Response

When it comes to happiness, everybody seems to have their own definition depending on their situation, age, culture, and genes. These are the main factors I have concluded that determine a person’s overall happiness. We as humans have the capability to choose our mood, so why is it that so many people are depressed? The same factors that can make you a very happy individual can also be reversed to make you dispirited. I have been through depression so I can tell you what I believe causes a person to be happy or depressed, but overall we are strong enough to choose how we feel. I am choosing to relate and write about some of the same factors that will leave you feeling either way.

The first main path to happiness is relationship. People with a large group of supportive, positive family members and peers usually are happier than people who have lost connection with family and friends. Your school, job, and where you live will determine who you surround yourself with. I love having my family so close to me, but I know many people who aren’t as fortunate. I often hear one of my best friends complaining about how she misses her cousins so much, and having so much distance between them causes her distress. I moved high schools my sophomore year and it was very difficult for me at first because I lost immediate connection with a lot of people from my old high school. It taught me however, that this happens in life. Sometimes you have to leave others behind when you feel a new situation is in your best interest.

The second path to happiness is genetics. In order to feel happiness you need certain levels of serotonin to reach your brain. Some research shows people can be born with different amounts of the gene called 5-HTTLPR. This is the main transporter of serotonin, and if you are not born with the right amount you could possibly be in risk of developing depression, even if nothing catastrophic happens in your life. Relating to being born into a depressing situation or having a gene imbalance, studies show that if a parent or sibling is depressed for a long time you may also become depressed as well. So making sure you surround yourself with positive people is a definite factor to staying happy, no matter what situation you are put into.

The third is culture. Where you are from can determine a lot when it comes to the things that make you happy. For example in Greek culture, happiness was deemed as something beyond human agency, controlled mainly by luck and the gods. In early American culture, Thomas Jefferson’s 1776 Declaration of Independence included the pursuit of happiness along with life and liberty as an unalienable right. In Asian culture today happiness comes from success. There is a lot of competition between Chinese athletes, and students because the winning result from working hard brings happiness to their parents. Those are just some examples of how happiness can vary throughout time periods and cultures. In America’s culture today I think a majority of happiness comes from success and money. Those who have it, like celebrities and politicians, are valued by being placed on the cover of magazines and on television. We have so much freedom being American, so when does the journey towards complete happiness end? Would it be winning the lottery, being promoted to president of a company, traveling the world, or owning a mansion in Hawaii? In my opinion, most American happiness comes from very egocentric and materialistic things. There are however a majority of Americans who get their happiness from simple things like family time, sporting events, and achieving realistic goals.

In my opinion to determine what happy means, you have to feel it for yourself. If you enjoy hanging out with friends, talking on the phone, or going to parties, then your happiness comes from being social. If you are a person who is in the best mood while reading, exploring nature, and doing your own thing, then your happiness comes from more of an introverted place of being. My conclusion is this when it comes to being happy; there is not one definition of happiness, it varies person to person, but being depressed should not be an option for anyone.