Why Some People Are More Happy Than Others?

Jump to Last Post 1-9 of 9 discussions (22 posts)
  1. profile image0
    andycoolposted 11 years ago

    Is it money, or relationship or just another psychological phenomenon? Please contribute on how to earn a bit more happiness in life. We desperately need it, don't we? Welcome to a constructive debate and thanks in advance to all contributors in this thread!

    1. God is in kitchen profile image60
      God is in kitchenposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      They forget easily lol

      1. profile image0
        andycoolposted 11 years agoin reply to this

        Agreed! "They forget easily". Well that's not a joke, seriously. That's actually a massive power of mind!

    2. gmwilliams profile image85
      gmwilliamsposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Of course, having a substantial amount of money makes people happy.   People who are financially struggling are not happy.   They are busy making sure that they obtain the bare necessities and not to be homeless.   If you have a substantial amount of money to be comfortable and beyond, you are happy knowing that at least you have some type of financial freedom and you are able to pursue the lifestyle you desire.   

      Besides the aspect of monies, happiness is actually an inward condition.   While certain outer events influence the amount of happiness a person has, genuine happiness is an inner quality.    There are some people who are generally more happy and optimistic than others.   These are the people even though they are exposed to the less positive and more difficult aspects of life, they nevertheless do not become defeated but such prospects but view the positivity of the situation, learn, and move on.   They realize that there is hope and life in general is a gift and joyful experience.

      1. profile image0
        JaxsonRaineposted 11 years agoin reply to this

        I disagree...

        I have been very happy at times where we were struggling. Not all the time, but I was still able to be happy.

        And I know a lot of rich people that aren't happy... they are too busy with work. Come home from work and they are still working or thinking about work.

        1. profile image0
          andycoolposted 11 years agoin reply to this

          But Jaxson money provides security, and as gmwilliams makes a valid point, security is an essential ingredient of happiness.

          1. profile image0
            JaxsonRaineposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            I think people base their happiness too much on external factors.

            I know it is possible to be happy when you don't have security, because I've been there.

            Yes, it's easier to be happy if you are wealthy, but it's not a guarantee. I know happy poor people and unhappy wealthy people.

  2. profile image0
    JaxsonRaineposted 11 years ago

    I think it is because the choose to be happy, and work to be happy.

    I try to be happy and enjoy life, even when it 'sucks'. It is an actual effort, but the reward is that I am more happy now than I used to be when I didn't put forth the effort.

    I relax, I count my blessings, I spend as much time with my family as I can...

    1. profile image0
      andycoolposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks Jaxson for the insight. "I try to be happy and enjoy life, even when it 'sucks'". That's a great contribution!

  3. WriteAngled profile image75
    WriteAngledposted 11 years ago

    I'm happy, because after 30+ years in four major relationships, I finally realised being single is so much more rewarding than being tied to someone and their needs. I love the freedom I have now to be what I want to be and do what I want to do without having to consult anyone else.

    I am happy because after living all my life in big cities, I fled to the sticks four years ago at the age of 54. I now work in my study, from which I look out over the valley and mountains and revel in the changing light and colours every day. Even when it pours with rain, which is often here in Wales, it is only another play on light to enjoy.

    I can truly say my current life is 100% fulfilled and I yearn for nothing more, despite the fact I am neither rich nor successful in the eyes of the world.

    1. profile image0
      JaxsonRaineposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I agree with you on the countryside smile Not on the single life though, I hated being single.

      But, if it makes you happy, I'm glad for you wink

    2. profile image0
      andycoolposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks WriteAngled for sharing your secret of happiness. The gist is your mental flexibility, right? That's a virtue one has to develop over years.

  4. paradigmsearch profile image60
    paradigmsearchposted 11 years ago

    Darn. I wrote a good answer, but decided to put it in a hub instead. big_smile

    1. God is in kitchen profile image60
      God is in kitchenposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      junior scientist lol

  5. knolyourself profile image61
    knolyourselfposted 11 years ago

    Maybe a lot people are not smart enough to be happy. Maybe it takes some intelligence to figure out how to be. Are there any happy haters?

  6. rebekahELLE profile image85
    rebekahELLEposted 11 years ago

    I think those that are happiest have discovered it comes from connecting with oneself and are not trying to find it 'out there somewhere'.  I wrote a hub about it sometime during these last three years.  It definitely is a choice we make. Circumstances don't necessarily indicate the potential for happiness.

    1. profile image0
      andycoolposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks rebekahELLE for the contribution. Do you see any correlation between creativity and happiness? I've seen many creative people that are the happiest and also seen creative people suffering from terrible depression. Doctors say creative people are more sensitive and hence more prone to depression.

      1. rebekahELLE profile image85
        rebekahELLEposted 11 years agoin reply to this

        That's a good question.  I think it goes back to the individual making a connection with their strengths and abilities.  Creativity expands our mind. Using it can enhance our well-being. Yet there are very creative people who are unhappy.  That doesn't mean they don't experience periods of happiness while in the creative state. Different factors play a part in someone's happiness 'set point'.  Genetics can play a part in depression.
        The great thing about happiness is that it can be experienced by anyone. No one is happy all of the time. Our 'set point' moves throughout our lives, or it should. But if someone decides that the only way that they can be happy is with a six figure income and a 3 car garage, well, they may not find it, and perhaps have wasted their life chasing  false 'contentment'.

        Here's a link to an article published a number of years ago in Time magazine about a happiness study.
        It's interesting. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/artic … -1,00.html

        1. profile image0
          andycoolposted 11 years agoin reply to this

          Interesting reading... thanks rebekahELLE! smile

  7. rebekahELLE profile image85
    rebekahELLEposted 11 years ago

    I disagree.  Perhaps it's how you define happiness that makes a difference in how you perceive why some are happier than others.  Having a substantial amount of money doesn't 'make' people happy.  We could listen to news reports or read any number of biographies,  autobiographies to know this isn't true.
    Children are some of the happiest humans I know.  Are you saying that because a child's family may not have a substantial amount of money that they can't be happy? Nonsense.  I know truly happy people that have had their lives broken open, so to speak.  Substantial amounts of money and 'security' do not guarantee happiness anymore than not having substantial money and security indicate unhappiness.

  8. profile image0
    andycoolposted 11 years ago

    I've seen two types of people -- 1) trouble lovers and 2) trouble haters. Trouble lovers generally come from poor socioeconomic background and are comfortable staying in troubled situations. They create trouble in their private lives as well as in public. Trouble haters, on the other hand, are more socioeconomically well-off and more intolerant into troubled situations. *

    Inference: Money makes a difference... but it remains to be seen whether there exists any statistically significant correlation between unhappy population and trouble lovers.

    * That's a personal observation and not meant to be offensive to others. smile

  9. Aris Budianto profile image59
    Aris Budiantoposted 11 years ago

    Wow..pretty cool discussion here. For me, happy or unhappy is from ourselves. For the happy, let me congratulate and for the unhappy, please calm down. If it's about money, try to look around, so many people experience this. Please look down and do not look up. If we compared to the rich, just think about this, we and the rich are just the same, "eat 3 times a day".

    AB

 
working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)