Is Happiness really a state of mind?

Question

Is this a true saying or just another made up saying?

Answer 1

I've heard that saying, but I don't believe it. I think there is more to happiness than thinking you are happy. I think there are alot of factors that make a person happy. Just my personal opinion.

Answer 2

yes, happiness is only a state of mind and nothing else. See, when we get upset or something wrong has happened then try to make you mind feel happy and it really works.
The same way sadness is also a state of mind. And so moksha tend to remove all the states and and the moment when one has achieved moksha, there are no states left in that human. You will find many such kind of people in Girnar, or in Himalaya, near Narmada river, near Gunga river, many many holy places.

Answer 3

Actually Happiness is just a warm gun .. this the beatles did say. But beyond that I would say you can be happy without the trappings of the new world. So yes it is a state of mind.

Answer 4

Happiness is generic, and is applied to almost
every kind of enjoyment except that of the animal
appetites. It ia a state of well-being
characterized by emotions ranging from contentment
to intense joy. These include: bliss, joy, joyous,
carefree, jubilant, exultant, cheerful, playful,
amused, fun, glad, gay, gleeful, jolly, jovial,
delighted, euphoric, ecstatic, thrilled, elated,
enraptured, comfortable, harmonious, and
triumphant. Societies, religions, and individuals
have various views on the nature of happiness and
how to pursue it.

Only saint-like persons, who feel that they are no
longer interested in the external world, think
that happiness is within. For many persons,
nothing can make them happy. Our minds are as
different as our finger prints - no two are alike.
Listening to loud music makes one happy and makes
another unhappy. Hence, there can be no single
definition for happiness. It is probably
impossible to objectively define happiness as
humans know and understand it, as internal
experiences are subjective by nature. Because of
this, explaining happiness as experienced by one
individual is as pointless as trying to define the
color green such that a completely color blind
person could understand the experience of seeing
green.

As a state and a subject, it has been pursued and
commented on extensively throughout world history.

"Call no man happy till he is dead." - Aeschylus

"Happiness is a positive cash flow." - Fred Adler

"Many persons have a wrong idea of what
constitutes true happiness. It is not attained
through self-gratification but through fidelity to
a worthy purpose." - Joseph Addison

"True happiness arises, in the first place, from
the enjoyment of one's self, and in the next, from
the friendship and conversation of a few select
companions." - Joseph Addison

Happiness is often associated with the presence of
favourable circumstances such as a supportive
family life, a loving marriage, and economic
stability. Kali Yuga, the age of darkness, is the
time when these favourables are difficult to find.

Unfavorable circumstances - such as abusive
relationships, accidents, loss of employment, and
conflicts - diminish the amount of happiness a
person experiences. In all nations, factors such
as hunger, disease, crime, corruption, and warfare
can decrease happiness. However, according to
several ancient and modern thinkers, happiness is
influenced by the attitude and perspective taken
on such circumstances.

From the observation that fish must become happy
by swimming, and birds must become happy by
flying. Aristotle points to the unique abilities
of man as the route to happiness. Of all the
animals only man can sit and contemplate reality.
Of all the animals only man can develop social
relations to the political level. Thus the
contemplative life of a monk or professor, or the
political life of a military commander or
politician will be the happiest according to their
own psyche.

The following is the self-reported positive affect
(i.e. positive emotion) during the day by 909
employed women in USA:

Activities and their positive effect index:

Intimate relations 5.10
Socializing 4.59
Relaxing 4.42
Pray/Worship/Meditate 4.35
Eating 4.34
Exercising 4.31
Watching TV 4.19
Shopping 3.95
Preparing food 3.93
On the phone 3.92
Napping 3.87
Taking care of
my children 3.86
Computer/Email/
Internet 3.81
Housework 3.73
Working 3.62
Commuting 3.45

Interaction with partners:

w/ friends 4.36
w/ relatives 4.17
w/ spouse/Significant
other 4.11
w/ children 4.04
w/ clients/customers 3.79
w/ co-workers 3.76
w/ boss 3.52
alone 3.41

Further, happiness is not entirely psychological
in nature - it has got a biological basis too. The
neurotransmitter dopamine is involved in desire
and seems often related to pleasure. Pleasure can
be induced artificially with drugs. Use of drugs
is not some thing new, it has been used by many
including Sanyasis since millenia.

Answer 5

YES................and this answer is an ABSOLUTE.
Read about the "Self fulfilling prophecy" What you believe to be will be. Your frame of mind and your perception of others and what goes on around you; is ALL about what you make of it.
Do it; Google the theory of the "Self Fulfilling Prophecy"
you will find that this is not just a saying but a way of life.

Answer 6

I think it is