"Happiness" by Karen M

     What is happiness? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, happiness is defined as “a state of well being and a pleasurable or satisfying experience”. In 2007 a positive psychology researcher named Sonja Lyubomirsky described happiness in her book as the experience of joy and positive emotions along with a meaningful and worthwhile life. These two definitions correlate with positive influences because people seek positivity in their life in order to feel a sense of happiness and joy.      
     The word happiness means completely different things for most people. For some it may involve having money, getting an A+ on that test that they studied hard for or simply having a good day. For others it's more about popularity, a high that they get from drugs or even getting an adrenaline rush from doing something that they shouldn't have done. People will always have a positive and a negative idea of what happiness is which is what makes happiness different for everyone. Although happiness is an overall joyful emotion, it isn’t always what it seems. For example it has its bittersweet moments like when you look back at pictures and reminisce about the memories that you know you won’t be able to relive. People often tend to rely on other people for their own happiness. For instance, when someone is in a relationship whether it be a romantic one or just a group of friends, if one person depends more on the other for this serotonin filled emotion it doesn’t always work. It won’t have the best outcome because you shouldn’t place your happiness in someone else’s hands and leave it to them to care for. Today’s society makes it hard for some people to be happy. Pleasing other people is such a priority for some that in the process of trying to make those people happy they end up losing sight of their own happiness and who they are. As an example, if a student wants to please their parents and make them happy by getting good grades it could cause that student stress and they might lose some of their happiness along the way or if a kid is trying to impress another friend they might do something that they usually wouldn’t and wouldn’t be proud of.  
     For me personally, happiness comes in different forms. To me happiness involves the small things like coming home and seeing that my mom made my favorite dinner, passing a test that I had forgotten about or even getting a small compliment. It’s little things like those that make me happy and grateful. Other memorable experiences are nights out at the mall, going to a restaurant with my family and playing with my baby niece. One unforgettable experience that makes me happy is when I would go to Mexico for Christmas as a child and collect candy that I would later share with my cousins. Spending time with my family and friends will always be my main source of happiness even if it’s just sitting on the couch talking. The reason these things play a huge role in my happiness is because when I’m down and think about those memories it fills me up with joy and happiness and reminds me that there’s always something to look forward to. 





Websites that I used

- https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/happiness