The Three Concepts of Happiness

Written By Colēgia

Happiness is something that many of us strive for as it is the culmination of many positive emotions. One way to work toward this is to break it down to see what comprises this feeling. Today we want to analyze three major concepts of happiness.

Enjoyment

Finding enjoyment in the things you do can provide happiness in many ways. Leisure activities are one of the best examples of this as they are designed with fun in mind. Part of being happy involves knowing when to do the things that you enjoy. Life is more than schoolwork and giving yourself the space to simply enjoy the moment can work wonders for your mental health. This can also be found in other areas as well such as the amount of joy you get by being in someone’s presence. Our social ties are important and simply spending time with friends can give help us enjoy our lives more. We can take the time to talk with others about the things we love along with participating in hobbies together. Enjoyment can be found anywhere and keeping an open mind with this can provide you with more happiness.

“Finding enjoyment in the things you do can provide happiness in many ways.”

Satisfaction

Satisfaction is something that provides a longer form of happiness compared to enjoyment. While enjoyment is something that we practice in the moment, satisfaction stems from the feeling we get when we are accomplishing something. A good example of this is taking satisfaction in the work that you do. This matters as this is an activity that we spend a good portion of our lives doing. In school, this can be seen by taking pride in doing well on an assignment. This is good as the positive energy from that can translate into other areas of our lives. Satisfaction with our social network is another key aspect of this. While being able to enjoy time around others is good, being able to say that you are satisfied with the relationships you have can make a world of difference.

“Satisfaction is something that provides a longer form of happiness compared to enjoyment.”

Meaning

Out of all the concepts we've mentioned thus far, meaning is the one that has the most long-standing association with happiness. Many of us want to feel that we have a sense of purpose and how we discover this can take time. Some of us find meaning in being able to produce something that can inspire change within others. Other people may find meaning through the effort that they put into their work. This is something that is inherently different for everyone and requires time to be introspective. One way to help with this is to do meditation as it allows us to go within to try and find these answers. Meaning and purpose are but one of many ways to instill happiness within your life. It is good to remember that your happiness doesn't need to rely on this but rather it can be an additional thing that brings you joy. This removes any pressure for finding meaning while letting you take things at your own pace. For all we know, going with the flow and simply learning could be the thing that makes you happy.

Colēgia

Colēgia

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The Concepts of Well-being
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Caring About Your Emotions