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Blueprint for Happiness The golden question presents itself once more: How can we maintain happiness? This question has plagued the minds of civilizations from the beginning of time and still, we have yet to find an absolute answer. In order to gain a foundational understanding of how exactly to maintain happiness though, you must first understand the meaning of happiness itself. Happiness is a state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy

(Burford). With the support of countless scientific, psychological, and biological studies on the
subject, even the smartest of scientists cannot give you a roadmap telling you exactly what to do in order to be happy, but they can accurately analyze what will make a person happy. This may be due to the unrelenting fact that happiness is not a science. Rather, happiness is a complex emotion that is highly up to interpretation, and thus derived from different sources depending on the person. Many things bring us a burst of happiness-family; music; a new Blue Ray TV... the list is infinite. But, according to self-determination theory, lasting happiness is built on the fulfillment of humanistic, basic, psychological needs (Burford). Do not allow me to fool you though; happiness is in no way easy to obtain for everyone, though with advice from me, the path to happiness will be all too simple. In order to maintain happiness, a person must have two very basic needs met: Healthy relationships with those around you, basic pleasures in life, and a sense of meaning and accomplishment. One of the imperative qualities that you need in order to be happy is a feeling of that the life in which you lead has a sense of purpose and meaning to it. Having meaning in your life gives you the why you do what you do. Knowing that your life has meaning helps you face up

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to difficulties and overcome hardship (Angel). A sense of purpose does not have to be a grand world changing ideal, rather it is a way of holding on to who you are as an individual and being proud of it. Living a purposeful life has direction; you know the path that you are on, and equally important, you know who you are. The happiness that is derived from having a sense of purpose does not directly relate to your personal goals, but instead, the feeling of contribution that you have to life itself (Angel). In the end, a sense of purpose is derived differently from person to person and each must put forth an active effort into acquiring meaning in life that is important to them. You will fall short of lasting happiness if you are not satisfying your basic need of maintaining healthy relationships. One of the clearest findings that emerge from research into happiness is that we are social creatures (Speth). Relationships create psychological space and safety so that we can explore and learn. When we feel safe and supported, we are given the security to explore our world, which builds resources for times of stress and adversity, meaning that we are given the necessary tools to cope with a state of unhappiness and snap ourselves back into ease (Speth). Some major characteristics of close and binding relationships are the ability to love and be loved, mutual understanding, caring for one another, a source of direct help in times of trouble among many others. Also, belonging to a group or community will give you a sense of identity. It helps you to understand who you are and feel part of something larger than yourself. Researchers also find that people with strong social connections, apart from an increase in reportings of happiness, have less stress-related health problems, lower risk of mental illness, and faster recovery from trauma or illness (Peter). Through scientific research, it is shown that close connections increase levels of happiness dramatically.

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As important as it is to achieve happiness through the fulfillment of your basic needs, it is equally important to maintain the level of happiness you will have attained. It is essential to continue the process that you took to achieve happiness in the first place. For example, if, to fulfill your basic need for close relationships, you filled it through joining a community organization such as Alcoholics Anonymous, you must continue the interaction you receive through this group in order to maintain your close relationships. You may also change your circumstance, while filling your basic needs in a different, but similar manner. Rather than continue Alcoholics anonymous, for example, you could organize a Boy Scout group, or something similar to maintain close relationships with people. Many people are mistaken about how they think that they can obtain happiness. Two common misconceptions in this field are that money can buy you happiness, and that you must have religion as a part of your life in order to obtain happiness. It is completely understandable, when taking in what society and the media portray, how someone could be susceptible to such fallacies, but regardless, these paths will not lead you to sustainable happiness. The most common misconception about happiness I have found is the belief that, with the possession of money, not a care is left in the world and you will be happy simply because economic struggle is taken out of the situation. While people who have confidence in this are correct in believing that money and personal possessions will bring happiness, it is most likely not the type of happiness that they are looking for. Material possessions bring immediate gratification, yes, but they lack the effect of long-term happiness (Begley). The happiness that one feels after receiving money or something that they want is only the feeling of short-lived satisfaction. For example: if you were to receive a great deal of money, or something that you

