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What Is Happiness?

Defining Happiness, and How to Become Happier

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

Rachel Goldman, PhD FTOS, is a licensed psychologist, clinical assistant professor, speaker, wellness expert specializing in eating behaviors, stress management, and health behavior change.

Verywell/ Jiaqi Zhou

How to Cultivate Happiness

How to be a happier person.

Happiness is something that people seek to find, yet what defines happiness can vary from one person to the next. Typically, happiness is an emotional state characterized by feelings of joy, satisfaction, contentment, and fulfillment. While happiness has many different definitions, it is often described as involving positive emotions and life satisfaction. 

When most people talk about the true meaning of happiness, they might be talking about how they feel in the present moment or referring to a more general sense of how they feel about life overall.

Because happiness tends to be such a broadly defined term, psychologists and other social scientists typically use the term ' subjective well-being ' when they talk about this emotional state. Just as it sounds, subjective well-being tends to focus on an individual's overall personal feelings about their life in the present.  

Two key components of happiness (or subjective well-being) are:

• The balance of emotions: Everyone experiences both positive and negative emotions, feelings, and moods. Happiness is generally linked to experiencing more positive feelings than negative ones.
• Life satisfaction: This relates to how satisfied you feel with different areas of your life including your relationships, work, achievements, and other things that you consider important.

Another definition of happiness comes from the ancient philosopher Aristotle, who suggested that happiness is the one human desire, and all other human desires exist as a way to obtain happiness. He believed that there were four levels of happiness: happiness from immediate gratification, from comparison and achievement, from making positive contributions, and from achieving fulfillment. 

Happiness, Aristotle suggested, could be achieved through the golden mean, which involves finding a balance between deficiency and excess.

Signs of Happiness

While perceptions of happiness may be different from one person to the next, there are some key signs that psychologists look for when measuring and assessing happiness.

Some key signs of happiness include:

• Feeling like you are living the life you wanted
• Going with the flow and a willingness to take life as it comes
• Feeling that the conditions of your life are good
• Enjoying positive, healthy relationships with other people
• Feeling that you have accomplished (or will accomplish) what you want in life
• Feeling satisfied with your life
• Feeling positive more than negative
• Being open to new ideas and experiences
• Practicing self-care and treating yourself with kindness and compassion
• Experiencing gratitude
• Feeling that you are living life with a sense of meaning and purpose
• Wanting to share your happiness and joy with others

One important thing to remember is that happiness isn't a state of constant euphoria . Instead, happiness is an overall sense of experiencing more positive emotions than negative ones.

Happy people still feel the whole range of human emotions—anger, frustrastion, boredom, loneliness, and even sadness—from time to time. But even when faced with discomfort, they have an underlying sense of optimism that things will get better, that they can deal with what is happening, and that they will be able to feel happy again.

Types of Happiness

There are many different ways of thinking about happiness. For example, the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle made a distinction between two different kinds of happiness: hedonia and eudaimonia.

• Hedonia: Hedonic happiness is derived from pleasure. It is most often associated with doing what feels good, self-care, fulfilling desires, experiencing enjoyment, and feeling a sense of satisfaction.
• Eudaimonia: This type of happiness is derived from seeking virtue and meaning. Important components of eudaimonic well-being including feeling that your life has meaning, value, and purpose. It is associated more with fulfilling responsibilities, investing in long-term goals, concern for the welfare of other people, and living up to personal ideals.

Hedonia and eudemonia are more commonly known today in psychology as pleasure and meaning, respectively. More recently, psychologists have suggested the addition of the third component that relates to engagement . These are feelings of commitment and participation in different areas of life.

Research suggests that happy people tend to rank pretty high on eudaimonic life satisfaction and better than average on their hedonic life satisfaction.  

All of these can play an important role in the overall experience of happiness, although the relative value of each can be highly subjective. Some activities may be both pleasurable and meaningful, while others might skew more one way or the other.

For example, volunteering for a cause you believe in might be more meaningful than pleasurable. Watching your favorite tv show, on the other hand, might rank lower in meaning and higher on pleasure.

Some types of happiness that may fall under these three main categories include:

• Joy: A often relatively brief feeling that is felt in the present moment
• Excitement: A happy feeling that involves looking forward to something with positive anticipation
• Gratitude: A positive emotion that involves being thankful and appreciative
• Pride: A feeling of satisfaction in something that you have accomplished
• Optimism: This is a way of looking at life with a positive, upbeat outlook
• Contentment: This type of happiness involves a sense of satisfaction

While some people just tend to be naturally happier, there are things that you can do to cultivate your sense of happiness. 

Pursue Intrinsic Goals 

Achieving goals that you are intrinsically motivated to pursue, particularly ones that are focused on personal growth and community, can help boost happiness. Research suggests that pursuing these types of intrinsically-motivated goals can increase happiness more than pursuing extrinsic goals like gaining money or status.  

Enjoy the Moment

Studies have found that people tend to over earn—they become so focused on accumulating things that they lose track of actually enjoying what they are doing.  

So, rather than falling into the trap of mindlessly accumulating to the detriment of your own happiness, focus on practicing gratitude for the things you have and enjoying the process as you go. 

Reframe Negative Thoughts

When you find yourself stuck in a pessimistic outlook or experiencing negativity, look for ways that you can reframe your thoughts in a more positive way. 

People have a natural negativity bias , or a tendency to pay more attention to bad things than to good things. This can have an impact on everything from how you make decisions to how you form impressions of other people. Discounting the positive—a cognitive distortion where people focus on the negative and ignore the positive—can also contribute to negative thoughts.

Reframing these negative perceptions isn't about ignoring the bad. Instead, it means trying to take a more balanced, realistic look at events. It allows you to notice patterns in your thinking and then challenge negative thoughts.

Impact of Happiness

Why is happiness so important? Happiness has been shown to predict positive outcomes in many different areas of life including mental well-being, physical health, and overall longevity.

• Positive emotions increase satisfaction with life.
• Happiness helps people build stronger coping skills and emotional resources.
• Positive emotions are linked to better health and longevity. One study found that people who experienced more positive emotions than negative ones were more likely to have survived over a 13 year period.
• Positive feelings increase resilience. Resilience helps people better manage stress and bounce back better when faced with setbacks. For example, one study found that happier people tend to have lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol and that these benefits tend to persist over time.
• People who report having a positive state of well-being are more likely to engage in healthy behaviors such as eating fruits and vegetables and engaging in regular physical exercise.
• Being happy may make help you get sick less often. Happier mental states are linked to increased immunity.

