Every time somebody asks me "what's wrong?" as a result of me not wearing a plastic perma-smile, it leads me to analyze how society defines happiness. (Related: Hey, baby! Smile!). Is it exultation, joy,
and a wide smile, or does it have many various expressions? The truth is, happiness comes in various forms that are often hard to measure by the size of a smile, which is so commonly and easily faked.
I believe there are two types of happiness– fleeting moments of excitement that incite wide smiles and feelings of ecstasy, and a general feeling of content and satisfaction with life which may not be so brazenly displayed. A person can be happy in general, but have a terrible day (or going through a terrible period), or vice versa– be generally unhappy, but have a good day. The show of happiness may also be cultural. In the United States people place too much emphasis on the show, but in Russia, for example, people are more quiet, reserved, not smiling all the time, but have deeper connections with those they do show their smiles to. (This is an awesome article I always remember, probably because even though I am American through and through, I relate to the Russian psyche, lol: Global Psyche: National Poker Face).
Overall life is a rollercoaster, a series of highs or lows, a glass that is perenially half-empty or half-full. Some people have the remarkable ability to turn the seemingly mundane into something wonderful, while others let such magical moments go by unperceived as they stress over the minutiae of life.
I believe that people who take the time to study and know themselves are happier, because they find their answers within, not from a friend or an online magazine. If you are wise and know yourself, you can always trust your inner compass regardless of what everyone else is doing or telling you that you should do.
Happiness is about doing what is natural to yourself. It is wrong to try to be anything. Personality and its development should take its natural course. Human beings are at their most beautiful when allowed creative and emotional freedom.
I believe there are two types of happiness– fleeting moments of excitement that incite wide smiles and feelings of ecstasy, and a general feeling of content and satisfaction with life which may not be so brazenly displayed. A person can be happy in general, but have a terrible day (or going through a terrible period), or vice versa– be generally unhappy, but have a good day. The show of happiness may also be cultural. In the United States people place too much emphasis on the show, but in Russia, for example, people are more quiet, reserved, not smiling all the time, but have deeper connections with those they do show their smiles to. (This is an awesome article I always remember, probably because even though I am American through and through, I relate to the Russian psyche, lol: Global Psyche: National Poker Face).
Overall life is a rollercoaster, a series of highs or lows, a glass that is perenially half-empty or half-full. Some people have the remarkable ability to turn the seemingly mundane into something wonderful, while others let such magical moments go by unperceived as they stress over the minutiae of life.
I believe that people who take the time to study and know themselves are happier, because they find their answers within, not from a friend or an online magazine. If you are wise and know yourself, you can always trust your inner compass regardless of what everyone else is doing or telling you that you should do.
Happiness is about doing what is natural to yourself. It is wrong to try to be anything. Personality and its development should take its natural course. Human beings are at their most beautiful when allowed creative and emotional freedom.
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