The Pursuit Of Happiness Essay

People are always trying to make the world a better place and striving for universal happiness is a positive step in that direction. Happiness is defined as a mental or emotional state of well-being defined by positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. After reading this definition of happiness it should be clear that happiness is something everyone should strive for. Happiness is a healthy goal for society because happiness relates positively to success, productivity and health.
One reason that happiness is a healthy goal for society is because happiness relates and leads to success. In Sonja Lyubomirsky’s article, “Pursue Happiness, but in Moderation,” she states that experimental evidence shows that happy people
In William Davies’ article “Don’t Make Personal Growth a Utilitarian Goal,” he states that today there is a great deal of emphasis on how happiness can shape global economies or successful business practices. William Davies seems to be against the pursuit of happiness as a societal goal, yet he admits that happy workers are more productive in the workplace because work becomes more pleasant. Individuals who are happy at work will be more productive, because if you love what you do you will work harder. Productivity is key in business and economics, and since economics is vital to society anything that positively affects productivity should be a clear goal for society.
Happiness, in addition to benefiting individuals through success and productivity also benefit individuals through physical health. In Barbara Ehrenreich’s article, “No Unbiased Way to Measure Happiness,” she mentions that some psychologists argue that happiness is the key to physical health and longevity. Depression, stress and anxiety are all issues that impact our health in a negative way, however, by striving to be happy we can minimalize the risk of these issues negatively impacting our lives and