Some people seem to have a naturally higher baseline for happiness—one large-scale study of more than 2,000 twins suggested that around 50% of overall life satisfaction was due to genetics, 10% to external events, and 40% to individual activities.

So while you might not be able to control what your “base level” of happiness is, there are things that you can do to make your life happier and more fulfilling. Even the happiest of individuals can feel down from time to time and happiness is something that all people need to consciously pursue.

Cultivate Strong Relationships

Social support is an essential part of well-being. Research has found that good social relationships are the strongest predictor of happiness. Having positive and supportive connections with people you care about can provide a buffer against stress, improve your health, and help you become a happier person.

In the Harvard Study of Adult Development, a longitudinal study that looked at participants over 80 years, researchers found that relationships and how happy people are in those relationships strongly impacted overall health.

So if you are trying to improve your happiness, cultivating solid social connections is a great place to start. Consider deepening your existing relationships and explore ways to make new friends. 

Get Regular Exercise

Exercise is good for both your body and mind. Physical activity is linked to a range of physical and psychological benefits including improved mood. Numerous studies have shown that regular exercise may play a role in warding off symptoms of depression, but evidence also suggests that it may also help make people happier, too.

In one analysis of past research on the connection between physical activity and happiness, researchers found a consistent positive link.  

Even a little bit of exercise produces a happiness boost—people who were physically active for as little as 10 minutes a day or who worked out only once a week had higher levels of happiness than people who never exercised.

Show Gratitude

In one study, participants were asked to engage in a writing exercise for 10 to 20 minutes each night before bed.   Some were instructed to write about daily hassles, some about neutral events, and some about things they were grateful for. The results found that people who had written about gratitude had increase positive emotions, increased subjective happiness, and improve life satisfaction.

As the authors of the study suggest, keeping a gratitude list is a relatively easy, affordable, simple, and pleasant way to boost your mood. Try setting aside a few minutes each night to write down or think about things in your life that you are grateful for.

Find a Sense of Purpose

Research has found that people who feel like they have a purpose have better well-being and feel more fulfilled.   A sense of purpose involves seeing your life as having goals, direction, and meaning. It may help improve happiness by promoting healthier behaviors. 

Some things you can do to help find a sense of purpose include:

• Explore your interests and passions
• Engage in prosocial and altruistic causes
• Work to address injustices
• Look for new things you might want to learn more about

This sense of purpose is influenced by a variety of factors, but it is also something that you can cultivate. It involves finding a goal that you care deeply about that will lead you to engage in productive, positive actions in order to work toward that goal.

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Challenges of Finding Happiness

While seeking happiness is important, there are times when the pursuit of life satisfaction falls short. Some challenges to watch for include:

Valuing the Wrong Things

Money may not be able to buy happiness, but there is research that spending money on things like experiences can make you happier than spending it on material possessions. 

One study, for example, found that spending money on things that buy time—such as spending money on time-saving services—can increase happiness and life satisfaction.  

Rather than overvaluing things such as money, status, or material possessions, pursuing goals that result in more free time or enjoyable experiences may have a higher happiness reward.

Not Seeking Social Support

Social support means having friends and loved ones that you can turn to for support. Research has found that perceived social support plays an important role in subjective well-being. For example, one study found that perceptions of social support were responsible for 43% of a person's level of happiness.  

It is important to remember that when it comes to social support, quality is more important than quantity. Having just a few very close and trusted friends will have a greater impact on your overall happiness than having many casual acquaintances.

Thinking of Happiness as an Endpoint

Happiness isn’t a goal that you can simply reach and be done with. It is a constant pursuit that requires continual nurturing and sustenance.

One study found that people who tend to value happiness most also tended to feel the least satisfied with their lives.   Essentially, happiness becomes such a lofty goal that it becomes virtually unattainable. 

“Valuing happiness could be self-defeating because the more people value happiness, the more likely they will feel disappointed,” suggest the authors of the study.

Perhaps the lesson is to not make something as broadly defined as “happiness” your goal. Instead, focus on building and cultivating the sort of life and relationships that bring fulfillment and satisfaction to your life. 

It is also important to consider how you personally define happiness. Happiness is a broad term that means different things to different people. Rather than looking at happiness as an endpoint, it can be more helpful to think about what happiness really means to you and then work on small things that will help you become happier. This can make achieving these goals more manageable and less overwhelming.

History of Happiness

Happiness has long been recognized as a critical part of health and well-being. The "pursuit of happiness" is even given as an inalienable right in the U.S. Declaration of Independence. Our understanding of what will bring happiness, however, has shifted over time.

Psychologists have also proposed a number of different theories to explain how people experience and pursue happiness. These theories include:

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

The hierarchy of needs suggests that people are motivated to pursue increasingly complex needs. Once more basic needs are fulfilled, people are then motivated by more psychological and emotional needs.

At the peak of the hierarchy is the need for self-actualization, or the need to achieve one's full potential. The theory also stresses the importance of peak experiences or transcendent moments in which a person feels deep understanding, happiness, and joy. 

Positive Psychology

The pursuit of happiness is central to the field of positive psychology . Psychologists who study positive psychology are interested in learning ways to increase positivity and helping people live happier, more satisfying lives. 

Rather than focusing on mental pathologies, the field instead strives to find ways to help people, communities, and societies improve positive emotions and achieve greater happiness.

Finley K, Axner M, Vrooman K, Tse D. Ideal levels of prosocial involvement in relation to momentary affect and eudaimonia: Exploring the golden mean . Innov Aging . 2020;4(Suppl 1):614. doi:10.1093/geroni/igaa057.2083

Kringelbach ML, Berridge KC. The neuroscience of happiness and pleasure .  Soc Res (New York) . 2010;77(2):659-678.

Panel on Measuring Subjective Well-Being in a Policy-Relevant Framework; Committee on National Statistics; Division on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education; National Research Council; Stone AA, Mackie C, editors. Subjective Well-Being: Measuring Happiness, Suffering, and Other Dimensions of Experience [Internet]. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US).

