Happiness is within our capacities

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/mental-health-condition-happiness-worry-happy-sadness-a9027381.html

Happiness, as the Brazilian poet Vinicius de Moraes put it, is “like a feather flying in the air. It flies light, but not for very long”. Happiness is a human construct, an abstract idea with no equivalent in actual human experience. Positive and negative affects do reside in the brain, but sustained happiness has no biological basis. And – perhaps surprisingly – I reckon this is something to be happy about.

Yes, happiness doesn’t last. Anyway, I have just read on the net that "There are three main things that make people happy: close relationships, a job or past-time that they love and helping others. On the other hand, money and material things do not have a lot to do with happiness, and people who emphasize them are less happy than those who do not"
I have read that sentence with a lot of interest and compared it to what Huxley said in his book "brave new world". For him people could live happily with the help of "soma", the drug that keeps them docile but content. In fact, soma doesn't exist and we can see for ourselves that happiness pills  which alter the mind can lead people to commit suicide
What  about "the flow" which is the state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter even time and space ? It is very interesting to see que that “flow” makes people  very happy. In that sense blessed those who have a passion. However, sometimes, it can destroy their lives. There is always the dark side in everything .
Anyway we are not designed to be constantly happy are we ? the article says that we are meant to survive and reproduce and  "fight off difficulties".Happiness is never taken for granted

What if the solution were in hormones and neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin, commonly known as "happiness hormones"? In my view point it is sad to think that happiness consists of hormones in the brain with  a simple chemical reaction. I prefer to think of it as the acquisition of mindfulness when meditating, and of forgetting oneself, of loving people, of achieving one's goals, in the doing not the receiving. The key to happiness lies in the finding your flow doesn't it ?
What do you think of that?

MurielB a écrit:The key to happiness lies in the finding your flow doesn't it ?
What do you think of that?

Spinoza tells us about that but what is the  flow state ? It is the present at which Time touches Eternity. 

Csikszentmihalyi a écrit:In that geninely statisfying state of consciousness called , people  experience deep enjoyment, creativity, and a total involvement with life

To be happy, we must also achieve our deep nature. It is the same for all elements of the universe :  plants, trees, animals...When we achieve it we are in joy but otherwise we are in sadness
Spinoza explains 2 different ways to reach happiness
Like Confusius: we are like the old man who no longer has desire and reaches wisdom
Like the child who marvels freely and trusts life.

A twin study of over 2,000 twins from the Minnesota Twin Registry found that approximately 50% of life satisfaction is due to genetics. This leaves 40% attributable to intentional activities and 10% attributable to external events.

Anyway happiness may lie in our genes
https://positivepsychology.com/is-happiness-genetic/
Or may develop in our childhood
https://www.gottman.com/blog/how-a-parents-affection-shapes-a-childs-happiness-for-life/

n 2010, researchers at Duke University Medical School found that babies with very affectionate and attentive mothers grow up to be happier, more resilient, and less anxious adults

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2019/mar/18/can-you-eat-yourself-happier-nutritional-psychiatry-mental-health

That healthier diet may vary from country to country, but research has shown that, regardless of where you live, eating closer to a traditional, pre-industrial diet rich in plant foods, fish, unrefined grains and fermented foods, with less meat and highly palatable processed and snack foods, reduces your risk of depression. It could be the Mediterranean diet or Japanese cuisine rich in fish, seaweed, green tea and tofu, Jacka writes: “There’s not just one healthy way to eat.”

Hi everyone
Serotonin, the happiness hormone, is produced by our brain from an animo acid called tryptophan. Our body does not synthesize it, so we have to get it from our food.


The following foods are good sources of tryptophan:

• Salmon. This oily fish is also a source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for health. ...
  
• Poultry. Poultry includes chicken, turkey, and goose. ...
  
• Eggs. Some ways of cooking and preparing eggs are more healthful than others. ...
  
• Spinach. ...
  
• Seeds. ...
  
• Milk. ...
  
• Soy products. ...
  
• Nuts.
  

It is important to note that gluten intolerance (gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley and rye) makes children sad. As soon as they stop eating gluten, they are a lot better !