Is happiness determined by personality or condition?

Question

I tend to believe the answer lies between. But I would lean toward personality.

You can have almost nothing, and still be "happy". But no matter what you have, you could always be wanting more. Some of the wealthy and beautiful are not happy. Yet some brought up in lacking environments are just as happy, or arguably happier.

Examples at the extremes, Halle Barry and Rosie O. suffered from depression.

Some have to work to be optomistic.

Answer 1

The deciding factor for happiness seems to be judgment. The least judgmental people seem to be the happiest.

Judgmental people are always finding things that they don't like so they are more likely to discover/judge something to be unhappy about.

Love and blessings Don

Answer 2

I've always maintained that being happy is a choice and you have to work at it. Wait...not true -- I've not always thought that, but as a recovering alcoholic and one who has had serious bouts of depression, I've learned that being happy is a choice. You are also right about maintaining happiness taking work. It's like anything else, at first you have to put effort into to get anything positive out of it...but after a while....Let's use a driving analogy: First time you drove a car, you were white-knuckled on the steering wheel with the hands at 10 and 2, slow, careful an trying like mad not to hit anything. A year later, you're cruising the streets, relaxed, windows down, tunes playing ENJOYING a pleasant evening drive. The difference? You're a lot better at driving, more comfortable -- it feels right. Happiness is no different...once it becomes second-nature, you can't get rid of it.
(Hey, at least I didn't use the bicycle analogy...)

Answer 3

I think that it's your attitude towards life that determines true happiness, and how you choose to look at situations in life. Those who are stressed or unhappy are that way because they don't look at their life as being happy - they see all the negative aspects of their life, such as Halle, O'Donell, etc. they see all of the things that have gone horribly wrong (they may blow up the situation in their own minds) due to their own popularity. it's not so much happy personality as it is a happy attitude, which may or may not be based on personality...i can be a real cynic and negative person, but i'm happy because i have good friends who i value and will listen patiently to me.

It's also largely based on what one values, which doesn't necessarily depend on personality. a very poor person could value community, friends, and family above wealth and be happy in some kind of communal (yet poor) setting.

On values, it really depends on what you value as well. Family could work, but money may not. You may give a very high value to wealth in connection with happiness, but you will always want for more wealth in life and you'll never be satisfied. If i value good friends, then i might be satisfied with a few...but if i valued the number of friends i had, i would always want more and never be happy.

Happiness is a whole lot of things...it's one's attitude towards life, it depends on what they value to make them happy and whether they get it or not, and it depends on circumstance itself, which is never predictable.

I hope my answer helps!

Answer 4

Both Halle Berry and Rosie have high stress jobs, depression isn't surprising in the least. They have to deal with a lot.

I think that happiness comes from living healthfully. If one has a healthy mind and body one will be happy.

Answer 5

Condition.

I have often wondered why people that live on a tropical Island want to leave and people who don't live on a tropical Island want to live there.
Basically, it is about employment.
Tropical Islands don't have that much in the way of employment.
It is just the opposite for not living on a tropical Island.
(The grass is always greener.)

So, imagine yourself growing up on a tropical Island, with no knowledge of the rest of the world.
Then, I show up showing you computers, DVD's, Ipods. etc.
I don't think you would be happy with what you have.

I smoke. Now, I have to hear about how bad it is for me.
I could have been happy smoking and dying of cancer.
but not anymore.

Ignorance is bliss!

Answer 6

I pretty much agree with what you said. But I think that the attitudes of people close to us in our formative years have something to do with it as well. I think people who grow up in happy homes whether rich or poor will have a higher probability of being happy in thier adult lives. They learn to be happy.

Answer 7

Happiness is neither determined by personality or condition. It is a inner state of one's being or consciousness. Read the book "Another Thought" by OC Tross. This book will answer your question fully.

Answer 8

Happiness is just like meaning of life..... the more you look for it or seek it, you find it elusive.... once you leave it be as it were, suddenly you find it right inside your own mind. On this perspective, I find happiness squarely dependent on the inner personality.

Answer 9

Both. Read the first pages of Robinson Crusoe for a good explanation.

Answer 10

happiness is a learned state of mind, there are people who seem to be constantly unhappy, and people who are happy seem to be happy in spite of what life blows to them