Lee MA, Kawachi I. The keys to happiness: Associations between personal values regarding core life domains and happiness in South Korea . PLoS One . 2019;14(1):e0209821. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0209821

Hsee CK, Zhang J, Cai CF, Zhang S. Overearning . Psychol Sci . 2013;24(6):852-9

Carstensen LL, Turan B, Scheibe S, et al. Emotional experience improves with age: evidence based on over 10 years of experience sampling . Psychol Aging . 2011;26(1):21‐33. doi:10.1037/a0021285

Steptoe A, Wardle J. Positive affect and biological function in everyday life . Neurobiol Aging . 2005;26 Suppl 1:108‐112. doi:10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2005.08.016

Sapranaviciute-Zabazlajeva L, Luksiene D, Virviciute D, Bobak M, Tamosiunas A. L ink between healthy lifestyle and psychological well-being in Lithuanian adults aged 45-72: a cross-sectional study . BMJ Open . 2017;7(4):e014240. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2016-014240

Costanzo ES, Lutgendorf SK, Kohut ML, et al. Mood and cytokine response to influenza virus in older adults . J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci . 2004;59(12):1328‐1333. doi:10.1093/gerona/59.12.1328

Lyubomirsky S, Sheldon KM, Schkade D. Pursuing happiness: The architecture of sustainable change . Review of General Psychology. 2005;9 (2):111–131. doi:0.1037/1089-2680.9.2.111

The Harvard Gazette. Good genes are nice, but joy is better .

Zhang Z, Chen W. A systematic review of the relationship between physical activity and happiness . J Happiness Stud 20, 1305–1322 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-018-9976-0

Cunha LF, Pellanda LC, Reppold CT. Positive psychology and gratitude interventions: a randomized clinical trial . Front Psychol . 2019;10:584. Published 2019 Mar 21. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00584

Ryff CD. Psychological well-being revisited: advances in the science and practice of eudaimonia . Psychother Psychosom . 2014;83(1):10‐28. doi:10.1159/000353263

Whillans AV, Dunn EW, Smeets P, Bekkers R, Norton MI. Buying time promotes happiness .  Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A . 2017;114(32):8523‐8527. doi:10.1073/pnas.1706541114

Gulacti F. The effect of perceived social support on subjective well-being . Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences . 2010;2(2):3844-3849. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.03.602

Mauss IB, Tamir M, Anderson CL, Savino NS. Can seeking happiness make people unhappy? [corrected] Paradoxical effects of valuing happiness [published correction appears in Emotion. 2011 Aug;11(4):767]. Emotion . 2011;11(4):807‐815. doi:10.1037/a0022010

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

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What are the secrets to a happy life, in following 268 men for their entire lives, the harvard grant study has discovered why some of them turned out happier than others..

At 19 years old, Godfrey Minot Camille was a tall redheaded boy with a charming manner who planned to enter medicine or the ministry. In 1938, Camille enrolled in a study that would follow him for the rest of his life, along with 267 other Harvard College sophomores deemed by recruiters as likely to lead “successful” lives.

Only gradually did the study’s staff discover that the allegedly “normal” Godfrey was an intractable and unhappy hypochondriac. On the 10th anniversary of his joining the study, each man was given an A through E rating anticipating future personality stability. When it was Godfrey’s turn, he was assigned an “E.”

But if Godfrey Camille was a disaster as a young man, by the time he was an old one he had become a star. His occupational success; measurable enjoyment of work, love, and play; his health; the depth and breadth of his social supports; the quality of his marriage and relationship to his children—all that and more combined to make him one of the most successful of the surviving men of the study. What made the difference? How did this sorry lad develop such an abundant capacity for flourishing?

These are the kinds of questions that can only be answered by a study that follows participants over the course of a lifetime, and the study in which Camille participated—known as the Grant Study , because it was originally funded by entrepreneur and philanthropist William T. Grant—is now the longest longitudinal study of biosocial human development ever undertaken, and is still on-going. Through reviews of Camille’s and his Harvard peers’ medical records, coupled with periodic interviews and questionnaires exploring their careers, relationships, and mental well-being, the study’s goal was to identify the key factors to a happy and healthy life.

I arrived at the Grant Study in 1966. I became its director in 1972, a position I held until 2004. The single most personally rewarding facet of my involvement with the Grant Study has been the chance to interview these men over four decades. I’ve found that no single interview, no single questionnaire is ever adequate to reveal the complete man, but the mosaic of interviews produced over many years can be most revealing.

This was certainly the case with Camille, whose life illuminates two of the most important lessons from the 75-year, 20-million-dollar Grant Study. One is that happiness is love. Virgil, of course, needed only three words to say the same thing, and he said it a very long time ago— Omnia vincit amor , or “love conquers all”—but unfortunately he had no data to back them up. The other lesson is people really can change. As we see in the example of this man’s life, they really can grow.

Up from a bleak childhood

Camille’s parents were upper class, but they were also socially isolated and pathologically suspicious. A child psychiatrist who reviewed Camille’s record 30 years later thought his childhood one of the bleakest in the Study.

Unloved and not yet grown into a sense of autonomy, Camille as a student adopted the unconscious survival strategy of frequent reports to the college infirmary. No evidence of tangible illness was found at most of his visits, and in his junior year a usually sympathetic college physician dismissed him with the disgusted comment, “This boy is turning into a regular psychoneurotic.” Camille’s constant complaining was an immature coping style. It didn’t connect with other people, and it kept them from connecting with him; they didn’t see his real underlying suffering and just got angry at his apparent manipulations.

After graduation from medical school, the newly minted Dr. Camille attempted suicide. The Study consensus at the time of his 10-year personality assessment was that he was “not fitted for the practice of medicine,” and, unloved as he was, he found taking care of other people’s needs overwhelming. But several sessions with a psychiatrist gave him a different view of himself. He wrote to the Study, “My hypochondriasis has been mainly dissipated. It was an apology, a self-inflicted punishment for aggressive impulses.”

Then, at age 35, he had a life-changing experience. He was hospitalized for 14 months in a veterans’ hospital with pulmonary tuberculosis. Ten years later he recalled his first thought on being admitted: “It’s neat; I can go to bed for a year, do what I want, and get away with it.”

“I was glad to be sick,” he confessed. His illness, a real one, finally ended up giving him the emotional security that his childhood—along with his hypochondriacal symptoms and subsequent careful neutrality—never had. Camille felt his time in the hospital almost like a religious rebirth. “Someone with a capital ‘S’ cared about me,” he wrote. “Nothing has been so tough since that year in the sack.”

