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Bianca Cardenas

Professor Corri Ditch

English 115

05 December 2018

What Defines Happiness?

There are many definitions to what happiness is. Many people ​have their​ own arguments

on what happiness is and what determines it. ​Some suggest happiness is determined by the space

around​ ​one and how one transforms that space.​ The space around ​one​ can be external or internal.

External space is the space that is physically around one, while internal space is the space within

a person’s mind or how that person feels within that space. For example, when ​one is​ at home in

their​ room, ​one feels safer​ in that place. The external space is ​one’s room, and​ the internal space

is how ​one feels​ in that space. ​Four authors from different articles have​ their own arguments

about ​happiness, and​ they describe how one can transform the space around them. The four

authors who ​argue about their own definitions of happiness​ are David Brooks, Graham Hill,

Sonja Lyubomirsky, and the Dalai Lama.

In the article, “What Suffering Does,” by David Brooks, he talks about how suffering

affects a person. Brooks argues that suffering can ​transform​ a person internally and when a

person recovers from suffering, they become different than they once were before. “First,

suffering drags you deeper into yourself. The theologian Paul Tillich° wrote that people who

endure suffering are taken beneath the routines of life and find they are not who they believed

themselves to be” (Brooks 285). This shows that when a person suffers, they begin to question
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themselves about how emotional strong they really are and how the world around them works.

For example, a person who is strong gets put into a situation where they can’t make it in to save

their loved one. They then begin to question if they can protect others and they doubt themselves.

When a person suffers, they are changing the internal space around them by the way they ​feel. If

something happened in that space, then the person will feel all those negative emotions in that

space. But according to Brooks, suffering does not always lead to a negative outcome. For

example, if a family loses a loved one, they will either mourn their loss or do something in their

memory like​ starting a foundation. Brooks says that suffering is a part of life, one must move on

from them and live up to our hopes and the hopes of our love ones.

In the article, “Living with Less. A Lot Less,” by Graham Hill, he talks about materialism

and his experiences with it. Hills ​argue​ that buying what one wants, instead of buying what one

needs will lead to unhappiness. For example, when a person buys something like a new phone, it

will only bring them temporary happiness and they will want a new phone later. Hill states, “My

success and the things it bought quickly changed from novel to normal. Soon I was numb to it

all. The new Nokia phone didn’t excite me or satisfy me. It didn’t take long before I started to

wonder why my theoretically upgraded life didn’t feel any better and why I felt more anxious

than before” (Hill 309). Hill demonstrates that buying new materials will seem exciting at first,

then once ​one​ get uses to the new item it becomes old and less exciting. When a parent buys a

toy for their kid, at first the kid plays with the toy for a few days, then the kid becomes bored of

it and wants a new toy. Our society is heavily influenced by ​materialism, and​ it can take ahold of

a person. People will always want something new. Their wants overpower their needs. Hill is

once controlled by his wants and he would fill his home with a lot of materials till his house
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begun to run out of space. He became less happy in the space around him. Once he realized that

he is not happy with all this luxury, he ​decides​ to start getting rid of his materials and live with

less. Hill states that filling the space in ​one’s​ home with new materials will lead not lead to true

happiness. Living with what one has or what life has given ​to one​ will lead to true happiness.

In the article, “How Happy Are You and Why?” by Sonja Lyubomirsky, she talks about

her interviews that she had with people about their lives and the myths on happiness.

Lyubomirsky argues ​happiness​ is determined by one’s state of mind and behavior. “Happiness is

not out there for us to find. The reason that it’s not out there is that it’s inside us. As banal and

clichéd as this might sound, happiness, more than anything, is a state of mind…” (Lyubomirsky

185). This shows that happiness is determined by the way one thinks about something or

situations. If one thinks positively about a situation, then outcome will be positive and if one

negatively thinks the way​ they will become less happy. In one of her interviews, she states that,

“Like Angela, Randy endured a lot as a child...Today Randy is one of those happy people who

make everything around them smile and laugh...Randy is an eternal optimist and claims that

seeing the silver lining in the cloud has always been his key to survival” (Lyubomirsky 181).

From this interview, one can see that having a positive state of mind in a negative situation can

help one overcome the negatively in the space around one. One myth Lyubomirsky talks about is

that happiness can be found. She states happiness is not something ​one​ can find, happiness

comes from inside​ and ​it can is put out through the way one​ behave or think. Having a state of

mind will lead to true ​happiness, and​ one will be able to see things in a new perspective.

