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[[File:Smiley-face.jpg|thumbnail|250px|right|The smiley, often called a Smiley face, is a symbol frequently used to express happiness. ]]

[[File:Smiley-face.jpg|thumbnail|250px|right|The smiley, often called a Smiley face, is a symbol frequently used to express happiness. ]]

'''Happiness''' is the quality or [[state]] of being happy, of wellbeing without [[Stress|distress]]. Exact definitions of happiness vary; for example, some contend that it is possible to ''think'' you are happy, but not in fact be happy. [[Secular]]ists teach that happiness is the object or goal of [[life]].<ref>https://www.pursuit-of-happiness.org/history-of-happiness/aristotle/</ref> However, the [[Bible]] teaches that serving [[God]] is the primary purpose of why we were created.<ref>“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." Matt. 16:24</ref>

'''Happiness''' is the quality or [[state]] of being happy, of wellbeing without [[Stress|distress]]. Exact definitions of happiness vary; for example, some contend that it is possible to ''think'' you are happy, but not in fact be happy. Happiness is essential to living a good life, and being fulfilled or [[complete]].

In the [[United States]], the right of all citizens to "the [[pursuit of happiness]]" is enshrined in the [[Declaration of Independence]].

In the [[United States]], the right of all citizens to "the [[pursuit of happiness]]" is enshrined in the [[Declaration of Independence]].

In [[Bhutan]], royal government makes a statement of Gross National Happiness, which is important to both the King and our Bhutanese people.

In [[Bhutan]], royal government makes a statement of Gross National Happiness, which is important to both our King and our Bhutanese people.

== The SPIRE Model of Happiness ==

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

===The SPIRE Model of Happiness===

Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar SPIRE Model of Happines is comprised of the following five elements:<ref>[https://www.astridbaumgardner.com/uncategorized/the-spire-model-of-happiness-how-to-enhance-your-wellbeing/ The SPIRE Model of Happiness: How to Enhance Your Wellbeing]</ref>

Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar SPIRE Model of Happines is comprised of the following five elements:<ref>[https://www.astridbaumgardner.com/uncategorized/the-spire-model-of-happiness-how-to-enhance-your-wellbeing/ The SPIRE Model of Happiness: How to Enhance Your Wellbeing]</ref>

*[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL-iuvMQmfsWHgOKj19dC7Wgt6FtqrDco Relational | SPIRE elements - video playlist], Video playlist

*[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL-iuvMQmfsWHgOKj19dC7Wgt6FtqrDco Relational | SPIRE elements - video playlist], Video playlist

===How to increase happiness===

== How to increase happiness ==

''See also:'' [[Gratitude]] and [[Empathy]] and [[Friendship]] and [[Social influence]] and [[Social intelligence]] and [[Social networking]] and [[Toxic personality traits]] and [[Faith]] and [[Religion]] and [[Goal setting]] and [[Dairy|Journaling]] and [[Self-care]] and [[Passion (psychology)]] and [[Meaning]] and [[Adventurousness]] and [[Comfort zone]]

''See also:'' [[Gratitude]] and [[Empathy]] and [[Friendship]] and [[Social influence]] and [[Social intelligence]] and [[Social networking]] and [[Toxic personality traits]] and [[Faith]] and [[Religion]] and [[Goal setting]] and [[Dairy|Journaling]] and [[Self-care]] and [[Passion (psychology)]] and [[Meaning]] and [[Adventurousness]] and [[Comfort zone]]

*[https://chatelaine.com/health/how-more-adventure-can-mean-more-happiness/ How more adventure can mean more happiness]

*[https://chatelaine.com/health/how-more-adventure-can-mean-more-happiness/ How more adventure can mean more happiness]

===Happiness and health===

== Happiness and health ==

[[File:Emotional intelligence.png|thumbnail|350px|right|The five components of emotional intelligence are: [[self-awareness]], [[self-regulation]], [[motivation]], [[empathy]], and [[Interpersonal skills|social skills]].<ref>[https://www.mbaknol.com/modern-management-concepts/domains-of-emotional-intelligence/ Domains of Emotional Intelligence], MBA Knowledge Base</ref>]]

[[File:Emotional intelligence.png|thumbnail|350px|right|The five components of emotional intelligence are: [[self-awareness]], [[self-regulation]], [[motivation]], [[empathy]], and [[Interpersonal skills|social skills]].<ref>[https://www.mbaknol.com/modern-management-concepts/domains-of-emotional-intelligence/ Domains of Emotional Intelligence], MBA Knowledge Base</ref>]]

*[https://positivepsychology.com/what-is-happiness/ What Is Happiness and Why Is It Important? (+ Definition)] by Courtney E. Ackerman, MA

*[https://positivepsychology.com/what-is-happiness/ What Is Happiness and Why Is It Important? (+ Definition)] by Courtney E. Ackerman, MA

