Marriage and Happiness

When having good experiences, most people, if asked, would claim that they feel happy. However, if one decided to ask Martha Nussbaum, author of “Who is the Happy Warrior? Philosophy Poses Questions to Psychology,” she would most likely respond that she was feeling pleasured. In her article, she draws a restrictive line between pleasure and happiness. She introduces the viewpoints of many intellectuals who have spoken on the definition of happiness, and then offers her own opinions in regards to theirs. Her thoughts generally align with those of Aristotle, Plato, and the ancient Greek thinkers – the very ones she spent much of her higher education studying. Her main ideas, that happiness is too complex to be concretely defined and that pleasure is a feeling that we may experience while doing certain things, are well-explained and supported. She offers the idea that happiness is not an emotion – rather, it is a state of being that we should all hope to attain as a result of self-reflection. Nussbaum continually counters the beliefs proposed by psychologists, like the notion that happiness is a one-note feeling, or the concept that happiness is only influenced by positive emotions. In my essay, I will explain how Martha Nussbaum’s explanation of the complexities of happiness is superior, as well as how the ideas of two psychologists, Sonja Lyubomirsky and Daniel Gilbert, are faulty and disreputable. However, it is important to note that just because Nussbaum is the least wrong

This quote is significant because it serves as an opening that we need to keep in mind throughout the text. As the article progresses, one can see that it strengthens the central idea that most people are not happy and are approaching happiness in the wrong way. This was established to give an example to the reader showing how the idea of happiness can be shared.

In the book Happiness: The Science Behind Your Smile by Daniel Nettle he states that happiness offers a remarkable portrait of feelings that poets, politicians, and philosophers all agree truly make the world go around. Nettle is currently at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom and is the Co-director of the center for behavioral and evolution. He mainly studies humans. Nettle is a behavioral biologist that that has interest in evolution, development and psychological underpinning of behavior. His study spans from biology into social science. He is a very successful writer who has a BA in psychology and philosophy from Oxford, as well a PHD in biological anthropology from university college London. Nettle goes through his book shedding light on happiness which is the basic human desire. Studying the human happiness wasn’t easy for Nettle but when he examined human happiness he reached a conclusion that success can make us happy. People are fascinated by the idea of happiness and will follow any system that seems to promise it. In the book Nettle goes in depth over the three levels of happiness and what could happen if we don’t reach or attempt to each those certain levels. The first level is momentary happiness, second level describes judgment and feelings, and the third and final level talking about the quality of life.

As human beings we are naturally wired to seek happiness wherever we can find it. When we don’t, we may enter a stage of anger, anxiety, or distress. That’s why it is our personal goal to look for happiness and preserve it once we acquire it. Many have explored ways to find what triggers this feeling of “happiness” and what we can do to keep it; nonetheless, the evidence found is hardly sufficient to make a public statement on how to find happiness. For this reason, most of the time we speculate what might provoke this feeling of contentment. “Happiness is a glass half empty,” an essay written by Oliver Burkeman, highlights the importance of happiness and discloses how we can find delight through unorthodox methods. The prime objective of this piece of writing is to inform the audience about the effect of happiness on their lives and how their usual attempts of becoming happier can sabotage achieving this feeling. Furthermore, he wants to promote the benefits of pessimism and describe how it can help us in the long run. The author utilizes pronouns, logos, and pathos in order to prove his point and draw the audience into his essay, in an attempt of making them reconsider the way they live their lives and adopt this new pessimistic way that would greatly boost their level of happiness.

There are hardly any reports on happiness and raising children. Gilbert states that, “It really violates our intuition, yet every bit of data says children are an extreme source of negative affect, or none at all. It’s hard to find a study where there’s one net positive (426). Are these things proof that the literal definition of happy, of good fortune and prosperity or well adjusted, is wrong?