Released from the hospital, Dr. Camille became an independent physician, married, and grew into a responsible father and clinic leader. His coping style changed as the decades passed. His transitional reliance on displacement (the unconscious avoidance of emotional intensity) was replaced by the still more empathic involuntary coping mechanisms of altruism and generativity (a wish to nurture others’ development). He was now functioning as a giving adult. Whereas at 30 he had hated his dependent patients, by 40 his adolescent fantasy of caring for others had become a reality. In vivid contrast with his post-graduation panic, he now reported that what he liked most about medicine was that “I had problems and went to others, and now I enjoy people coming to me.”

When I was 55 and Camille was almost 70, I asked him what he had learned from his children. “You know what I learned from my children?” he blurted out, tears in his eyes. “I learned love!” Many years later, having seized a serendipitous opportunity to interview his daughter, I believed him. I have interviewed many Grant Study children, but this woman’s love for her father remains the most stunning that I have encountered among them.

At age 75, Camille took the opportunity to describe in greater detail how love had healed him:

Before there were dysfunctional families, I came from one. My professional life hasn’t been disappointing—far from it—but the truly gratifying unfolding has been into the person I’ve slowly become: comfortable, joyful, connected, and effective. Since it wasn’t widely available then, I hadn’t read that children’s classic, The Velveteen Rabbit , which tells how connectedness is something we must let happen to us, and then we become solid and whole. As that tale recounts tenderly, only love can make us real. Denied this in boyhood for reasons I now understand, it took me years to tap substitute sources. What seems marvelous is how many there are and how restorative they prove. What durable and pliable creatures we are, and what a storehouse of goodwill lurks in the social fabric. . . I never dreamed my later years would be so stimulating and rewarding.

That convalescent year, transformative though it was, was not the end of Camille’s story. Once he grasped what had happened, he seized the ball and ran with it, straight into a developmental explosion that went on for 30 years. A professional awakening and a spiritual one; a wife and two children of his own; two psychoanalyses, a return to the church of his early years—all these allowed him to build for himself the loving surround that he had so missed as a child, and to give to others out of its riches.

At 82, Godfrey Minot Camille had a fatal heart attack while mountain climbing in the Alps, which he dearly loved. His church was packed for the memorial service. “There was a deep and holy authenticity about the man,” said the Bishop in his eulogy. His son said, “He lived a very simple life, but it was very rich in relationships.” Yet prior to age 30, Camille’s life had been essentially barren of relationship. Folks change. But they stay the same, too. Camille had spent his years before the hospital looking for love, too. It just took him a while to learn how to do it well.

How to flourish

In 2009, I delved into the Grant Study data to establish a Decathlon of Flourishing—a set of ten accomplishments that covered many different facets of success. Two of the items in the Decathlon had to do with economic success, four with mental and physical health, and four with social supports and relationships. Then I set out to see how these accomplishments correlated, or didn’t, with three gifts of nature and nurture—physical constitution, social and economic advantage, and a loving childhood.

The results were as clear-cut as they were startling.

We found that measures of family socioeconomic status had no significant correlation at all with later success in any of these areas. Alcoholism and depression in family histories proved irrelevant to flourishing at 80, as did longevity. The sociability and extraversion that were so highly valued in the initial process of selecting the men did not correlate with later flourishing either. In contrast with the weak and scattershot correlations among the biological and socioeconomic variables, a loving childhood—and other factors like empathic capacity and warm relationships as a young adult—predicted later success in all ten categories of the Decathlon . What’s more, success in relationships was very highly correlated with both economic success and strong mental and physical health, the other two broad areas of the Decathlon.

In short, it was a history of warm intimate relationships—and the ability to foster them in maturity—that predicted flourishing in all aspects of these men’s lives.

We found, for instance, that there was no significant difference between the maximum earned incomes of the men with IQs of 110–115 and the incomes of the men with IQs of 150-plus. On the other hand, men with warm mothers took home $87,000 more than those men whose mothers were uncaring. The men who had good sibling relationships when young were making an average of $51,000 more a year than the men who had poor relationships with their siblings. The 58 men with the best scores for warm relationships made an average of $243,000 a year; in contrast, the 31 men with the worst scores for relationships earned an average maximum salary of $102,000 a year.

So when it comes to late-life success—even when success is measured strictly in financial terms—the Grant Study finds that nurture trumps nature. And by far the most important influence on a flourishing life is love. Not early love exclusively, and not necessarily romantic love. But love early in life facilitates not only love later on, but also the other trappings of success, such as high income and prestige. It also encourages the development of coping styles that facilitate intimacy, as opposed to the ones that discourage it. The majority of the men who flourished found love before 30, and the data suggests that was why they flourished.

We can’t choose our childhoods, but the story of Godfrey Minot Camille reveals that bleak ones do not doom us. If you follow lives long enough, people adapt and they change, and so do the factors that affect healthy adjustment. Our journeys through this world are filled with discontinuities. Nobody in the Study was doomed at the outset, but nobody had it made, either. Inheriting the genes for alcoholism can turn the most otherwise blessed golden boy into a skid row bum. Conversely, an encounter with a very dangerous disease liberated the pitiful young Dr. Camille from a life of loneliness and dependency. Who could have foreseen, when he was 29 and the Study staff ranked him in the bottom three percent of the cohort in personality stability, that he would die a happy, giving, and beloved man?

Only those who understand that happiness is only the cart; love is the horse. And perhaps those who recognize that our so-called defense mechanisms, our involuntary ways of coping with life, are very important indeed. Before age 30, Camille depended on narcissistic hypochondriasis to cope with his life and his feelings; after 50 he used empathic altruism and a pragmatic stoicism about taking what comes. The two pillars of happiness revealed by the 75-year-old Grant Study—and exemplified by Dr. Godfrey Minot Camille—are love and a mature coping style that does not push love away.

Above all, the Study reveals how men like Dr. Camille adapted themselves to life and adapted their lives to themselves—a process of maturation that unfolds over time. Indeed, I have always regarded the Grant Study as an instrument that permitted the study of time, much as the telescope uncovered the mysteries of the galaxies and the microscope enabled the study of microbes.

For researchers, prolonged follow-up can be a rock upon which fine theories founder, but it also can be a means of discovering robust and enduring truth. At the outset of the Study in 1939, it was thought that men with masculine body types—broad shoulders and a slender waist—would succeed the most in life. That turned out to be one of many theories demolished by the Study as it has followed the lives of these men. To benefit from the lessons both of the Grant Study and of life requires persistence and humility, for maturation makes liars of us all.

About the Author

George e. vaillant.

