preview

The Beliefs Of Happiness : What Is Happiness?

Decent Essays

What Is Happiness? Happiness comes from the emotional and mental well-being characterized by positive emotions. Being happy comes with a good feeling of accomplishment and joy. Every individual has a different perception on what happiness is and what it brings. The word “happy” differs from the seventeenth to eighteenth century. Society grasps a new view on what happiness really is. Happiness can be brought by something physical like a nice car, an extravagant house, or having a lot of money. Happiness can also come from relationships, family, and friendships. McMahon from Yale states that “Hap is the Old Norse and Old English root of happiness, and it just means luck or chance”. The way in which happiness is viewed has been revolutionized from the seventeenth century to now. In the seventeenth century, people believed happiness stemmed from luck or divine favor. This elated feeling was commonly thought of as fate or fortune passed down by gods with humans having no control over it. Happiness was not something that could be made or achieved, but something that merely “happened”. Greek philosophers like Aristotle and Plato perceived happiness as something that can be earned by various actions and choices. In addition, they believed true happiness is impossible to have due to the intense amount of work, devotion and discipline needed to maintain a good fortune judged by the gods. Christians believed happiness can only occur in one of the three circumstances: in the

Get Access