Happiness

It is generally accepted that happiness is very important in human life. However, it is hard to measure the level of happiness and many factors are considered as important aspects in achieving happiness. This essay seeks to show why happiness is difficult to define and what factors are involved in achieving happiness.

There are a number of reasons why happiness is difficult to define. First, everyone has different standards in measuring happiness. In other words, every individual gives different reactions to their achievements. An achievement that makes someone happy does not necessarily make the others happy as well. Therefore, it is difficult to argue that something will make everyone happy. Another reason to consider is that the needs of people depend on what they already have. It is shown by Abraham Maslow that happiness is influenced by what he called the hierarchy of needs. This means that if we successfully fulfil our basic needs, then we want higher needs, such as entertainment and luxury items. It necessarily follows that happiness depends on what we need or want to have.

Along with these facts, there are many factors that influence people in achieving happiness. The first factor is that most people, sometimes, set their goal too high. Therefore, if they cannot reach what they expect or the reality is less than the expected, then they will feel unsatisfied and will be difficult to gain happiness. Another factor is social influence. By this I mean that people have to seek what are required by society. Thus, if they cannot meet the requirements, then they will be hard to find happiness. In addition, the character of every person is different. This means that individual character or personality also influences an attempt in achieving happiness.

To conclude, there are a number of reasons why it is difficult to define happiness and at the same time, many factors can explain why this occurred.