By Ustahdha Bint Ahmad
Each and every human is in pursuit of happiness, whether it be a child, or an adult, a Muslim or a non-Muslim, and this is a true fact. In order to achieve this true happiness, one must comprehend what this emotion really is. Happiness is ‘feeling, causing, or giving pleasure’ and it is being ‘satisfied’ according to the Oxford dictionary. It is essential to understand the psychology of happiness so we know how much of it we have control over.
James Montier published his research into ‘The Pshchology of Happiness’ and learned that happiness was composed of three elements:
- About 50% of individual happiness comes from a genetic set point. That is, we’re each predisposed to a certain level of happiness. Some of us are just naturally more inclined to be cheery than others.
- About 10% of our happiness is due to our circumstances. Our age, race, gender, personal history, and, yes, wealth, only make up about one-tenth of our happiness.
- The remaining 40% of an individual’s happiness seems to be derived from intentional activity, from “discrete actions or practices that people can choose to do”.