Definition Essay On Happiness

What happiness is and what makes people happy is a question that may never have a definite answer. . “What is happiness?” is a topic scientists have pondered for quite some time, however, recently scientists have only identified three constituents of happiness: pleasure, engagement, and meaning (Seligman 2). Positive psychology, or the study of what makes people feel fulfilled, has been used by behavioral scientists to measure reported levels of happiness and to identify what causes gaiety. Other emotions, such as sadness, fear, and anger, are as important in life as happiness because happiness would not have meaning without other types of emotions. Biological inheritance is another reason as to why varying emotions are important. Human emotions

The happiest moments in a lifetime are the highlights of the life lived, but how do people determine the best moments in their life if they were all great memories? The sad moments make the best moments more memorable and all together more important. People seem to feel the need to constantly search for happiness and meaning, but we would have nothing to search for if we only felt one emotion. Furthermore, other emotions are just as important as happiness because of biological inheritance. As humans evolve, traits are passed from parent to their offspring for the survival of the species. Our emotions are an example of these survival instincts which are hardwired into human DNA. For example, our fear “tips us off to the presence of danger” (Begley 456). Without fear, we would not know when to stop having too much fun. For instance, some may find speeding down a road, swerving in and out of the lane, is fun, but without fear, they would not know until they got seriously hurt. Sometimes, happiness makes people reckless. Our fear instinct tells us when we are potentially in danger and keeps our species from going extinct. Additionally, sadness shows our “need for help” (Begley 456). When someone is upset about something it is usually because they do not know how to deal with a certain situation. Sadness is a way to notify the brain that it needs help. These emotions are alerts to your body telling you that something is wrong and needs to

It is proven that happiness lowers our risk of disease, but how long would people live if we let that happiness control us. Being overly happy can lead to risky behaviors like “excessive drinking”, “binge eating”, and “using drugs” (David 124). If people continually partook in these activities, they would lead themselves to a short, obsessive life. Their only thought would be their next fix, or next drink. Without even realizing, they have become someone they are not, and were never meant to be. David even says that an absence of more sober emotions can be evidence of mania, a dangerous symptom of psychological illness. “Negative” emotions help to keep desires in check and keep people safe. Happiness has a vital role in human social development, but it can also lower our inhibitions. Happiness makes us jump to stereotypical conclusions about someone merely on their appearance; if someone looks nice they must be harmless. When in reality, they could be