George E. Vaillant, M.D., is a psychoanalyst and a research psychiatrist, one of the pioneers in the study of adult development. He is a professor at Harvard University and directed Harvard's Study of Adult Development for thirty-five years. His 1977 book, Adaptation to Life , is a classic text in the study of adult development. He is also the author of Aging Well , The Natural History of Alcoholism , and Triumphs of Experience , from which this essay is adapted.

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How to Live A Happy Life

Last Updated: October 26, 2023 Approved

This article was co-authored by Trudi Griffin, LPC, MS . Trudi Griffin is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Wisconsin specializing in Addictions and Mental Health. She provides therapy to people who struggle with addictions, mental health, and trauma in community health settings and private practice. She received her MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Marquette University in 2011. There are 31 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article has 12 testimonials from our readers, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 517,257 times.

Everyone wants to be happy in life. While individuals may define success or measure happiness differently, there are some basic qualities of a happy life that seem to be universal. Studies have shown that no matter where you begin in life, how you consciously live through your adult years will determine your overall lifelong happiness more than your financial situation, or even your happiness at an earlier age. [1] X Research source Learning how to live better and feel more positive about the world around you can help you live a happy and meaningful life.

Living a Healthier Life

• Filtering - this behavioral problem involves ignoring or "filtering out" all the positive aspects of your life or a given situation, and instead focusing on only the negative aspects. An example might be overlooking everything you accomplished at work and instead focusing on the one problem you were unable to successfully resolve.
• Personalizing - this entails blaming yourself for everything that happens. It can also involve interpreting any situational criticism as something that you are or should be blamed for. An example of this might involve hearing that your friends can't make it to a party and assuming that they canceled their plans to avoid seeing you.
• Catastrophizing - this means automatically preparing for or expecting the worst possible scenario. An example of this might be assuming that the rest of your day will go wrong because of one minor setback early in your day.
• Polarizing - this involves seeing things, people, and situations as always good or always bad. An example might be assuming that because you had an off day at work, you are automatically a bad employee.

• identify the things you think negatively about, and recognize why
• evaluate your thoughts and feelings throughout the day
• seek humor in everyday situations and allow yourself to smile or laugh even when you're upset
• live a healthy lifestyle
• spend time with positive people (and avoid negative people as much as possible)
• be gentle with yourself - a good rule for yourself is to avoid thinking things about yourself that you would not say to another person [5] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals Go to source
• try to find the positive aspects of negative situations
• envision a more positive future for yourself and determine what you'll need to do to make that vision a reality [6] X Research source

• Focus on your breathing. Become aware of the physical sensation of each breath passing through your nostrils, the rising and falling of your abdomen, and the feeling of your legs and feet on the chair or floor.
• Meditate . Activities that promote meditation, including an extended peaceful prayer , yoga , Tai Chi , or spiritual reflection, actually change an area of your brain called the insula, which is involved in your experience of empathy/understanding others. Developing your empathy muscles (helping others) will help you lead a happier life. [8] X Trustworthy Source Greater Good Magazine Journal published by UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center, which uses scientific research to promote happier living Go to source
• Try to engage your senses in everything you do. When you eat, look at your food for a moment and smell it. You may want to consider feeling it with your hands to experience the tactile sensation of your food. Try to anticipate what it will taste like, and chew slowly to savor the experience. [9] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals Go to source

• Most adults need 1.5 to 2 cups of fresh fruit or 100% fruit juice every day. [10] X Trustworthy Source USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion U.S. agency responsible for promoting good nutrition based on scientific research Go to source
• Adults should eat between 2.5 and 3 cups of fresh vegetables every day. [11] X Trustworthy Source USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion U.S. agency responsible for promoting good nutrition based on scientific research Go to source
• Choose whole grains instead of refined grains. Adults should eat six to eight ounces of whole grains every day, depending on their age, gender, and activity level. [12] X Trustworthy Source USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion U.S. agency responsible for promoting good nutrition based on scientific research Go to source
• Eat a variety of protein foods every day. Adults typically need between 5 and 6.5 ounces of lean protein, including seafood, poultry/eggs, tofu, beans, nuts, and seeds. [13] X Trustworthy Source USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion U.S. agency responsible for promoting good nutrition based on scientific research Go to source
• Choose low-fat or fat-free dairy products, including milk, yogurt, cheese, or soymilk. Adults typically need three cups of dairy every day. [14] X Trustworthy Source USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion U.S. agency responsible for promoting good nutrition based on scientific research Go to source
• Drink enough water each day. General guidelines for living in a temperate climate suggest that men should drink three liters of water each day, and women should drink 2.2 liters. If you live in a hot environment, however, or if you live a very active lifestyle (especially if you exercise regularly), you should increase your water intake to account for the water lost in sweat. [15] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals Go to source

• Practice deep breathing by breathing in and out from your diaphragm (below the ribcage), instead of taking shallow breaths from your chest. Try to develop a pattern of deep breathing, like counting to five on a slow inhalation, holding your breath for five seconds, and exhaling slowly for five seconds. [17] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals Go to source
• Practice meditation by sitting in a comfortable position away from anything that might distract you. Use deep breathing and try to focus only on your breath, letting go of any thoughts that pass through your mind without judging them or engaging with them. [18] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals Go to source
• Use visualization to calm your mind and put yourself in a better mood. Combine deep breathing with an imagined image of something calming, such as a relaxing place or situation. [19] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals Go to source

• Exercise regularly. Experts recommend getting at least 150 minutes each week of moderate aerobic activity, or at least 75 minutes per week of strenuous aerobic activity. Try to incorporate strength-training exercises (like lifting weights or using weight resistance) at least twice each week for a well-rounded workout. [20] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals Go to source
• Avoid smoking, and quit if you are currently a smoker . [21] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals Go to source You can use smoking cessation products like nicotine gum or patches, and you may find it helpful to attend a support group or recruit the help of your friends/family. [22] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals Go to source
• Practice safe sex by always using condoms and engaging in monogamous, exclusive relationships. [23] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals Go to source

Finding Purpose in Your Life

• friendship/connections with others
• generosity/service to others

• Figure out what you're passionate about doing. You might begin this by examining what your values are. Do you value compassion and generosity? Perhaps a career helping other people might be personally fulfilling for you.
• Push yourself out of your comfort zone. Just because you are getting by at your job, it does not mean that you derive any real satisfaction or fulfillment from it. Try finding ways to pursue your passion through volunteer work, and if you like it, see if there is any way you can transition into doing that work professionally on a full-time basis.
• Having a fulfilling career will most likely give you a greater sense of purpose and fulfillment than having a lot of money would. You need to be financially secure, of course, but it's more important to live with a sense of purpose than to acquire meaningless wealth.