===Happiness and success in one's endeavors===

== Bible verses on happiness. Religion and happiness ==

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

== Happiness and success in one's endeavors ==

Research indicates that happiness is more apt to lead to success in one's endeavors.<ref>[https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/bul-1316803.pdf The Benefits of Frequent Positive Affect: Does Happiness Lead to Success?], Psychological Bulletin Copyright 2005 by the American Psychological Association, 2005, Vol. 131, No. 6, 803– 855</ref>

Research indicates that happiness is more apt to lead to success in one's endeavors.<ref>[https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/bul-1316803.pdf The Benefits of Frequent Positive Affect: Does Happiness Lead to Success?], Psychological Bulletin Copyright 2005 by the American Psychological Association, 2005, Vol. 131, No. 6, 803– 855</ref>

===Loss of friendships and growing unhappiness, loneliness, social isolation in the United States===

== Loss of friendships and growing unhappiness, loneliness, social isolation in the United States ==

[[Image:Desperation_man.jpg‎ |thumb|250px|right|[[Loneliness]] has been linked to many physical and mental health problems.<ref>Multiple references:

[[Image:Desperation_man.jpg‎ |thumb|250px|right|[[Loneliness]] has been linked to many physical and mental health problems.<ref>Multiple references:

*Gammon, Katherine (March 2, 2012).  [http://www.livescience.com/18800-loneliness-health-problems.html "Why loneliness can be deadly"].  Live Science website.

*Gammon, Katherine (March 2, 2012).  [http://www.livescience.com/18800-loneliness-health-problems.html "Why loneliness can be deadly"].  Live Science website.

''See also:'' [[Friendship]] and [[Loneliness]]  

''See also:'' [[Friendship]] and [[Loneliness]]  

[[NeverTrump]]er [[David B. Brooks]]<ref>https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2025/03/29/david_brooks_on_signal_chat_democrats_should_talk_about_nothing_but_trumps_incompetence.html</ref> in his 2023 book entitled ''How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen'' wrote about [[loneliness]]:  

David B. Brooks in his 2023 book entitled ''How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen'' wrote about [[loneliness]]:  

{{Cquote|I’ve been writing as if we live in a healthy cultural environment, in a society in which people are enmeshed in thick communities and webs of friendship, trust, and belonging. We don’t live in such a society. We live in an environment in which political animosities, technological dehumanization, and social breakdown undermine connection, strain friendships, erase intimacy, and foster distrust. We’re living in the middle of some sort of vast emotional, relational, and spiritual crisis. It is as if people across society have lost the ability to see and understand one another, thus producing a culture that can be brutalizing and isolating.

{{Cquote|I’ve been writing as if we live in a healthy cultural environment, in a society in which people are enmeshed in thick communities and webs of friendship, trust, and belonging. We don’t live in such a society. We live in an environment in which political animosities, technological dehumanization, and social breakdown undermine connection, strain friendships, erase intimacy, and foster distrust. We’re living in the middle of some sort of vast emotional, relational, and spiritual crisis. It is as if people across society have lost the ability to see and understand one another, thus producing a culture that can be brutalizing and isolating.

Sadness, lack of recognition, and loneliness turn into bitterness. When people believe that their identity is unrecognized, it feels like injustice—because it is. People who have been treated unjustly often lash out, seek ways to humiliate those who they feel have humiliated them. Loneliness thus leads to meanness. As the saying goes, pain that is not transformed gets transmitted. The data I just cited about social isolation and sadness is, no surprise, accompanied by other sorts of data about rising hostility and callousness. In 2021, hate-crime reports surged to their highest levels in twelve years. In 2000, roughly two-thirds of Americans gave to charity; by 2021, fewer than half did. One restaurant owner recently told me that he has to ban somebody from his place for rude behavior almost every week these days. That didn’t use to happen. A friend of mine who is a nurse says her number one problem is retaining staff. Her nurses want to quit because the patients have become so abusive, even violent. As the columnist Peggy Noonan put it, “People are proud of their bitterness now.” The social breakdown manifests as a crisis of distrust. Two generations ago, roughly 60 percent of Americans said that “most people can be trusted.” By 2014, according the General Social Survey, only 30.3 percent did, and only 19 percent of millennials. High-trust societies have what Francis Fukuyama calls “spontaneous sociability,” meaning that people are quick to get together and work together. Low-trust societies do not have this. Low-trust societies fall apart. Distrust sows distrust. It creates a feeling that the only person you can count on is yourself. Distrustful people assume that others are out to get them, they exaggerate threats, they fall for conspiracy theories that explain the danger they feel.<ref>Brooks, David. How to Know a Person (p. 97-101). Random House Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.</ref>}}

