Happiness
What makes a person happy? If people want to be happy, should they seek money and professional success? Many experts are trying to find out the obstacles to happiness and the ways to overcome them. The strategies they have offered are simple yet effective: to be true to oneself, avoid comparison with others financially, and welcome laws and rules that increase the general happiness of the population.
One of the chief obstacles to happiness is being untrue to one’s real desire. Researchers have found that people who follow their authentic desires generally report being happier than those who do not. At its core, authenticity implies discovering and pursuing what people care about most. Take Linda's choice of career as an example. She found herself caught in the middle between her own dream of being a navigator and following her parents' advice of becoming a teacher. Her compromise to family expectations and social traditions has caused her lifelong regret. Therefore, people need to be true to themselves to increase the sense of personal happiness.
Finally, people often benefit from some laws and social rules, which may even cost money, like paying taxes. People need to realize that some taxes can make the public happier, because they improve the overall quality of life. In one study of cigarette taxes, researchers conclude that “taxes may affect the happiness of former smokers (by making it easier to resist the temptation to resume smoking) or would-be smokers (by making it easier to never start smoking).” This example demonstrates how social rules can lead to the general happiness of its population, even through the apparently negative practice of increased taxation. Taxes also contribute to the funds available for other social purposes. This further proves the need for taxation.
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These are merely three ways that scholars of happiness studies have recommended to help enhance personal happiness. People should seek to live as their authentic selves in their personal and professional lives. They should avoid social comparison and live within their means. Furthermore, they should welcome any practice that increases the general happiness of the population. Everyone says they want to be happy, and happiness studies may help people learn how to lead happier lives rather than to passively expect happiness to find them.