• Practice self-reflection every day. Learn to control and take responsibility for your thoughts, words, and actions.
• Find ways to increase your compassion for others. Work to help others in need, no matter what their circumstances might be.
• Try to maintain hope and a positive attitude, even during stressful or tragic situations. [26] X Research source
• Engage with nature. The natural world can be tremendously calming, and many people find that being in nature gives them a sense of spiritual happiness. Try going for walks in the woods, and contemplating the landscape whenever you are outdoors. You can also bring nature to you by planting a garden or growing flowering plants in your home or yard. [27] X Research source

• Find groups that share a cause you're passionate about.
• Try volunteering with like-minded people for some kind of shared cause.
• Join ( or start ) a book club. You'll get to interact with people who share your interests while also bonding over works of art. [29] X Research source

Dealing with Challenges in Life

• Don't avoid dealing with your problems. Address them as they arise, and recognize that a given problem needs your attention.
• Think about the times you've faced your problems in the past. You no doubt walked away with a greater sense of purpose and a stronger sense of confidence. Remember this as you approach new and bigger problems, and take comfort in this fact.

• Remember that without hard times, you would not have as much appreciation for the good times.
• Accepting your life the way it is right now is the only way you can truly appreciate everything you have. Be grateful for the people in your life, no matter how difficult your life's circumstances may be at the moment.
• Recognize that everyone has similar struggles in some form or another. No life is without difficulty, but it is through perseverance and mindfulness that life becomes joyous and meaningful.

• It will not be easy to see your problems as an opportunity for growth, but with mindfulness and a lot of practice, you'll quickly see that you do actually grow and develop from living through your challenges.
• Recognize and always remember that life is full of meaning. Just because you are going through a hard time (like being unemployed or losing a loved one), or even suffering physical/medical ailments (like chronic illness or the loss of a limb), it does not mean that your life is without meaning.
• Try to use the problems in your life to motivate you. Perhaps living with a medical condition might give you the opportunity to join others in raising awareness of that condition, or even working towards finding a cure.
• Know that even if a given problem doesn't work out favorably, you'll still have grown as a person and developed more confidence as a result of facing your problems and trying to learn from them.

Being a More Loving Person

• Write a letter to someone you appreciate (a parent, a friend, your romantic partner, etc.) and let that person know why you appreciate them. Thank that person for everything they've done for you, and let them know that you value their friendship.
• Keep a journal of things you're grateful for. You can write about the big things in life, of course, but carry your journal around every day and write about the little things, too. Perhaps a hot latte prepared perfectly at your favorite cafe was what you needed to feel better on a gray, rainy day. Often it's the little things that can have a tremendous impact on your day-to-day life.
• Take time to dwell on pleasant places and things you encounter. Allow yourself to stop what you're doing and watch the sunset, or slow down your walk through the park to enjoy the colors of the leaves around you.
• Share good news and joyous occasions with others in your life. Studies have shown that sharing good news with someone you care about can actually increase your joy, and it allows your friend to engage with you in your moment of happiness.

• Keep in mind that criticism can be constructive or non-constructive. For example, if after giving a presentation someone tells you that you made a bunch of mistakes and that it was really boring, then this is not constructive. This statement is mean and it does not offer an opportunity for you to improve your next presentation.
• However, if a classmate tells you that she really liked your presentation, but sometimes had a hard time following along because you were talking kind of fast, then this is constructive feedback. You received a compliment and can use this information to improve on your next presentation.
• If you receive feedback that upsets you, try to take some time for yourself before you do or say anything about it. Take a walk, call up a friend, or do something else to distract yourself. Wait until you are feeling less emotional to think about ways that you can use the feedback to improve yourself. [34] X Research source

• We all make mistakes, and we often learn from those mistakes. That's what makes someone a stronger, more caring individual.
• Forgiving others doesn't mean you have to necessarily forget others' wrongdoings. It also doesn't mean you should make yourself a doormat that other people walk all over. It simply means recognizing that someone (including yourself) made a mistake, hoping that something was learned from that mistake, and letting go of anger and resentment.
• It's often easy to forgive others for their mistakes, but hard to forgive yourself. Don't hold yourself to an unfair standard that you wouldn't hold others to. Accept yourself as someone who is trying his or her best, and try to learn any lessons you can from your mistakes.

• See yourself in others, and try to see others in yourself. Your experiences are ultimately not so different from other's experiences, and everyone desires happiness, health, and affection.
• Offer genuine warmth, humor, and friendliness to everyone around you.
• Try smiling at others. It may be the little boost that someone needed to get through a difficult moment.
• Everyone has hurdles to overcome. We're learning through life every day, so it's natural that everyone will occasionally make mistakes.
• Practice genuine gratitude to others. This extends beyond being grateful when someone does something nice to you. Learn to appreciate the patience, love, and efforts of everyone in your life, including those who work with you or for you. [36] X Research source

Expert Q&A

• Living a happy life may not come easily for you. It may take a lot of work and awareness on your part. Ultimately, though, it will all be worth it. Thanks Helpful 17 Not Helpful 3
• Be thankful for and grateful towards everyone in your life. Take stock of the good things and the kind people in your life, and always remember that life can be wonderful if you have the right attitude and the right support. Thanks Helpful 15 Not Helpful 4
• Practice working towards a happier life every day. Over time it will become a habit, and it will start to come more easily. Thanks Helpful 10 Not Helpful 2

