Happiness,the Holy Grail of Mankind.

   Joining a medical school was a major step that's affected me deeply. It left me troubled with hundreds of thoughts in my little cranium, and a jumble of emotions in my atria. Swings of emotions are becoming more and more prevalent in my life, and I wonder what makes a medical student so fragile? What makes us so prone to loneliness and depression? I couldn't but widen my scope of wonder and indulge myself into studying general arrays of emotions that seem to grip entire nations, and propel them towards a better living, or as I've witnessed it firsthand, a miserable one.

Happiness shortlisted my ideas...We sniff happiness, set out for it and grip onto it till the last breath. I’ve recently discovered that happiness isn't just about understanding a pathology lecture (!) , or breathing in relief after a flipping 3-hour microbiology practical section...no,there's much more to happiness than the alphabets can hold, and yet more ways to achieve that splendorous feeling...

A best friend has once told me : "The best way to view things fairly is to delve deeply and then resurface to get an overall perspective...so let’s dive in!

What is happiness? The most useful definition—and it's one agreed upon by neuroscientists, psychiatrists, behavioral economists, positive psychologists—is more like satisfied or content than "happy" in its strict bursting-with-glee sense. It has depth and deliberation to it. It encompasses living a meaningful life, utilizing your gifts and your time, living with thought and purpose.

Everyone's life has superlative moments—times when we feel extraordinary and our experiences are recorded in bright colours. "It's part of the human condition," says Roland Griffiths, a neuroscientist at Johns Hopkins University. "We're wired to have such experiences." But is it possible to extend these moments of awe and wonder to include each and every second of our lives? Well a rational mind would deem it impossible...Yet psychologists deem a non-stop feeling of contentment and happiness quite achievable.

"Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be". Abraham Lincoln couldn't have been more precise. Adapting oneself to follow an everyday routine of 'mental subtraction strategy' pays off very nicely, so psychologists claim.

It matters whether we think about the good things in our lives in terms of their presence (e.g., "I have a great job") or in terms of their absence (e.g., "Suppose I did not have this great job").This is commonly known as  mental subtraction, and studies show that instructions to imagine the absence of a good event produce more positive emotions than does the simpler strategy of merely thinking. A 'happy' feeling of gratefulness emerges when ,once a day, one jots down three things for which he/she is grateful. One should be reminded to consider good things ordinarily take for granted, like clean water or air conditioning, things that are regarded as comforts as opposed to pleasures - that is, usually notable only when they disappear. Then individuals can be asked to imagine that these good things were absent from their lives. How might this have happened? What would life be like in the absence of these good things? Varying all sorts of good subtractions goes a long way in enhancing this technique, thus lifting up one's mood considerably.

Why does mental subtraction have such good effects? Researchers proposed that mental subtraction works against the human tendency to adapt to good things in our lives and to take them for granted...  There has been real progress in understanding happiness and how to get it. Here are the greatest hits, as it were, that jump out from the research.

Some People Are Born Happy.

Again the role of genetics barges into research and claims that happiness is a hereditary trait that's passed down generation..This is true at a certain level,yet genes happen to be much more maleable than we could have ever thought.Man can change themsevles to adapt to totally new regimes into their lives,and to accept that which is far-fetched ,such as a 24/7 state of happiness.

Achieving What You've Longed for Doesn't Bring Everlasting Happiness!!

Humans are adaptable in a boring way;we quickly get used to many of our accomplishments in life.Right after reaching a milestone,we feel something is missing and thus we being coveting another worldly possession or eyeing a social advancement.Such an approach keeps us tethered to a pathway where happiness is out of reach.It's possible to get off the treadmill entirely, psychologists say, by focusing on activities that are dynamic, surprising, and attention-absorbing, and thus less likely to bore us than, say, rolling skating or engrossing yourself in a new ritual,e.g Night prayers.

Pain is an Unavoidable Part of Happiness

Happiness demands that one confronts their negative feelings head-on, without giving them the chance to overwhelm us.

Russ Harris, a medical doctor-cum-counselor and author of The Happiness Trap, calls popular conceptions of happiness dangerous because they set people up for a "struggle against reality." They don't acknowledge that real life is full of disappointments, loss, and inconveniences. "If you're going to live a rich and meaningful life," Harris says, "you're going to feel a full range of emotions." Happiness would be meaningless if not for sadness: Without the contrast of darkness, there is no light 

Happiness Is Disguised in Setting Out to Achieve Goals.

Action toward goals other than happiness makes us happy. Setting goals and achieving them brings along an uttermost feeling of happiness. And it's not crossing the finish line that is most rewarding; it's anticipating achieving your goal. 

Yes, Money Buys Happiness—At Least Some Money and Some Happiness.

Money does buy happiness, but only up to the point where it enables you to live comfortably. Beyond that, more cash doesn't boost your well-being. But generosity brings true joy, so striking it rich could in fact underwrite your happiness—if you were to give your wealth away

Peer Pressure

The PP effect should never be underestimated! Friends can make successful people out of hopeless cases, and they can certainly change your elated mood to a grumpy one. Status Anxiety discusses the desire of people in many modern societies to "climb the social ladder" and the anxieties that result from a focus on how one is perceived by others.Many folks at college suffer in silence from such a state…to you guys I say : Be yourself and act it out! you’ll feel intense comfort in following your intuition.Happiness is embracing your natural coping style!

Happiness Is Other People

Positive psychologist Chris Peterson, a professor at the University of Michigan, says the best piece of advice to come out of his field is to make strong personal relationships your priority. Eleanor Roosevelt once said “Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give.”What's better than wiping a tear off an orphan's cheeks,or cheering up a miserable pal?

Don’t Forget Your Happiness Homework!

One can certainly increase their positive feelings by incorporating some new practices into their routine. Psychologists suggest you express your gratitude toward someone in a letter or in a weekly journal, visualize the best possible future for yourself once a week, and perform acts of kindness for others on a regular basis to lift your mood in the moment and over time.

So live it up and laugh it off,don't get bugged by the trivial,and shake off any pressuring peer-dust from your life...Keep in mind :
"A calamity that makes you turn to Allah is better for you than a blessing which makes you forget the remembrance of Allah" - Ibn Taymiyyah.

Alaa Muhammed Hijazi