The Meaning of Happiness

In a post, I asked the question, “what does Happiness mean to you?” I had several people comment to provide their thoughts on the topic. Here are what they had to say:

100% happiness comes from within. We have to feel it before we can exhibit happiness – Lori Knudsen

Happiness is an inside job

Happiness comes from within and is personal to the individual. From my complicated past, happiness resides in inner peace – Kimberly Ficklin

Happiness means being content with what I have. Yet, also looking forward to the surprises of life. It is also the best form of Joy – Marisol Lopez

Happiness is a fleeting feeling. It comes and goes, rises and falls, often under the influence of Dopamine and other internal chemical equations – Renee Vidor

I think many of us are afraid to really look within and then verbalize what makes us happy. Sometimes it takes a trauma or life-changing event to identify what is important to us and what we want from life – Patti Home

Happiness is a state of mind and a conscious choice. According to neuroscience studies, happiness is located in our Left Brain Hemisphere and becomes a trained skill with prolonged activation of a brain area called the ventral striatum. We can stimulate that area by practicing kindness, Altruism, Hope, healthy relationships, sound sleeping, and mindfulness. I could experience those findings, even if I think that happiness is just about moments. But frequent happy moments create a sustainable continuity – Silvia Loi

Happiness should stem from your inner peace (which also comes from a deeper faith within) and that it comes from your ability to know what you want to achieve and pursue it wholeheartedly. Happiness comes from that fire in your belly. That passion comes from the heart and enables you to be true to yourself and others. – Erika Petrie

Happiness is a state of being; it’s a core state – Falguni Katira

Happiness means being able to find appreciation in the smallest things, like a flower, being able to look at unwanted things or situations without losing my equilibrium – Megan Edwards

Happiness is life

Happiness is the love, gratefulness of healthy life, and the kindness of the people I interact with daily – Joy Abdullah

To be happy, I require fulfillment and see the others around me fulfilled! Thus, I am in phase with Benjamin Spek: Happiness is merely a by-product of doing what makes us FEEL fulfilled - Alexandre Frederic Joly

I’ll go with the traditional one. Man’s best friend – a dog – Jeff Young

Summary

Happiness flows from the inside out as one finds life in the world. We feel it. Our brains stimulate it. But happiness best abounds from the joy of relationships, activities, and experience of beauty.