Happiness in today’s world

By Klaus Döring

Happiness in today’s world is a blend of joyful feelings and life satisfaction, shaped heavily by strong personal relationships, mindful daily choices and deep community ties, even as modern pressures such as constant digital noise and social media comparisons challenge our well-being.

It means feeling that the conditions of your life are good, enjoying positive and healthy relationships with other people, feeling that you have accomplished — or will accomplish — what you want in life, feeling satisfied with your life and feeling more positive than negative.

Happiness is a state of mind. Specifically, it is a state of “well-being and contentment.” More than simply a positive mood, happiness is a state of well-being that encompasses living a good life — one with a sense of meaning and deep contentment. Feeling joyful has health benefits as well.

But the definition can be tricky, and assumptions about the word can cause confusion. Many people do not even realize that learning how to be happy is something that can be intentionally practiced. Some people, when they hear the word “happiness,” assume it refers to an emotion such as pleasure or joy. For them, it is what people feel in the immediate here and now.

This is why some people say, “Don’t pursue happiness, seek joy. Happiness is fickle and fading, joy remains forever.”

But this short-term definition of happiness is not how everyone understands the word. Some define it as long-term satisfaction.

In fact, when I speak of experiencing happiness in life, I am not thinking of short-term emotions at all. I think of a quality of living — a much longer-term view of the word.

Both definitions are understood to be correct and speak of different realities.

But are they really that different? I do not think so.

After all, a long-term experience of life satisfaction is almost certainly made up of many short-term feelings of joy and pleasure. Does that mean every day is a great day with no trials, temptations or downturns? Certainly not. But it does mean that when we look back at the many seasons of life, we can reflect with satisfaction on how we navigated them.

The long-term feeling of life satisfaction is experienced most fully when we embrace the emotion of joy in the here and now.

We accomplish that by taking steps each day to be happy.

What makes you feel happy now? Doing something you are good at, such as cooking or dancing, is a good way to enjoy yourself and gain a sense of achievement. Try to avoid things that seem enjoyable at the time but make you feel worse afterward, such as drinking too much alcohol or eating junk food.

Why is being happy important? Experiencing happiness is important for our emotional and physical health. A stronger sense of happiness and well-being has been shown to lead to better relationships, stronger social connections, greater contributions to the lives of others and improved physical well-being.

Is being happy the most important thing in life? Happy people are healthier overall and more likely to remain healthy in the future. Happy people live longer than those who are not as happy. Happy people are more productive and creative, and this effect extends to others experiencing positive emotions.

Am I happy? Yes. After living permanently in the Philippines for almost 29 years, I have learned to be happy, even during hard times. Filipinos are generally a happy people. They can smile regardless of the situation. Their happy-go-lucky nature and positive mindset allow them to bounce back from the direst circumstances — from disasters and wars and, surely, from today’s global situation.

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Questions, comments or suggestions? Email me at doringklaus@gmail.com; follow me on Facebook or LinkedIn; or visit one of my websites: www.germanexpatinthephilippines.blogspot.com or www.klausdoringsclassicalmusic.blogspot.com.