…Another Thing about Happiness…
I believe that most of people want to be happy. Some even strive in pursuing happiness. While the definition of happiness is subjective, an interesting finding was published on APA (American Psychological Association).
The research was carried out in USA. Whether the conclusion will also valid in other countries, that’s a question. The researchers, they drew conclusion that one of the key factors which drive people happiness is what so called intentional activities.
They mention that happiness which comes from a “hedonic” source is found not to last for long. That is because every people has the ability to adapt to the “hedonic” source. Therefore, for example, moving to one’s dream place (city or country), or using drugs, or other similar hedonic action will give only temporary happiness. After some time, people feel the urge to increase the hedonic level, so that they could boost more happiness.
They also found that the people who claimed themselves as happy, they got that feeling because they experience the ability to direct their lives (this is my own wording). These people choose their activities in their daily lives, which they like to do, while at the same time those activities give them opportunities to experience changes and variation in their lives. These activities are not necessarily always giving them happy mood. Sometimes there could be challenges too. But the variations offered by these activities, those are the things which make them feel longer lasting happiness. This happiness is not impulsive, but rather stable.
