What determines your happiness? Is it a moment in time? An event? Are you able to replicate it over and over? When you think about happiness, it is doubtful that you measure your degree of joy in the world. You are instead quantifying your happiness by life experiences and overall fulfilment.
What is Happiness?
What defines your happiness may result from multiple factors and core values. Happiness occurs as the result of met needs, and it is an individualised state of positive emotions, including satisfaction, pride, joy, and well-being. Things are just the way they should be.
Psychologists indicate that our outlook drives at least 40 per cent of our happiness, and it is what we say it is. Only 10 per cent is due to life circumstances, and our genetics predetermines the remaining 50 per cent.
If you are happy, the frequency of encountering negative emotions such as anger, fear, sadness or frustration is low. Your happiness is what you determine it to be, but it may require you to create a plan of action.
You have to identify what brings you joy and look for ways to incorporate these experiences more often into your life. Additionally, you must choose to be a happy person consciously.
Quantifying Happiness: How Do We Measure It?
Quantifying your happiness should result from an entirely personal set of metrics. Daring to compare your happiness with what produces happiness for someone else is dangerous. When it comes to happiness, there is no standard for this metric. Yes, there is a standard of living that we might consider and quality of life, but what equates to quality for one person may not be the same for someone else.
Experts say that it is hard to quantify happiness. Unlike diabetes or high blood pressure, where you can identify a core set of measurable values to assign a diagnosis, happiness is subjective.
According to Psychology Today, you can utilise a few methods to measure your happiness.
Physical Health.
Some people have biological markers, including neurotransmitters and hormones that indicate happiness. People with lower serotonin levels may be at risk or actively experiencing depression.
Behavioural Health.
How we respond in various situations may be another sign of how happy we are or are not. Happy people are likely to laugh, smile and indulge in helping others more frequently than those not full of joy.
Positivity over Negativity.
Happy people are also more likely to avoid negative behaviours and activities than those who are not. They will purposefully surround themselves with happy people and keep those with negative energy out of their circle.
Freedom of Choices.
Happy people often have a unique degree of freedom to make decisions that favour themselves or others in their lives.
Visible to Others.
Happy people are not hiding their happiness, and it is apparent to others, and for those who might be susceptible, this emotion can be contagious.
Self-Reported Happiness. Finally, happy people quickly share their happiness, and studies show that happy people frequently talk about their happiness.
In Summary
Happiness is what you determine it to be, and it is a lifelong commitment that requires a consistent investment of your energy and focus. Your satisfaction should not be driven by what makes other people happy. Instead, your happiness should be a product of those things that trigger positive emotions for you.
This positive emotion is subjective by many standards. Still, there are multiple key indicators that we can assess to determine if happiness exists, and we have the power to make a real change to acquire happiness where it currently may not live.
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