In the article, “The Sources of Happiness,” by the Dalai Lama, he talks about having a

strong state of mind. What the Dalai Lama means by a strong state of mind is that if ​one​ thinks
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positively this will result in positive behavior and a positive outcome. Having a strong state of

mind will help ​one​ see things in a new perspective and ​be able to transform one’s​ internal space

into a positive one. The Dalai Lama ​argues true happiness​ is not created from physical pleasure

like materialism but from the heart and mind. “True happiness relates more to the mind and

heart. Happiness that depends mainly on physical pleasure is unstable; one day it’s there, the

next day it may not be” (The Dalai Lama 30). This shows that materialism or physical pleasure is

an unstable happiness and it will not last for a long time. ​Eventually, one will want to leave that

pleasure and move on to a new one so one can be happy again.​ The Dalai Lama also states that

one must fill their​ life with others. “We all recognize that in order to enjoy a fulfilled life, we

need a circle of friends with whom we can relate emotionally and trust” (The Dalai Lama 24).

The Dalai Lama argues that spending time with others and sharing happiness helps one gain true

happiness. True happiness is gained when ​one is​ surrounded by others who care about ​them and

are ​able to get more out of life. Once ​one​ gains true happiness, ​one’s​ internal space changes from

negative to positive. Having a strong state of mind will help one overcome the negativity in

one’s mind​ so that ​one​ can think positively.

One can see the authors have some similarities and differences about happiness how it

transforms space. Brooks, Lyubomirsky, and the Dalai Lama focus on in the book is internal

space, while Hill focus on external space. Brooks focus on how suffering affects a person

mentally and how they transform their internal space into a positive or negative one.

Lyubomirsky focus how behavior can change the internal space around a person. The Dalai

Lama focus on internal space and how true happiness comes from the heart and mind, not from

physical pleasure. Hill focus on how materialism affects space around a person. The Dalai Lama,
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Lyubomirsky, Brooks, and Hill argue that true happiness comes from a state of mind. ​However​,

even though​ Hill focuses on external space, he also focuses on internal space. Hill talks about

how materials fill both home space and emotional space. “It took 15 years, a great love and a lot

of travel to get rid of all the inessential things I had collected and lived a bigger, better, richer life

with less” (Hill 308). A person could feel unhappy with having a ton of ​items, and​ they ​can​ even

be stressed from having to maintain those items. The Dalai Lama and Lyubomirsky both talk

about how having a state of mind can help ​one​ achieve true happiness. Lyubomirsky, Brooks,

and the Dalai Lama suggest that one can change the internal space around them by the way one

thinks, while Hill suggests that one can change the external space around them by buying and

living less. Lyubomirsky, Brooks, and the Dalai Lama talk about thinking in a positive way in

order to affect their mental space and achieve true happiness. Hill talked about how living ​with

fewer​ materials in ​one’s​ external space, can help ​one​ become more ​happier​.

In conclusion, Brooks, Hill, Lyubomirsky, and the Dalai Lama explain their own

arguments about ​happiness, and​ they describe how one can transform the space around them.

Brooks, Lyubomirsky, and the Dalai Lama focus on in the book is internal space, while Hill

focus on external space. They may have some ​differences, but​ they also have some points on

happiness. Like how the Dalai Lama and Lyubomirsky both talk about how having a state of

mind and how thinking positively can affect one’s internal space. Both internal and external

space are affected by one’s happiness, and the space can transform into a positive one.
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Works Cited

Brooks, David. "What Suffering Does." ​Pursuing Happiness: A Bedford Spotlight Reader​, Leasa

Burton, 2016, pp. 284-287.

Hill, Graham. "Living with Less. A Lot Less." ​Pursuing Happiness: A Bedford Spotlight Reader​,

Leasa Burton, 2016, pp. 308-313.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and Cutler Howard. "The Sources of Happiness." ​Pursuing

Happiness: A Bedford Spotlight Reader,​ Leasa Burton, 2016, pp. 21-33.

Lyubomirsky, Sonja. "How Happy Are You and Why?" ​Pursuing Happiness: A Bedford

Spotlight Reader,​ Leasa Burton, 2016, pp. 179-197.