How many of you consider yourselves happy?
How many consider happiness part of health?
And how do you define happiness personally?
I'm asking because there seems to be a lot of (unmerited) crassness and anger here on a board that is supposedly run by and frequented by, a lot of healthy people. Physical health is only one aspect of overall health, and to me, happiness is a huge indicator. I know people who are not especially healthy physically but extremely happy and pleasant to be around, and nothing seems to get them down. I wouldn't consider someone who is physically healthy (functioning and a certain minimum level metabolically) to be any more healthy than someone who is obese or has cancer but is extremely happy in spite of it.
We know that negative emotions correlate with the formation of atherosclerosis and we also know that negative emotions/stress have an epigenetic impact on health over all, where if there were two identical twins, and all else being equal, one is grouchy all the time and feels like a victim, while the other is happy and views the world positively, their physical health eventually diverges respectively. This is just a hypothetical example for the purposes here, but can be seen in reality, twins, if grown in different environments, with different stimuli and perceptions of those stimuli,
will develop differently, whether, slightly as in this image or greatly as in this one...
Happy/positive emotions tend to correlate to good physical health, though not always as mentioned above, and vice versa.
I understand why some are unhappy, atheists (i'm not saying there are not happy atheists out there, there are, but most tend to be cyncial IME) who have no real purpose except to just plod along, no passion. Others who are wrapped up in the drama of things and living in fear, others who have biochemical issues, and some who have rigid dogmatic views that smother their ability to appreciate life in all it's flavors and nuance.
How many can honestly say that happiness is their baseline state and only rarely do they experience constricting emotions such as anger, fear, hate, sadness, guilt, etc? If you can't look at yourself honestly and say that you are happy, that a smile and cheer are standard to your countenance then I encourage you to find whatever it is in life that evokes that in you. Not fleeting things like partying, materials and money, those can certainly augment your happiness or be and expression of it, I'm all for pleasures within this illusion, but I'm talking about a deep and profound happiness that begins deep inside you, that is imperturbable and not swayed by your circumstances, that you carry with you wherever you go and which is fully contagious to others. Life is too short to be a grouch or sad or fearful, everyone can agree that it is far more pleasurable to be happy than the alternative, so spend time cultivating happiness and gratitude for all the wonderful things we get to experience in this world!
