The term happiness is used in the context of mental or emotional states, including positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy.[1] It is also used in the context of life satisfaction, subjective well-being, eudaimonia, flourishing and well-being.[2]<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since the 1960s, happiness research has been conducted in a wide variety of scientific disciplines, including gerontology, social psychology and positive psychology, clinical and medical research and happiness economics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Happiness’ is the subject of debate on usage and meaning,[3][4][5][6][7] and on possible differences in understanding by culture.[8][9]<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The word is mostly used in relation to two factors:[10]<\/p>\n\n\n\n
the current experience of the feeling of an emotion (affect) such as pleasure or joy,[1] or of a more general sense of ’emotional condition as a whole’.[11] For instance Daniel Kahneman has defined happiness as “what I experience here and now”.[12] This usage is prevalent in dictionary definitions of happiness.[13][14][15]appraisal of life satisfaction, such as of quality of life.[16] For instance Ruut Veenhoven has defined happiness as “overall appreciation of one’s life as-a-whole.”[17][18] Kahneman has said that this is more important to people than current experience.[19][20][21]<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some usages can include both of these factors. Subjective well-being (swb)[22] includes measures of current experience (emotions, moods, and feelings) and of life satisfaction.[nb 1] For instance Sonja Lyubomirsky has described happiness as “the experience of joy, contentment, or positive well-being, combined with a sense that one’s life is good, meaningful, and worthwhile.”[23] Eudaimonia,[24] is a Greek term variously translated as happiness, welfare, flourishing, and blessedness. Xavier Landes[25] has proposed that happiness include measures of subjective wellbeing, mood and eudaimonia.[26]<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These differing uses can give different results.[27][28] For instance the correlation of income levels has been shown to be substantial with life satisfaction measures, but to be far weaker, at least above a certain threshold, with current experience measures.[29][30] Whereas Nordic countries often score highest on swb surveys, South American countries score higher on affect-based surveys of current positive life experiencing.[31]<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The implied meaning of the word may vary depending on context,[32] qualifying happiness as a polyseme and a fuzzy concept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A further issue is when measurement is made; appraisal of a level of happiness at the time of the experience may be different from appraisal via memory at a later date.[33][34]<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some users accept these issues, but continue to use the word because of its convening power.[35]<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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