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How to Be Happy:
Ancient Wisdom and Practical, Modern Advice
Want to know how to be happy? The answer may be closer than you think. Ancient wisdom traditions and modern science point to many concrete things you can do to improve your happiness, joy, and satisfaction with your life. The good news is that it rarely requires more money, more time, or more stuff.
What is happiness? How do you find happiness?
Since the beginning of recorded history, religious thinkers and philosophers, and later psychologists and other scientists, have wrestled with this question and wanted to understand how to be happy. And so has every human being.
Despite this searching, many people struggle to find happiness. And strangely, sometimes when people do get what they think will make them happy, they are still unhappy.
Today we find no shortage of "answers" about how to be happy.
Religion
Some religions claim happiness lies in union with God. Some claim you can achieve this in this realm and be happy. Others claim this reality is hell and involves inevitable suffering; true happiness only exists elsewhere, when you leave this realm and go, for example, to Heaven.
Philosophy
In Western philosophy, classical authors such as Plato and Aristotle argued that happiness comes from the living the "Good Life." Contrary to modern notions of the "Good Life," Plato and Aristotle understood the "Good Life" as living excellently and developing your highest skills capacities. Thus, happiness occurs as a result of excellence, or virtue, in contemplation and action.
Psychology
In modern psychology, strangely, the study of happiness has really been the study of unhappiness. Although the word "psychology" comes from Ancient Greek "psyche" (meaning soul) and "logos" (meaning reason), modern psychology has been obsessed with mapping human suffering and mental illness. The major psychological index - the DSM-IV - is a categorization of mental disorders. Without a doubt, classical psychological work has saved many from great suffering. Yet, the absence of suffering does not necessarily equate to the presence of happiness. Or, said another way, just because you are not miserable does not mean you are joyful.
Positive Psychology
Only recently has psychology turned to focus on the study of happiness, with the emergence of Positive Psychology. Whereas classical psychology focused on curing unhappiness, positive psychology has sought to understand this question: "What makes happy people happy?" Particularly, what causes joy, satisfaction, and thriving? According to positive psychology, the route to happiness here is through understanding why happy people are happy and replicating it, as opposed to simply taking away unhappiness.
Interestingly, positive psychologists find that using your strengths, expressing gratitude, and loving-kindness meditation all can improve the amount of happiness people experience on a daily basis.
For more information on positive psychology, please see my pages on character strengths, gratitude journaling, recipe for appiness based on positive psychology research, money and happiness, and quality of life research.
Recent psychologists and researchers have also found a strong link between happiness and emotional intelligence. The link also exists between social intelligence as well. Emotional intelligence, which is the ability to be aware of your emotions and regulate them, and social intelligence, which is the ability to perform well in social situations, provide different models of happiness than you might normally think. These models stand in contrast to the idea that a high intellect gets you a good job, which gets you a good salary, which makes you happy.
Self-Help
And, in addition to religions, philosophers, and psychologists, self-help authors write numerous volumes about how to be happy. Just note the isles of books at the bookstore filled with titles such as the "Six Steps to Happiness" and the "10 Things to Do for a Life of Your Dreams."
Now, I must say that many of these can be helpful. For example, the Secret by Rhonda Byrne, which is a popular best-seller, can help people learn to act proactively and visualize their future. (While the notion that getting riches by using the secret will therefore make you happy seems misguided, the general message is useful).
In sum, strategies and approaches for how to be happy abound. My intention here is to share with you the most thoughtful and effective approaches I have found for cultivating happiness and finding joy in the journey of life. I hope you'll investigate the links from this page to learn more about approaches advised by the specific traditions.
And, for some inspiring words of wisdom on personal growth and how to be happy, please visit my personal growth quotes page.
As always, I hope you will share your thoughts and approaches, strategies, philosophies, and methods that have worked for you. Because literally, with the exception of the rare enlightened soul, everyone wants to know how to be happy. Your contribution may help someone somewhere.
Cheers,
Adam
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