Happiness, it's such an easy word to say when you think about it. We must say it at least ten times a day. At least ten times a day we can say this word without realizing its weight.

Happiness is a funny thing when you think about it because it so hard to measure. It's something that I think of from time to time. So let's talk about it.

How do you measure happiness?

The most useful indicator in measuring your happiness would be based on the relationships and bonds that you have with others. There is a human need to have a connection with others when those connections are damaged there is a personal impact. While the weakest indicator of measuring happiness is using the groupthink method. It is irrational to base your happiness on what others tell you should make you satisfied.

This may be easy to state, but it is something that we do every day, especially in my generation. We have the tendency to follow what others do, especially in groups. Then we base our happiness on their approval of our success. Illogical yet this pattern persists to this day.

With all of this in mind, I do think that happiness should be a useful predictor of a person’s well-being. In this, I mean the psychological sense of emotions such as happiness are process by the brain. These bonds, relationships, and stress that we feel are all processed by the brain. So psychologically, yes happiness is a useful indicator.

Maintaining happiness deals with the aspects of your life that you prioritize to be important. Psychologists like Dr. Robert Emmings, have equated maintaining happiness to maintaining the gratitude you have for those in your life. I have learned so far in that in order for me to reduce stress there is a need to have a supportive social circle and interaction. Focusing on things negatively such as your financial status, using groupthink methodology or having negative people in your life will only increase stress. This chain reaction will only result in the reduction of your state of happiness.

In all, happiness is very amusing and at times almost impossible to define. Although there are aspects and people in our life that can add to our happiness. As the spiritual leader and author Dr. David Steindl-Rast said best, “it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy”.