the value of the Swb of happiness as it relates to your own life. It is called the Swb, which stands for the state of being.
The state of being happy is associated with a feeling of well being or joy. On one end of the spectrum you will find happiness that is light while on the other end you will find sadness and sorrow. In between these two states of being you will find a combination of feelings, which make up the general range of the feeling of well being and joy. Happiness as a feeling is not a conscious act, but is a conditioned response that come from within and is a result of living a life in balance and harmony. On the other hand, when you experience sadness and sorrow as the result of events in your life, then you are experiencing a negative emotion and thinking, and this is where you experience sadness and grief. xsct
Now let’s apply the definition from above to the equation of the happiness-sorrow-anger cycle. The beginning of the feeling of well being and happiness are based on the pleasure we get from the experience of joy and happiness. As long as we are in balance and have healthy emotions, then we are happy. But once we start to experience sadness and grief for some reason, we experience the negative emotion of sadness as a way to try to move forward and to deal with the event that has caused us unhappiness. When this happens to us, we feel even more upset and start to digress into the feelings of anger and bitterness. This cycle continues until the goal is achieved of moving our life in a direction that is towards success, peace, love, and joy.
When you put the happiness-sorrow-anger definition into the light of your own experiences, you can begin to see the true meaning of the concept of happiness. And once you understand the true meaning you can start putting yourself in a state of happiness consistently, day in and day out. The only thing holding you back is you, so take action now to transform your negative feelings into positive emotions and start living a happier, more fulfilled life today.
