Happiness and Sorrow - Essay Example

Research Methods RESEARCH METHODS Titus Rock Manickam Order No. 323608 01 October 2009 RESEARCH METHODS Introduction Happiness is a state of mind. People talk about the keys to happiness or the secrets to happiness. Generally, people in the better salaries bracket are happier than those with inadequate salary. However, it is not only monetary satisfaction that is responsible for happiness. There are other factors such as doing good, selflessness, and resilience. Theories Let your mood brighten, and your thinking broadens and becomes more playful and creative (Happiness).

In other words, cheerfulness makes life easier and more comfortable. A grumbling nature does no good. Cheerfulness enhances the quality of life and improves productivity. A positive outlook makes one upwardly mobile. A cheerful disposition naturally reaches out to help someone. This person is not sticking out his neck. He knows he is doing something within reach. He knows he is capable. He simply reaches out, achieves the purpose and continues with his course. He radiates life and all the issues that make life happy and purposeful.

It is difficult to say if strengths outweigh weaknesses. If it was so easy for strengths to outweigh weaknesses, almost everybody would be happy. Even the happiest people go through bouts of depression and anxiety. However, happy people have the resilience to bounce back. They do not carry forward their depressions to another day. As a matter of fact, going through depressions and anxieties improve resilience. They make a person stronger. It is mentioned that for every 17 articles on negative emotions such as anxiety and depression, there was only one article that dealt with the emotion of joy (Happiness).

It just goes to prove that there are more miserable people on earth. But this is not altogether hopeless. Negative emotions very often drive people to seek help (Happiness). Basically, it is hope that drives man to live on. As long as man has life, he also has hope. Irrespective of his constant state of mind, there is the urge within man to press on. He knows better days are ahead. Even the most hardened skeptic harbors the notion that there is the silver lining. In the ultimate analysis, one has to learn to live above factors that make for weaknesses.

I am always concerned about what happens should some misfortune occur although I have faced difficult times. I have faced death in the family, I have faced failures on the job front, and I have also walked home covering about ten kilometers through devastating flood-like situations. Still, I dread misfortunes. Cheerful people exhibit maturity which the most negative minded wish to emulate. The happy person also goes through moments of despair and anxiety. However, he is careful to keep them to himself to the maximum extent.

He shows awareness that over a period of time there is bound to be some solution to the problem. Conclusion Happiness and sorrow are the two sides of the same coin. There is no foolproof formula for a sorrow-free life. Happiness is actually an endowment of maturity. A happy person shows that he can be happy in spite of problems. Researchers conclude that a happy person stands better chance of overcoming difficult times. The happy person is also capable of enduring mood swings that may occur from time to time due to adversities.

And a happy person is a refreshing phenomenon. Even if a person finds it difficult to be always happy, he must try to be balanced. Source: Happiness, http://www.davidmyers.org/davidmyers/assets/9e-Happiness.pdf