It seems that happiness is both a choice and not a choice as happiness expert Shawn Achor says, “What I want people to realize is happiness can be a choice, and it’s something you can practice. Further, there is definitely a genetic component to happiness we’re not exactly sure how much of one’s happiness is determined by their genes, but we know it’s greater than 0% (Nes & Røysamb, 2017).However, there is evidence that people struggling with depression may be unable to make such a choice, as their brain is simply not capable of the same feats of happy thinking as that of people who are mentally healthy (Johnstone, van Reekum, Urry, Kalin, & Davidson, 2007).According to two studies conducted on the impacts of music and concerted effort to be happy on participants’ happiness, those who listened to more positive music and made the effort to feel happier were, in fact, happier at the end of the study (Ferguson & Sheldon, 2013).Both of these quotes state that happiness is not something that simply falls into our laps or that graces only the luckiest among us rather, we make a choice to be happy, and we continue to be happy for as long as we choose to be happy. It’s a favorite of frustrated parents and teachers, and it’s certainly popular with a subset of psychologists. You have no doubt heard the first one before. “Happiness is not trying or finding, it’s deciding.” We’ll look at some of the most common happiness quotes and see how they stand up against empirical evidence.Īs a reminder, it’s fine to love a quote and continue to draw strength from it even if it’s not 100% in line with current research findings this exercise is meant to provide an opportunity to familiarize yourself with the literature on happiness and perhaps think a little more critically when you receive cliché or trite advice on how to be happy. Sometimes we find a good quote that seems to be exactly what we need in that specific moment, and it can help us to feel more in control, less confused, or even less alone. There are few among us that haven’t found solace, encouragement, motivation, inspiration, or validation from a spot-on quote.
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