Definition Essay On Happiness

Lexi Duncan
TR 11:30-12:45
Jerrod Stringer
21 October 2014
What is happiness? Happiness, the state of being happy. A simple definition for an immeasurable idea. Happiness is not profitable or tradable. Yet, above all else in the world, it is what people seek. They want to have happiness, and what to know what happiness is. But happiness, like air or water, is a hard thing to grasp in one’s hand. There are plenty of definitions of happiness. Psychologists, philosophers, economists, and even scientists throughout all kinds of disciplines have defined happiness. So, what is happiness? Aristotle, one of the most well-known philosophers, says that happiness is beyond feeling good, it is about doing good (Alipour, Pedram, Abedi, Rosami 660).
Most data on happiness comes from social surveys. Positive emotions are linked strongly with overall life satisfaction. Brain mechanics in fundamental pleasures (food and sexual pleasures) and high-orders pleasures (monetary, artistic, and transcendent pleasure) overlap each other. All pleasures seem to involve the same brain systems. Pleasures are important to happiness, such as socializing with friends or being happy in the workplace (Kringlebach, Berridge 665). Serotonin and dopamine are two chemicals in the brain that most closely relate to happiness. Dopamine acts as a peacemaker, and serotonin acts as an antidepressant. In addition to neurotransmitters, hormones play a role in happiness. Endorphin is a molecule secreted in the brain to block to transmission of painful stimuli. Increased endorphin secretion leads to greater pleasure. The more pleasure people have in their lives the happier they report to be. Brain science is a triad of electrical, architectural and chemical components working in concert to create a state of mind. Psychologists believe that if someone is missing some of these components, they are more likely to be less happy. Positive emotions cause us to engage in certain behaviors. These certain behaviors begin to shape how people live their lives to achieve or keep their
Happiness research has a range of issues, such as relationship between income and happiness, inequality and poverty, the effects of macro-policies on individual welfare, and the effects of public policies aimed at controlling addictive substances. Economists believe that there is a link between poverty and happiness. Research has shown that poor people are less happy than wealthier people within countries (Porta 7). Freedom and trust have shown to have positive effects on happiness. Research on voting rights find that there are positive effects from participation in direct democracy. For economists, there are major challenges in most happiness studies because it is such an objective idea. There are many answers to the question, “what is happiness?” Every discipline has its own definition. Happiness is a very subjective thing to be measured, if it can be measured at all. No one will ever be happy with a single definition. There will always be someone, in every kind of discipline, which will have a different definition than before. The definition of happiness is always changing.