You Might Also Like

• ↑ http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2012/02/decoding-keys-to-a-healthy-life/
• ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/positive-thinking/art-20043950
• ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/positive-thinking/art-20043950?pg=2
• ↑ http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/stay-positive
• ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/in-depth/mindfulness-exercises/art-20046356
• ↑ http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/the_neuroscience_of_happiness
• ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/in-depth/mindfulness-exercises/art-20046356?pg=2
• ↑ http://www.choosemyplate.gov/fruit
• ↑ http://www.choosemyplate.gov/vegetables
• ↑ http://www.choosemyplate.gov/grains
• ↑ http://www.choosemyplate.gov/protein-foods
• ↑ http://www.choosemyplate.gov/dairy
• ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256
• ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/basics/relaxation-techniques/hlv-20049495
• ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/stress-management/basics/definition/prc-20021046
• ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/meditation/basics/definition/prc-20013692
• ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/basics/fitness-basics/hlv-20049447
• ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/quit-smoking/basics/quitsmoking-basics/hlv-20049487
• ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/quit-smoking/basics/quitsmoking-action-plan/hlv-20049487
• ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/sexual-health/basics/std-prevention/hlv-20049432
• ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/mind-over-money/201309/living-purpose
• ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/turning-point/201404/how-live-purposeful-and-fulfilling-life
• ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/spiritual-wisdom-secular-times/201107/advancing-the-spiritual-path-1-spiritual-skills
• ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/spiritual-wisdom-secular-times/201108/advancing-the-spiritual-path-3-secular-spiritual
• ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-introverts-corner/201502/why-even-introverts-need-community
• ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/your-personal-renaissance/201502/where-is-your-community
• ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/headshrinkers-guide-the-galaxy/201412/7-strategies-face-lifes-challenges
• ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/meaning-making/201405/overcoming-lifes-difficult-moments
• ↑ https://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/-/media/CCI/Consumer-Modules/Assert-Yourself/Assert-Yourself---07----Dealing-With-Criticism-Assertively.pdf
• ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/turning-straw-gold/201601/how-live-compassionately-forgive-yourself-forgive-others
• ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/lifetime-connections/201507/4-keys-happiness

About This Article

Living a happy life starts with basic self-care. Try to eat a healthy, balanced diet, get plenty of sleep, and exercise a little bit each day so that you feel your best. Make time for fun and relaxing activities, like spending time with friends and doing hobbies you enjoy. When you feel overwhelmed, do stress-relieving activities like meditation, yoga, or deep breathing exercises. Your mental attitude can make a big difference in how happy you feel, so watch out for negative self-talk. Next time you get down on yourself, gently replace the negative thought with a more positive or realistic one. Set realistic goals for yourself and work toward them a little bit every day, since this can help give you a sense of purpose. Remember to celebrate your successes, even the little ones. For more advice from our co-author, including how to deal with challenges in life, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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A HAPPY LIFE - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

A HAPPY LIFE

1 peter 3:8-12 what is happiness world s definition: fame, fortune, glory; self-fulfillment and self-satisfaction must not confuse the pleasures of sin with real ... – powerpoint ppt presentation.

• 1 Peter 38-12
• Worlds definition
• Fame, fortune, glory self-fulfillment and self-satisfaction
• Must not confuse the pleasures of sin with real happiness
• Sin destroys happiness, Prov. 1315
• Gods definition, 1 Pet. 310-12 (Matt. 53-12)
• God wants our happiness As He defines it, Eccl. 312-13 97-9
• State of mind attitude of heart (Prov. 237)
• More than emotion decision of the mind
• Christians happiness
• Right thinking about life
• Forgiveness of sins
• Trust the promises of God
• -Jno. 141, 27 1622, 33 2 Cor. 610-
• Build a happy life by building faith in God
• Set your hope on God, Heb. 135-6
• Learn happiness by trusting God, Phil. 410-13
• Count your blessings, Eph. 13 (Phil. 44)
• Pleasure, Eccl. 21-2
• Sorrow in laughter, Prov. 1413
• Pleasure is passing, Heb. 1125 Lk. 1219
• Can distort ones view of life and death, Eccl. 72-4
• Possessions, Eccl. 24-11 (Lk. 1215-21)
• Tends to isolate, 47-8
• No satisfactionmore anxiety, Eccl. 510-12 1 Tim. 610
• Great possessions, yet great sorrow, Matt. 1921-22
• Wisdom, Eccl. 212-17
• Trusting our own wisdom is foolish, 1 Cor. 318
• Death still comes, 214
• Divine wisdom needed, 816-17 1 Cor. 121
• Labor, Eccl. 218-23 (24)
• Whose shall it be? 218-19 (Lk. 1220)
• Elements of despair, 220 513-17
• Good, but not for ultimate happiness, 1 Ths. 411-12
• Success, Eccl. 44-6
• Often envied, 44
• While working to succeed we must learn to be content with what our labor provides, 1 Tim. 66-8
• Fulfilling desire, Eccl. 67-9
• Never satisfied when desire rules
• Our desires must be godly controlled by contented faith, Phil. 411-13
• Fear obey God, Eccl. 1213 (Psa. 1281-2)
• Address sin in Gods way, Acts 241-42 1627, 34
• Seek first the things of God, Matt. 633 (1 Pet. 310-12)
• Pray often, 1 Jno. 514 (Phil. 44-7)
• Count your blessings, 1 Tim. 67-8
• Patient faith, Isa. 4027-31 (1 Pet. 57 Heb. 135-6)

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How to Make a “Good” Presentation “Great”

• Guy Kawasaki

Remember: Less is more.

A strong presentation is so much more than information pasted onto a series of slides with fancy backgrounds. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others. Here are some unique elements that make a presentation stand out.

• Fonts: Sans Serif fonts such as Helvetica or Arial are preferred for their clean lines, which make them easy to digest at various sizes and distances. Limit the number of font styles to two: one for headings and another for body text, to avoid visual confusion or distractions.
• Colors: Colors can evoke emotions and highlight critical points, but their overuse can lead to a cluttered and confusing presentation. A limited palette of two to three main colors, complemented by a simple background, can help you draw attention to key elements without overwhelming the audience.
• Pictures: Pictures can communicate complex ideas quickly and memorably but choosing the right images is key. Images or pictures should be big (perhaps 20-25% of the page), bold, and have a clear purpose that complements the slide’s text.
• Layout: Don’t overcrowd your slides with too much information. When in doubt, adhere to the principle of simplicity, and aim for a clean and uncluttered layout with plenty of white space around text and images. Think phrases and bullets, not sentences.

As an intern or early career professional, chances are that you’ll be tasked with making or giving a presentation in the near future. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others.

• Guy Kawasaki is the chief evangelist at Canva and was the former chief evangelist at Apple. Guy is the author of 16 books including Think Remarkable : 9 Paths to Transform Your Life and Make a Difference.

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A 111-year-old is now the world's oldest living man. Here are his 3 tips for living a long, happy life.

• John Tinniswood has recently become the world's oldest man at 111.
• Tinniswood shared some life advice for younger people.
• It includes having a broad outlook, doing everything in moderation, and always trying your best.