Sadness, lack of recognition, and loneliness turn into bitterness. When people believe that their identity is unrecognized, it feels like injustice—because it is. People who have been treated unjustly often lash out, seek ways to humiliate those who they feel have humiliated them. Loneliness thus leads to meanness. As the saying goes, pain that is not transformed gets transmitted. The data I just cited about social isolation and sadness is, no surprise, accompanied by other sorts of data about rising hostility and callousness. In 2021, hate-crime reports surged to their highest levels in twelve years. In 2000, roughly two-thirds of Americans gave to charity; by 2021, fewer than half did. One restaurant owner recently told me that he has to ban somebody from his place for rude behavior almost every week these days. That didn’t use to happen. A friend of mine who is a nurse says her number one problem is retaining staff. Her nurses want to quit because the patients have become so abusive, even violent. As the columnist Peggy Noonan put it, “People are proud of their bitterness now.” The social breakdown manifests as a crisis of distrust. Two generations ago, roughly 60 percent of Americans said that “most people can be trusted.” By 2014, according the General Social Survey, only 30.3 percent did, and only 19 percent of millennials. High-trust societies have what Francis Fukuyama calls “spontaneous sociability,” meaning that people are quick to get together and work together. Low-trust societies do not have this. Low-trust societies fall apart. Distrust sows distrust. It creates a feeling that the only person you can count on is yourself. Distrustful people assume that others are out to get them, they exaggerate threats, they fall for conspiracy theories that explain the danger they feel.<ref>Brooks, David. How to Know a Person (p. 97-101). Random House Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.</ref>}}

===Happiness and labor productivity===

== Happiness and labor productivity ==

''See also:'' [[Labor productivity]]

''See also:'' [[Labor productivity]]

Fast Company's article ''Research shows happiness is the new performance indicator. This is how managers can support it'' indicates: "The Saïd Business School study Does Happiness Improve Worker Productivity? found that happiness can have a significant impact on productivity. Results showed that happier workers were 12% more productive than their unhappy counterparts."<ref>[https://www.fastcompany.com/90891844/research-happiness-new-performance-indicator#:~:text=The%20Sa%C3%AFd%20Business%20School%20study,productive%20than%20their%20unhappy%20counterparts. ''Research shows happiness is the new performance indicator. This is how managers can support it'']</ref>

Fast Company's article ''Research shows happiness is the new performance indicator. This is how managers can support it'' indicates: "The Saïd Business School study Does Happiness Improve Worker Productivity? found that happiness can have a significant impact on productivity. Results showed that happier workers were 12% more productive than their unhappy counterparts."<ref>[https://www.fastcompany.com/90891844/research-happiness-new-performance-indicator#:~:text=The%20Sa%C3%AFd%20Business%20School%20study,productive%20than%20their%20unhappy%20counterparts. ''Research shows happiness is the new performance indicator. This is how managers can support it'']</ref>

===The symbiotic relationship between creativity and happiness===

== The symbiotic relationship between creativity and happiness ==

''See also:'' [[Creativity]]

''See also:'' [[Creativity]]

There is a symbiotic relationship between [[creativity]] and happiness (In other words, being happier make you more creative. In addition, being more creative makes one happier.).<ref>[https://nlpwithpurpose.medium.com/the-symbiotic-relationship-creativity-and-happiness-3e53a4424177 The Symbiotic Relationship: Creativity and Happiness]</ref><ref>[https://ideascale.com/blog/the-unexpected-link-between-creativity-and-happiness/ The Unexpected Link Between Creativity and Happiness], Ideascale website</ref><ref>[https://www.creativityatwork.com/art-and-science-of-happiness/ Does Happiness Affect Your Creativity?]</ref><ref>[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8305859/#:~:text=Studies%20have%20found%20a%20bidirectional,5%2C6%2C7%5D. Being Creative Makes You Happier: The Positive Effect of Creativity on Subjective Well-Being], Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jul; 18(14): 7244. Published online 2021 Jul 6. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18147244</ref><ref>[https://www.trackinghappiness.com/link-between-creativity-and-happiness/10 Studies Show Why Creativity and Happiness are Linked]</ref>

There is a symbiotic relationship between [[creativity]] and happiness (In other words, being happier make you more creative. In addition, being more creative makes one happier.).<ref>[https://nlpwithpurpose.medium.com/the-symbiotic-relationship-creativity-and-happiness-3e53a4424177 The Symbiotic Relationship: Creativity and Happiness]</ref><ref>[https://ideascale.com/blog/the-unexpected-link-between-creativity-and-happiness/ The Unexpected Link Between Creativity and Happiness], Ideascale website</ref><ref>[https://www.creativityatwork.com/art-and-science-of-happiness/ Does Happiness Affect Your Creativity?]</ref><ref>[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8305859/#:~:text=Studies%20have%20found%20a%20bidirectional,5%2C6%2C7%5D. Being Creative Makes You Happier: The Positive Effect of Creativity on Subjective Well-Being], Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jul; 18(14): 7244. Published online 2021 Jul 6. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18147244</ref><ref>[https://www.trackinghappiness.com/link-between-creativity-and-happiness/10 Studies Show Why Creativity and Happiness are Linked]</ref>

===Psychology: Happiness vs. joy===

== Psychology: Happiness vs. joy ==

''See also:'' [[Joy]]

''See also:'' [[Joy]]

== World Happiness Report: Happiness Indexes for countries for years 2023 and 2024 ==

== World Happiness Report: Happiness Indexes for countries for years 2023 and 2024 ==

 

=== World Happiness Report, Gallup poll: Happiness Index 2024 ===

=== World Happiness Report, Gallup poll: Happiness Index 2024 ===