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Andrew Magana

Professor Ditch

English 115

26 September 2018

The Causes of Our Happiness

What is it that makes​ people ​happy? ​Some may say it is the situation they are in; while

others say it is whatever we make of it​. Because of those ideas of what happiness is, people are

starting to conduct researches in order to understand what exactly it is that makes us happy. In

articles by The Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler, David Brooks, and Sonja Lyubomirsky, they

believe that happiness comes to us internally; while in Graham Hill’s article he believes that

happiness comes from us separating ourselves from things externally. Each one of these authors

give us their take on where happiness comes from with The Dalai Lama and Cutler believing it is

determined by one’s state of mind, Brooks saying it is formed through suffering, ​Lyubomirsky

proving with her research that it is whatever people make of it​, and Hill certain that taking away

materials is the way for you to be happy.

The Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler’s idea that happiness is based on one’s state of mind

is an internal space. In their article, “The Source of Happiness,” they state, “In fact whether we

are feeling happy or unhappy at any given moment often has very little to do with our absolute

conditions but rather, it is a function of how we perceive our situation, how satisfied we are with

what we have” (The Dalai Lama & Cutler 23). In other words, they are saying that your

happiness is not determined by what is happening to you, but instead it is based on your attitude

towards your situation. They later state, “Researchers have conducted a number of experiments
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demonstrating that one’s level of satisfaction can be enhanced simply by shifting one’s

perspective and contemplating how things could be worse” (The Dalai Lama & Cutler 23). Once

again they come back to the thought that happiness is all based on your state of mind, if people

are generally negative about everything and think their situation is horrible then they will most

likely not be as happy as someone who looks on the bright side of things. ​People should look at

all the good things in their life, and change the way they look at life.​ Yes, there are people in

better situations than others, but know that there are also people who have it worse; and, if

people were to look at their lives as a better situation than those who have it worse, they can be

much happier. ​People’s happiness is based on them, it is up to them to change their perspective.

As for David Brooks, he believes that happiness is formed through the suffering we

experience in life, which makes his idea an internal space. That suffering we experience causes

us to view our lives in a different way. Brooks states from his article, “What Suffering Does,”

“Suffering gives people a more accurate sense of their own limitations, what they can control and

cannot control”(Brooks 286). In other words, when you go through a hard time in life, it often

gives you a reality check; you see the world differently than you did before. ​That life that people

had felt comfortable with is taken from them, and they have to learn to accept that there is

somethings in life that are just out of their control​. Brooks also states, “The suffering involved in

their tasks becomes a fearful gift and very different than equal and other gift, happiness,

conventionally defined” (Brooks 287). Brooks is saying that people who are going through

something painful in life will often view it as a gift because it gives them a new light on

everything they do. ​Suffering gives people a new look on life; they are taken from the life they

thought was ideal and are given a different experience. ​Because of that experience, people might
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view that the life they had before they endure suffering was not real, it was not a life that brought

them happiness.​ People are affect through suffering, and although it may be painful, it does have

an positive effect on who they are as a person.​That experience is an eye opener to them to what

will truly bring them happiness in life.

Furthermore​, in her article, “How Happy Are You and Why?,” Sonja Lyubomirsky

conducts a research that focuses on sustainable happiness; and, in her research she notice that our

happiness is based on ourselves and our views on everything. ​Lyubomirsky states, “If you’re not

happy today, then you won’t be happy tomorrow unless you take things into your own hands and

take action” (Lyubomirsky 185).​ In making this statement, Lyubomirsky is saying that if

someone wants to be happy then they have to take it into their own hands; we have the ability to

make ourselves happier, we just have to change our mindset. In addition, she claims, “Happiness,

more than anything, is a state of mind, a way of perceiving and approaching ourselves and the

world in which we reside” (Lyubomirsky 185). In other words, she is adding on to her thought

that happiness is based off of one’s mindset. If people choose to view the world as a horrible

place, then they will most likely not be able to feel a sense of happiness. Furthermore, she says,

“In a nutshell, the fountain of happiness can be found in how you behave, what you think, and

what goals you set every day of your life” (Lyubomirsky 196). In this claim, she is saying that

happiness is based on the way we act and think about our lives. All we have to do is just change

our mindset and try to make ourselves a better person in order to feel happy. ​The only one in the

way of a person’s happiness is themselves​.

While the other authors believe happiness comes from an internal space, Graham Hill

suggests that it comes by removing and separating ourselves from materials externally. Hill
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claims in his article, “Living with Less. A Lot Less.,” “We live in a world of surfeit stuff, of

big-box stores and 24-hour online shopping opportunities. Members of every socioeconomic

bracket can and do deluge themselves with products. There isn’t any indication that any of these

things makes anyone any happier; in fact it seems the reverse may be true”(Hill 308). Hill is

telling us that people are so consumed with materials that they begin to think that materials are

what brings them happiness; but, in fact there is nothing to prove that is the case. ​If anything it

could be bringing people so many problems they do not realize they are having. It could be

affecting their moods and causing them to have problems that can be easily avoided by just

removing themselves from materials​. Furthering his point, Hill states, “In a recent study, the

Northwestern University psychologist Galen linked consumption with aberrant, antisocial

behavior”(Hill 311). By stating this study, Hill is proving that materials cause people to have

problems. It causes them to act differently and only care about getting more stuff; which, leads

them to lose focus on what truly matters and makes them happy.​ This is exactly what Hill is

trying to say, he wants us to know that happiness is not found through unnecessary materials, but

instead through removing materials and focusing on things like family or experiences, such as

trips.​ ​Materials cause people so many unnecessary problems that people should not be worrying

about, if people were to just remove themselves from materials, they would be much happier​.

Although all of these authors have different ideas on what causes our happiness, they are

all trying to figure out the same question. Whether it comes from us internally like The Dalai

Lama and Howard Cutler, David Brooks, and Sonja Lyubomirsky believe it does; or, by

removing ourselves externally from materials like Graham Hill claims it to be. Either way they

are all trying to discover the same thing, which is what is it that makes us happy? But no matter
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how different their ideas are, they all know that it is all up to the person to choose what works for

them.​ The only one that can help someone find happiness is themselves, and the sooner people

realize this the more happier they will be.

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Works Cited

Brooks, David. “What Suffering Does.” ​Pursuing Happiness,​ edited by Matthew Parfitt and

Dawn Skorczewski. Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2015, pp. 284-287.

Hill, Graham. “Living with Less. A Lot Less.” ​Pursuing Happiness​, edited by Matthew Parfitt

and Dawn Skorczewski. Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2015, pp. 308-312.

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

Happiness​, edited by Matthew Parfitt and Dawn Skorczewski. Bedford/St. Martin’s,

2015, pp. 21-32.

Lyubomirsky, Sonja. “How Happy Are You and Why?” ​Pursuing Happiness​, edited by Matthew

Parfitt and Dawn Skorczewski. Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2015, pp. 179-196.