In the UK in 1912, the Suffragettes were vandalizing post boxes to win the right to vote and the Titanic was registered in the port city of Liverpool before its maiden, and only, voyage. Also registered in Liverpool in 1912 was the birth of John Tinniswood, who has just become the world's oldest man.

Tinniswood, who lives in Southport, UK, was born on August 26, 1912, making him 111 years and 226 days old. Guinness World Records declared him the world's oldest man earlier this month, after the titleholder, Juan Vicente Pérez of Venezuela, died at the age of 114 and 311 days.

Tinniswood is also the world's oldest surviving male World War II veteran . He served in an admin role for the British Army Pay Corps, which involved logistical work like organizing food supplies and locating stranded soldiers. He then worked in admin and accountancy for the Royal Mail, the UK's postal service, as well as Shell and BP before he retired in 1972.

Tinniswood was married to his wife, Blodwen, who died in 1986, for 44 years. The couple had four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

The staff at his residential home describe Tinniswood as a "big chatterbox," per Guinness World Records. Even at 111 years old , he is mobile and independent, managing his own finances and getting out of bed unassisted.

Tinniswood is unphased by his new title, telling Guinness World Records it "doesn't make any difference to me at all. I accept it for what it is."

Tinniswood has 3 pieces of life advice for younger people

Tinniswood's biggest piece of advice for people wanting to live as long as him is to do everything in moderation .

Related stories

"If you drink too much, or you eat too much, or you walk too much, if you do too much of anything, you're going to suffer eventually," he said. "Never over-tax your system" if you want a healthy life, he told BBC News.

He doesn't follow a specific diet , telling Guinness World Records, "I eat what they give me, and so does everybody else" — apart from fish and chips, the British classic, for dinner every Friday.

He doesn't smoke and rarely drinks alcohol, two habits that are great for longevity.

In 2022, he told BBC News that it's also important to "broaden your vision."

"Don't stay with one thing all the time or you'll be on a narrow path," he said.

But no matter what you're doing, "always do the best you can, whether you're learning something or whether you're teaching someone," he told Guinness World Records. "Give it all you've got. Otherwise, it's not worth bothering with."

This echoes research linking a positive mindset and a sense of purpose to longevity .

Ultimately, though, Tinniswood thinks he mostly reached his old age out of "pure luck."

"You either live long or you live short, and you can't do much about it," he said.

Business Insider previously reported on Elizabeth Francis — the oldest person in the US — and her longevity tips .

• Main content

A HAPPY LIFE

Jul 16, 2014

190 likes | 526 Views

A HAPPY LIFE. 1 Peter 3:8-12. What is happiness?. World’s definition: Fame, fortune, glory; self-fulfillment and self-satisfaction Must not confuse the pleasures of sin with real happiness Sin destroys happiness, Prov. 13:15 God’s definition, 1 Pet. 3:10-12 (Matt. 5:3-12)

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Presentation Transcript

A HAPPY LIFE 1 Peter 3:8-12

What is happiness? • World’s definition: • Fame, fortune, glory; self-fulfillment and self-satisfaction • Must not confuse the pleasures of sin with real happiness • Sin destroys happiness,Prov. 13:15 • God’s definition, 1 Pet. 3:10-12 (Matt. 5:3-12) • God wants our happiness – As He defines it, Eccl. 3:12-13; 9:7-9

What is happiness? • State of mind; attitude of heart (Prov. 23:7) • More than emotion; decision of the mind • Christian’s happiness: • Right thinking about life • Forgiveness of sins • Trust the promises of God -Jno. 14:1, 27; 16:22, 33; 2 Cor. 6:10-

What is happiness? • Build a happy life by building faith in God • Set your hope on God, Heb. 13:5-6 • Learn happiness by trusting God, Phil. 4:10-13 • Count your blessings, Eph. 1:3 (Phil. 4:4)

Things of Earth do not Bring Lasting Happiness, Eccl. 1:13; 2:3 • Pleasure, Eccl. 2:1-2 • Sorrow in laughter,Prov. 14:13 • Pleasure is passing, Heb. 11:25; Lk. 12:19 • Can distort one’s view of life and death, Eccl. 7:2-4

Things of Earth do not Bring Lasting Happiness • Possessions, Eccl. 2:4-11 (Lk. 12:15-21) • Tends to isolate,4:7-8 • No satisfaction…more anxiety,Eccl. 5:10-12; 1 Tim. 6:10 • Great possessions, yet great sorrow,Matt. 19:21-22

Things of Earth do not Bring Lasting Happiness • Wisdom, Eccl. 2:12-17 • Trusting our own wisdom is foolish, 1 Cor. 3:18 • Death still comes, 2:14 • Divine wisdom needed, 8:16-17; 1 Cor. 1:21

Things of Earth do not Bring Lasting Happiness • Labor, Eccl. 2:18-23 (24) • Whose shall it be? 2:18-19 (Lk. 12:20) • Elements of despair, 2:20; 5:13-17 • Good, but not for ultimate happiness, 1 Ths. 4:11-12

Things of Earth do not Bring Lasting Happiness • Success, Eccl. 4:4-6 • Often envied, 4:4 • While working to succeed we must learn to be content with what our labor provides, 1 Tim. 6:6-8

Things of Earth do not Bring Lasting Happiness • Fulfilling desire, Eccl. 6:7-9 • Never satisfied when desire rules • Our desires must be godly & controlled by contented faith, Phil. 4:11-13

Things Neededto be Happy in Life • Fear & obey God, Eccl. 12:13 (Psa. 128:1-2) • Address sin in God’s way, Acts 2:41-42; 16:27, 34 • Seek first the things of God, Matt. 6:33 (1 Pet. 3:10-12)

Things Needed to be Happy in Life • Pray often, 1 Jno. 5:14 (Phil. 4:4-7) • Count your blessings,1 Tim. 6:7-8 • Patient faith, Isa. 40:27-31 (1 Pet. 5:7; Heb. 13:5-6)

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Ella Purnell stars as Lucy in Fallout. Prime Video hide caption

Ella Purnell stars as Lucy in Fallout.

The new show Fallout is based on a hugely successful video game series known for its sardonic, very dark comedic sensibility, and its violence. It's set in the game's post-apocalyptic world – an America divided into factions wrestling for control of an irradiated wasteland. When the hopeful Lucy (Ella Purnell) steps out of the comfortable life she's known in an underground vault, the world she's confronted with is harsh, brutal, merciless – and kinda funny.

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