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desire right now, such as a new pair of shoes or a laptop computer, would you be basing your happiness off of that material object in a week? Would it still affect your happiness in a month? Or, rather, would you contemplate the presence of a significant other, or think about recent accomplishments when considering how happy you are? There are many other reasons why your happiness is not determined by the money in your pocket. The first of which is that it is only relevant income that is important to you

(Begley). As much as you would like to believe that you would be content with the amount of
money you earn in a big check, humans are constantly comparing themselves to others. We don't mind so much about our actual level of income, so long as we're earning more than other people around us (Begley). Unfortunately as we earn more money we're likely to be surrounded by richer people so we often end up failing to take advantage of the positive comparison, eventually leaving us unhappy with even money. Another reason that money does not bring happiness is because people's desires for material possessions expand at the same, or greater rate, than their salaries. This means that despite considerably more luxurious possessions, people end up no happier. The last reason that happiness cannot be maintained by physical wealth is that People don't shift to enjoyable activities when they are rich. People who earn more money don't spend their time enjoying themselves; they spend their time at work, in activities likely to cause them more stress and tension (Begley). The second misconception that people have about maintaining happiness is that it is something that cannot be obtained without the practice of religion. It is easily understandable for a faction of people to believe this, due to the fact that studies have proven that those who

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practice the worship of a higher being are proven to be generally happier than those who do not. Many studies have shown benefits to religion, from an increase in self-control to greater happiness among the faithful (Flora). Where these benefits come from, though, has yet to be fully understood. It could be something related to religion or religious teachings, but findings suggest that the social side of religion might play a role. For example, a December 2010 study published in the journal American Sociological Review found that it's the social networks adopted from attending religious services that make religious people more satisfied with their lives (Flora). Given this, there are also contexts in which religion is associated with decreased happiness. In other words, they tend to be found at either extremes of the happiness scale. A higher percentage of religious people say that they are extremely happy compared with convinced atheists (Flora). But higher percentages also say that they're extremely unhappy. It is more likely that someone without belief will be found to be somewhat in the middle of a happiness scale. With these findings, it appears that, while those who practice religion tend to be happier overall, this is an extremely circumstantial statement and proves that, in no way, is religion a requirement for happiness. Conclusively, while happiness is a fuzzy concept in itself, the two needs that you must fulfill in order to achieve happiness are maintaining a sense of purpose in life, and binding close relationships with those around you. With scientific research and evidence to support these claims, they are nearly undeniable and hardly unachievable for the everyday person who merely strives for happiness. Following these simple steps will lead you into happiness, and the long term maintenance of it.

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Works Cited Angel, Jen. Ten strategies for happiness. Skipping Stones Jan.-Feb. 2009: 22.General Reference Center Gold. 17 Mar. 2009 Begley, Sharon. Why Money Doesnt Buy Happiness. Newsweek 15 Oct. 2007. 15 Mar. 2009 Burford, Michelle. Your pursuit of happiness: what is the secret to lasting joy? Essence. 3 Mar. 2009 Documents&resultListType=RES>.

Diniz, Merril. Can money buy happiness? Rediff News. 4 Apr. 2009 Flora, Carlin. The Pursuit of Happiness: caught up in a happiness frenzy for much of the past decade, Americans have remarkably little show for it. .Psychology Today Jan.-Feb. 2009. General Reference Center Gold. 19 Mar. 2009 Rubin, Gretchen. 10 Ways to Be Happier. Real Simple Oct. 2008. 4 Mar. 2009 Schmidt, Peter, G. Hamphire College Students Learn What Money Cant Buy.The Chronicle of Higher Education 12 Dec. 2008. General Reference Center Gold. 25 Mar. 2009 Speth, James Gustave. Money Cant Buy You Love, Or Happiness.Environment: Yale. Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. 15 Mar. 2009