Bhashiki

Happiness Is More Important Than Success

Professor Ram Lakhan Meena, D. Litt Media, PhD Linguistics

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. In other words, Happiness is a state of well-being that encompasses living a good life, one with a sense of meaning and deep contentment.

This article explores that question. What is happiness? How does it impact us, and how can we create an environment to help us foster more of it? You all have to understand that happiness comes from inside & it will only reflect when your soul is happy or when you get what do you want from your life. You might have seen and experienced some people who have everything in their lives but still they are not happy with their selves despite of having success, fame, money, status they couldn’t be able to feel peace and happiness deep inside.

“So stop running towards success; it will down you only. Have courage to find happiness; it will automatically lead you to the success of your dreams.” Have you ever noticed a child who has nothing to share and give but still there’s a smile on his/her face for no reason? Do you know the reason behind it?

Till now so far what i have been experienced from my life and surroundings is that it doesn’t matter what your status is. You will only get happy when you have control over your mind to live happily on all those things which are right their in front of your eyes. Those little little moments that we missed out & keep missing it only to become a successful & have a glamorous life. It actually doesn’t provide you a happy life style. As the key to happiness lies under small things which might have no sense in the glamorous world but it does wonders to our personal life magically and ecstatically.

The reason is simple when a person has nothing to loose anything in his/her life they get to experience the little little happiness in their lives that lies inside their heart. And it only happens when the person is not demanding anything from their lives and enjoy the life the way it is. Neither running towards money; success; fame or status, reason why at this age a person is living their best life that they could ever have.

This is only a single perspective that i’ve shared with you. There are multiple of things and reasons to which a person can feel happiness and can have a happy life only if they stop running towards success or fame. A misconception exists in this world about the root of happiness. You see, most of the world believes the more success you have - dream job, lots of cash, big home, fancy car and lots and lots of “stuff” - the happier you will be. However, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. That formula is backwards, my friend. ⠀

Professor Ram Lakhan Meena says about the psychology of happiness that the happier you are; the more successful you will become. The more you love what you’re doing; the more you will experience the good things in life. For me success is not conquering something; it’s all about being happy with who you are in the most vivid possible way you can. It is already there inside our hearts waiting to recognize & feel it.

Happiness and strong relationships are vital for mental and physical health and key to wellbeing. Over the years, as part of my practical application of psychology, my focus has repeatedly been drawn to understanding and answering the latter. Despite chasing happiness personally and professionally, it seems as difficult to hold on to as running water.

Understanding happiness is equally essential to our clients, colleagues, family, and friends. It shapes the values they adopt, meaning they assign to what they do, and how they live their lives. Research suggests that endlessly pursuing happiness can cause frustration and dissatisfaction. It can mean we spend more time focusing on what we are trying to avoid (or don’t have) rather than on positive emotions such as joy and gratitude that boost our happiness (Ford et al., 2015).

The Neuroscience of Happiness

When reflecting on the question “What is happiness?” we typically account for our emotional states, actions, and who we are with. Yet, we also need to consider our brain’s hardware. Cognitive psychologists recognize the importance of the prefrontal cortex for regulating emotions, the amygdala for managing stress and other emotional responses, and the hippocampus for storing positive memories (Eysenck & Keane, 2015). Neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins, play a key role in pleasure, reward, motivation, and feelings of wellbeing and happiness (Eysenck & Keane, 2015).

The following psychological factors point to what defines and categorizes SWB (Diener et al., 2018; Waldinger & Schulz, 2023; Seligman, 2011; Ryan & Deci, 2018):

1.       Life satisfaction

Positive self-evaluation considers the overall quality of individuals’ lives and how it aligns with their expectations and goals.

2.      Positive emotions

A greater occurrence of positive emotions, such as joy, hope, awe, and gratitude, reflect a positive affective state.

3.       Lower levels of negative emotions

Emotions such as anxiety, fear, stress, and anger don’t need to be absent but less frequent.

4.      Fulfilment of basic and psychological needs

Individuals have their basic needs, such as safety, shelter, and food, met along with psychological ones, including competence, autonomy, and relatedness.

5.       Supportive social relationships

Strong and lasting connections with friends, colleagues, partners, and family offer emotional support and a sense of belonging.

6.      Meaning and purpose

Feeling close to and working toward personal values and goals creates a sense of fulfillment and purpose.

7.       Resilience

Returning to or creating a new path following upheavals and challenging events is vital to psychological and physical wellness.

8.      Engagement and flow

A deep involvement in tasks and activities contributes to wellbeing and provides meaningful rewards.

Interestingly enough, much of the happiness research confirms the importance of forming deep connections to our short- and long-term subjective wellbeing. The relationships we prioritize protect us from life’s challenges while allowing us to share positive emotions, such as gratitude, joy, and love. As mental health professionals, we can work with clients to help them identify and savor the positives in their lives and shape their environment to increase their opportunities for happiness.