People universally desire to be happy, yet “even when people’s lives are good, many feel less than happy, and may be beset by anxiety and depression.” In fact, philosopher Eric Hoffer said, “The search for happiness is one of the chief sources of unhappiness.” Some of the reasons include setting very high expectations, comparison to others, and concern about and tracking happiness which increase judgment. Suspending judgment about happiness, and accepting emotions as natural and valuable instead of monitoring them are among the ways to increase happiness according to a recent study. Social connection and culture are important as well. “If we can live our lives fully, mindfully, without looking beyond, true happiness might emerge.”
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