happiness

foam

everyone wants to be happy, but how can we do it?

starfish

on this page

Read a summary of what the experts have learnt makes people happy and unhappy, and how we can all improve our lives. Follow the links for more detail on any topic.

Other pages in the happiness section:

being happy

People try all sorts of things to make their lives happy, pleasurable and meaningful, but not everyone succeeds. Many approaches to life don't work out as well as we might think. Surveys and the findings of positive psychology show us what really makes people happy:

  • Don’t be fooled by advertising or envy into thinking that wealth, health or popularity will bring lasting happiness. Their impact is likely to be small and fleeting. Take opportunities to improve your standard of living if you have real needs, but it is important to learn to be happy with what you have.
  • Develop good relationships with a circle of friends. Join a group where you can share your interests, and your life. Maintain a loving marriage if you can.
  • Get involved in interesting and challenging activities that enrich your life. Enjoy your paid work, and do some voluntary work.
  • Don't focus on yourself. Go easy on others - forgive, offer support, show gratitude.
  • Think about what you believe. Spiritual and ethical beliefs, hope and purpose, are very important for well-being. Investing your life in a cause greater than yourself is one of the keys to satisfaction in life.

The experts say we can all improve our happiness in life if we apply these truths. It's worth trying, and there are places to help us all work it out.

But is there more to life than just being happy? What about all the unhappiness in the world? What cause should we choose to invest our life into?

Read about being happy in more detail.

the shadow

Life just isn't easy for some people, and being happy isn't as important as just surviving.

  • Many people struggle just to keep life going. Obtaining the necessities of life and avoiding persecution are constant issues for some people.
  • Even in the richer countries, poverty, suicide, divorce, homelessness, addictions, unemployment or emptiness sour the dream for many.
  • The pursuit of affluence leads to some twisted values; image and cool may replace integrity and compassion, things often matter more than people.
  • We have abused and depleted many of the world's natural resources and are destroying much of the natural environment. Global warming, water and oil shortages and over-population threaten us all. Our western society doesn't seem to have the answers.

Are we just pawns in the game of life? Should we just ignore the problems and concentrate on our own happiness? Or could there possibly be a larger meaning, a big picture which makes sense of it all? In clues we look at the big questions of purpose and meaning, right and wrong, life, humanity and God, in an attempt to see if any truth can be found. It may be worth a look.

Read about the shadow in more detail.

positive psychology

Studies have shown that following the principles of positive psychology can assist people to be happier and to reduce depression.

Positice psychology identifies three aspects of life which are keys to happiness:

  1. Having pleasure and positive emotions. This is largely determined genetically and is the least important aspect.
  2. Being absorbed in work, relationships and leisure, and building our lives around our strengths.
  3. Going beyond ourselves and using our strengths in the service of something that we believe is more important than we are. This is the most important aspect.

Processes have been developed to assist us to practice and reinforce our positive character traits.

This research thus shows that most of the things presented as desirable by our culture - wealth, fame, beauty, health, self esteem, etc - are not in fact very helpful in making us happy. The most important things are unselfish.

Read about positive psychology in more detail.