The Great Buddha left home in search of enlightenment -- trying to understand what is a human being's ultimate trip in life... what is it that sends us in pursuit of happiness! The famous Scottish tale "The Happy Man's Shirt" tells us about a king in search of happiness that he believes lies in some material artefact until he meets a poor farmhand who is "the happiest man in the world" and yet wore no shirt.
Shirin Ali writes in The Hill report titled: "Albert Einstein revealed the secret to happiness—and he used just 17 words" that in 1922, during a trip to Japan, Einstein gave a hotel bellboy a stack of signed notes (with notings in German), which included ideas of what it meant to be happy.
“A calm and modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of success combined with constant restlessness," wrote Albert Einstein.
Albert Einstein suggested that a modest life can bring more happiness to someone than one stuck in the pursuit of success. Einstein’s note on happiness was deemed incredibly valuable, selling for $1.8 million back in 2017.
Einstein's definition of the idea of how to achieve happiness is complied with by Frank T Andrew, professor of psychology at Knox College, as quoted by Space.com. “We work very hard to reach a goal, anticipating the happiness it will bring. Unfortunately, after a brief fix, we quickly slide back to our baseline, ordinary way-of-being and start chasing the next thing we believe will almost certainly – and finally – make us happy," Professor Andrew said.
People who describe themselves as happy tend to have fewer health problems, a lower risk of depression, and longer lives, reports a long-standing Harvard study. Matthew Solan, Executive Editor, Harvard Men's Health Watch writes about how health and happiness go hand in hand, and how most people can increase their happiness.
Clinical Psychologist Insha Jagirdar says, "Happiness can be defined as a state of mind in which an individual experiences a plethora of emotions such as joy, contentment, satisfaction and a sense of overall well being."
Jagirdar says that every individual has a baseline of happiness which is his/her average level of happiness that they maintain throughout their life. The level of the individual's happiness fluctuates according to the ups and downs of life but then it returns to the baseline.
She has a recipe that each of us can follow to ensure that happiness does not become that elusive bird of paradise that flies away with our mojo in life.
- Surround yourself with a positive environment.
- Do something you love.
- Accept your flaws and focus on your positive qualities.
- Be kind.
- Learn to be content.