5.1 What is happiness?

We all want to be happy. But, what is happiness? Let's start talking about some of the most common answers.

Happiness and money: some elementary mistakes

If money and happiness are so closely related, then you can not be happy without money, right?

But money is a relatively new invention:

• There was no money in the Prehistory.

  • Money is a recent invention. Surely some people were happy before money was invented.

  • Were prehistoric people sometimes happy? Surely there were happy people in Prehistory. 

• Money buys you many things you want. But, are you sure you need all those things to be happy?

• Did prehistoric people need so many things to be happy? They surely needed things, but very different ones than those we need today.

• Future people will probably put their happines in things very different from those we consider indispensable today. 

• • Is it wise to base our complete happiness in just having things?

• • But it is not just having money, does it matter how do we get the money?

Some data about happiness and money

Basic needs and money

In our societies, some amount of money is necessary for covering our basic needs. We can not be happy when our basic needs are not covered.

The question is: How much money do you need for covering your basic needs? And given that money does not grow in the trees, you will need to work. And if you spend most of your time working, chances are you are not going to have free time for the activities that make you happy.

Love and money

• • Which is the richer people? Can you tell just looking at the two pictures?

  • Which is the greater love? Can you tell just looking at the two pictures?

Happiness and fame

For some people, to be famous is the surest path to happiness.

Fame is a very general term, we need to distinguish why people become famous. There are at least two reasons why people become famous:

• • Popularity: to be known by many people. You are famous if many people know who you are.

  • Admiration: many people want to be like you. You are famous if people admire you.

Fame and popularity

• • Popular people in the nineties: 

 A very famous person:

• • Are celebrities happy? Are famous people happier than non famous people?

  • Does popularity bring happiness? Not always.

• • Popularity can be very positive, but it also has some downsides:

Popularity and Fame ≠ Admiration

Some admirable and famous people:

¿Do you know their names and why do we admire them?

Very popular people that we should not admire:

Happiness and health

There are many kinds of illnesses...

Happiness and age

In order to better understand the relationship between happiness and health, we must distinguish between:

• • Disability: not to be able to do something as the rest of people. Sometimes, a disability is the result of an illness (I may not be able to see because of cataracts). Some other times disability is not the result of any illness: I may be born blind.

  • Illness: a malfunction of our body that may result in our death.

  • Pain: a very unpleasant sensation, the opposite of pleasure. Pain may be caused by illness or disability but we should separate one from the other. Some disabilities and illnesses do not cause pain. On the other hand, we feel pain in situations when our body is healthy and capable.

Of these three, which one is more clearly against our happiness?