The Art of Happiness - Introduction

Being happy is one of the most fundamental requirements of a living being. Since the beginning of the human civilization, man has also been trying to develop new technologies, make new tools and improve his lifestyle for the sole purpose of attaining happiness. However, in its race of scientific endeavor and pursuit of money and luxuries, man is hardly aware of what exactly constitutes happiness.

Happiness is defined as the state in which a living being expresses pleasure and contentment. It is the state in which negative stress levels are at the lowest, even if not zero and positive stress boosts the person’s positive emotions.

Importance of Happiness for a Nation

Happiness is the purpose behind the functioning of nations and societies at large. Happy individuals are found to be more successful in their jobs and tend to pass on positive vibes to the people around them.

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was used to measure the development status of nations. However, these days Happiness Index is catching up as the preferred parameter for judging the success of a nation. On this scale of Happiness Index, many nations which ranked higher in GDP, scored low on Happiness Index. This shows that all institutions of mankind are driven by the purpose of achieving happiness in life; schools impart education for us to be literate and get a job, meditation centers promise happiness through meditation and hospitals make people happy through successful treatments and so on.

Happiness is a non-tangible entity

Happiness is a non-tangible entity that cannot be found in luxuries and riches. Although materialistic entities can boost our happiness levels, but only for a short-term. It is the state of mind and our perceptions that shape our idea about happiness and determines our contentment level too.

Before proceeding with this tutorial, it is very important for the reader to understand that there will be tips and techniques which may sound absurd or which may sound conflicting to your goals. However, to attain happiness, the steps mentioned will be necessary.

The reader is also expected to find an answer to what he/she wants in life. The tutorial nowhere discourages the readers to renounce the world or not to earn money, but lays down a plan to focus on the more important aspects in life and to train the mind to focus on them. The tutorial emphasis on changing the common habits developed in one’s life.

Here, we will look into all that constitutes real happiness. The chapters will also delve into the mistakes are committed by people in their attempt to attain happiness and the myths that surround the concept of happiness. The tutorial will cover the steps to be happier in life and will also cover various techniques to measure progress.