Waldinger has access to real evidence and data on happiness and satisfaction over adult development. Waldinger states that in 1938 they began to track the lives of the lives of two completely different group of men. The first group were sophomores at Harvard College, the second group consisted of boys from Bostonś poorest neighborhoods and those from troubled families. Throughout the seventy five years of conducting this study, the clear message that kept reappearing was that strong and comforting relationships allow us to remain happier and healthier. By being involved with the study firsthand, Robert Waldinger gives his audience a reason to continue

In Barbara Fredrickson’s Selections from “Love 2.0: How our Supreme Emotion Affects Everything We Feel, Think, Do and Become”, our conventional viewpoint on love is changed so that it can lead to a happier and healthier life. Similarly, in Karen Armstrong’s “Homo Religiosus”, she talks about religion and culture to explain the meaning of life and help people reach internal happiness. Both of these authors make sure that people forget about their previous beliefs so that they can reach Fredrickson’s system of “positivity resonance”, or Armstrong’s idea of internal happiness, or antta.

People travel through life with what seems like a single goal: to be happy. This may seem like a selfish way to live, however this lone objective is the motivation behind nearly all actions. Even seemingly selfless deeds make people feel better about themselves. That warm feeling experienced while doing charitable acts can be described as happiness. But what is authentic happiness? There is an endless possibility of answers to this question, and man seems to be always searching for the solution. Although one may reach his or her goals, there is always still something one strives for in order to be happy. In the book Stumbling on Happiness, Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert takes the reader through

As human beings we are naturally wired to seek happiness wherever we can find it. When we don’t, we may enter a stage of anger, anxiety, or distress. That’s why it is our personal goal to look for happiness and preserve it once we acquire it. Many have explored ways to find what triggers this feeling of “happiness” and what we can do to keep it; nonetheless, the evidence found is hardly sufficient to make a public statement on how to find happiness. For this reason, most of the time we speculate what might provoke this feeling of contentment. “Happiness is a glass half empty,” an essay written by Oliver Burkeman, highlights the importance of happiness and discloses how we can find delight through unorthodox methods. The prime objective of this piece of writing is to inform the audience about the effect of happiness on their lives and how their usual attempts of becoming happier can sabotage achieving this feeling. Furthermore, he wants to promote the benefits of pessimism and describe how it can help us in the long run. The author utilizes pronouns, logos, and pathos in order to prove his point and draw the audience into his essay, in an attempt of making them reconsider the way they live their lives and adopt this new pessimistic way that would greatly boost their level of happiness.

Most people assume that parenthood is pure joy, but research shows that it can also be pure misery. In the article “Bundle of Trouble”, Robin W. Simon discusses some of the advantages and disadvantages associated with parenthood. First, Simon notes that parenthood has several emotional benefits, like the prospect of being a grandparent and the satisfaction of watching a child grow up. However, Simon argues that the exorbitant cost of raising children is a major source of stress among parents. Lastly, Simon argues that there is a lack of social support (i.e. family, social institutions) to alleviate the social and economic issues associated with parenthood. One of the most significant ideas presented in the article is that raising a child

Second, the feelings that are described depict the feelings of parents in early parenthood. Addressing the effects of parenting on later-life happiness would have strengthened Rollin’s arguments” (qtd. Hopkins par 8).

Many of Lewis’s writing shines new light on what happiness really means to the human spirit. In “We Have No ‘Right to Happiness’”, C.S. Lewis challenges the superficial view of happiness that we can do whatever it takes to be happy, regardless of others. Lewis observes how we reach happiness in relationships, pointing out that too many people only want happiness for themselves, which in turn deprives others of the same joy. He bases his augment on society’s view points, using his neighbor as a relatable example. Lewis provides educated insight to what some people are willing to do for happiness simply because they believe society allows it without consequence.

Commitment. A word many people maybe be afraid of or attracted to. Depending on how an individual looks at it, commitment can either be a rewarding experience that shapes humans into a better happier person or commitment can feel more of an obligation; restricting freedom of action, making one feel unhappy. Nevertheless, happiness is sought out by all and is individually defined my many. The question here is if happiness involves a life with kids? Knowingly that children bring so much more responsibilities on parents it’s possible for their very existence to bring burdens into some lives. For few, children are living breathing blessings there to make them better.

The person’s genetics and childhood or the person’s family and culture are things that influence a person’s happiness. Happiness is a mindset that is created by a person’s surroundings and their origins.

Without happiness, people might not be living their lives the way they yearn to. This is a prominent part of the