Defining Happiness and Sadness
Happiness and sadness are complex emotional states experienced by humans. But what exactly do these terms mean from a psychological perspective? And what causes these feelings?
The Meaning of Happiness
Psychologists define happiness as a state of well-being characterized by positive emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Crucially, happiness refers specifically to one's subjective, internal experience of positive feelings.
Components of happiness identified by researchers include:
- Feeling good emotionally
- Feeling generally satisfied with life
- Experiencing frequent positive emotions like joy, excitement, contentment
- Rarely experiencing unpleasant emotions like anger, anxiety, sadness
- Feeling that life has meaning and purpose
The key is that happiness stems from your internal perception of your emotions and life satisfaction. External factors influence but don't directly define your happiness.
Toxic Positivity vs. Healthy Happiness
"Toxic positivity" refers to pressuring oneself or others to maintain a happy facade by suppressing all negative emotions. This is often portrayed as ideal happiness but actually harms mental health.
In contrast, genuine, healthy happiness allows for a full range of human emotions - including sadness, fear, anger, grief. It focuses less on constant joy and more on overall life satisfaction, purpose, taking time to process unpleasant feelings when they arise rather than ignore them.
The Meaning of Sadness
In contrast to happiness, sadness is defined as a temporary emotional state characterized by feelings of disappointment, grief, emptiness, despair or hopelessness. Typically when you feel sad:
- Your mood and outlook feel more negative
- You have less motivation and energy
- Loss of interest, pleasure, or joy in activities
- You may cry more or desire to be alone
Like happiness, sadness relates to your internal subjective experience - not just external circumstances. You can have many blessings in life yet still feel sad or unsatisfied at times.
What Makes Us Happy or Sad?
Many interwoven internal and external factors influence human happiness and sadness. Key contributors psychologists have identified include:
Personality Traits
Innate personality characteristics strongly impact your set happiness "baseline." For example, some traits linked to higher happiness include:
- Extraversion
- Conscientiousness
- Optimism
- Self-esteem
Those prone to negative emotionality like frequent anxiety, anger, or sadness tend to report lower happiness. Genetic variation that affects brain chemicals like serotonin also help determine your natural happiness "set point."
Life Circumstances
Situational factors like physical health, close relationships, financial stability, enjoyable work, and freedom to pursue passions also substantially influence happiness.
For example, studies show marriage, educational attainment, higher income (up to ~$75k), having work you enjoy and healthy social connections are all linked to greater life satisfaction and happiness.
Sadness can stem from unhappy events like relationship loss, financial troubles, trauma, grief, chronic health conditions that limit activities, unemployment, and prolonged loneliness.
Thought Patterns
How you perceive life events and think about yourself also affects your moods. For instance those prone to pessimistic attitudes and negative self-talk tend to be less happy overall.
Cognitive restructuring techniques can help transform negative thought patterns contributing to sadness. This involves consciously shifting perspectives toward more positive, realistic attitudes to elevate mood.
Intentional Activities
Deliberately engaging in certain behaviors also boosts happiness. Especially important is spending ample time on meaningful pursuits that align with your values and create positive emotions.
For example, research confirms activities like expressing gratitude, meditating, exercising, helping others, nurturing close relationships, and engaging in enjoyable hobbies enhance happiness.
Prioritizing these behaviors counters the effects of personality tendencies or situations fostering sadness. They give you positive emotional experiences to savor and lift mood.
Can We Control Our Own Happiness?
While genetics and circumstances limit happiness to some degree, you have more control than you might assume. Research reveals up to 40% of happiness variation comes from intentional activities known to improve mood and outlook.
This means taking specific steps to cultivate greater life satisfaction can be quite effective at boosting your happiness baseline. Key evidence-based strategies include:
Express Gratitude
Deliberately appreciating blessings, large and small, trains your brain to focus more on the positive. Keep a gratitude journal, share thanks with loved ones, savor good moments as they happen.
Increase Social Connections
Loneliness severely diminishes happiness. Nurturing authentic, supportive relationships brings joy. Make time for loved ones, join groups aligned with your interests, open up to trustworthy people.
Engage in Pleasurable Hobbies
Hobbies you genuinely enjoy lower stress and create positive experiences, elevating mood. Explore new passions that spark curiosity or tap into talents and strengths you want to develop.
Practice Self-care
Attending to basic needs like enough sleep, healthy nutrition, physical activity and hygiene prevents physical or mental health issues impeding happiness.
Meditate
Meditation rewires thought patterns while lowering stress and anxiety drag down mood. Just a few minutes daily can make a difference.
Commit to a personalized regimen of science-backed happiness boosting strategies aligned with your interests and values. Over time this reshapes neural pathways to lift your daily mood baseline.
The Takeaway
While genetics and life circumstances do affect happiness, you have more ability to take charge of your emotional health than you might think. Evidence confirms up to 40% of happiness comes from intentional activities within your control.
Prioritize time for relationships, hobbies, self-care, gratitude, meditation and other positive mood boosting behaviors. With consistency, scientifically-proven happiness habits truly help cultivate more frequent positive emotions, life satisfaction and purpose.
FAQs
Is happiness simply the absence of sadness?
No. Happiness refers specifically to frequent positive emotions and a sense of meaning, purpose, and satisfaction with life. Just because you aren't actively sad doesn't necessarily mean you feel happy either.
Can pursuing happiness backfire?
Yes, fixating too intensely on being happy ironically can make you less happy. Allowing instead for a full range of human emotions - including sadness at times - and focusing more on meaning and aligning behaviors to your values enables more sustainable contentment.
Are extraverts happier than introverts?
On average extraversion correlates to greater reported happiness since outgoing tendencies expose people to more potential rewards from social connections. However, introverts can cultivate plenty of happiness through strong bonds with a few close friends rather than continually seeking external stimulation.
Does money buy happiness?
Up to a point - research suggests household incomes up to around $75k associate with greater happiness. However, beyond basic needs additional money doesn't spike happiness much. Social connections and purpose matter more long term versus material excess.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.
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