Happiness is a choice.

[QUOTE="topsemag55"]If you have a bad day, you aren't forced to feeling either sad or angry, you are in effect choosing which way to be even if it is subconciously. You can choose to worry about something, and in turn choose not to worry. I don't believe that I don't have control over my own emotions.Frame_Dragger

Well yes and no. If you're clinically glum then that's a tough one. Depends on the context, however but general fluctuations in mood we can exert a lttle control over, and we can do things to pick ourselves up or we can sit and find reasons to justify and perpetuate a state of unhappiness.

Happiness is a choice. That does not mean it is not okay to have down days, but in terms of overall happiness, certainly a choice.

happiness is self delusion wololololLiftedHeadshot

Nothing wrong with being a little delusional.

"Happiness is a choice."

Rikusaki

Happiness is only real when shared.Rikusaki

Not so much "real" but is best shared ^.^

Who ever said that is an idiot.

[QUOTE="SUD123456"]

Happiness is a choice, unless you suffer a medical condition like depression.

You are confusing the general statement/approach with some sort of fake argument of universal applicability in every circumstance. That is not what is meant by the phrase.

You can ask yourself how to respond at any time and at any particular time you can choose to shrug it off and move on. That doesn't mean that every single time you can or should attempt to do so.A general rule allows for exceptions, which is why it is a generaland not universally applicable. It is healthy to be unhappy at times, like for instance when someone dies. That doesn't change the general statement.

DocDelicious

If you take meds for depression then what you just said is invalid. I too suffer from chronic/clinial depression and I take no meds (as of yet) and I can say for sure, if happiness was a choice, I wouldn't have gottn depressed in the first place.

Well, self-pity and self-loathing only impede the path to finding it.foxhound_fox

this. and these states are largely a choice. not a simple or easy choice, but you can still choose. so happiness itself is not a choice, BUT you can make a great number of choices that could get you there.

I find saddness and happiness to be a thing one can work on. If you can train your emotions then you can be happy most of your life, even in times of trouble. I started off by stop putting myself down for things as simple as- missing a goal in Football, then moved onto - when failing an exam, always thought possitive and fixed what went wrong. I find if you can change your attitude so that when things go wrong, you think of the good things out of it, have a possitive attitude towards all things in life and most people will find that they will be a lot happier, and in turn making life so much easier.

So yes, happiness and saddness is a choice, if you tend to look at the bad in everything ( have a bad attitude ) then yes, you will have a very sad life. If you have a good attitude and come out of bad situations thinking of the positives, then you will enjoy life extremely more and be happy, thus in turn making you a better person.

In general, the decisions you make in your life determine the quality of your life, and your overall happiness level. So "happiness is a choice" is certainly very true as a general statement.

As far as saying that to someone who's feeling down though, that's just dumb. Even a person who is generally very happy will feel down sometimes, and feeding them that line, at that time, is ridiculous. It's not like you can just flip a switch and become genuinely happy at any moment - that's moronic.

Your parents died in car crash, you're an orphan and nobody wants to adopt you. It's your fault if you're not happy; you could have chosen happiness...

Yes, makes a lot of sense... :|

Happiness is a warm gun.

Happiness didn't exist up until about a few hundred years ago. It isn't a natural emotion.meetroid8

Happiness didn't exist up until about a few hundred years ago. It isn't a natural emotion.meetroid8

[QUOTE="meetroid8"] Happiness didn't exist up until about a few hundred years ago. It isn't a natural emotion.Jandurin

Happiness didn't exist up until about a few hundred years ago. It isn't a natural emotion.meetroid8

I agree.

[QUOTE="Jandurin"][QUOTE="meetroid8"] Happiness didn't exist up until about a few hundred years ago. It isn't a natural emotion.rawsavon

Happiness didn't exist up until about a few hundred years ago. It isn't a natural emotion.meetroid8

[QUOTE="meetroid8"] Happiness didn't exist up until about a few hundred years ago. It isn't a natural emotion.MgamerBD

Happiness is a new concept derived in the past century. Nobody really does know what it means to be happy. People used to just live, work, and survive. Happiness is a luxary we can afford in the age of technology.

Happiness is a new concept derived in the past century.

Wasdie

Within the past few decades, actually.

[QUOTE="Wasdie"]

Happiness is a new concept derived in the past century.

coolbeans90

Within the past few decades, actually.

[QUOTE="coolbeans90"]

[QUOTE="Wasdie"]

Happiness is a new concept derived in the past century.

Jandurin

Within the past few decades, actually.

as a kid no

after - hell yaa

Perhaps those that believe it to be a new invention have not yet learned how to be happy themselves...usually more of a state of being than any particular set of circumstances (except in extreme cases)rawsavon

God :lol: My mum says stuff like that all the time to me, gets on my nerves so much. It's about as wrong as can be.Overlord93

ITT: You find out who in OT takes control of their life and who just lets things get to them. Also for some reason no one was happy before our time....ever :|

[QUOTE="Overlord93"]God :lol: My mum says stuff like that all the time to me, gets on my nerves so much. It's about as wrong as can be.xaos

[QUOTE="xaos"][QUOTE="Overlord93"]God :lol: My mum says stuff like that all the time to me, gets on my nerves so much. It's about as wrong as can be.dkdk999

I like the realness of this topic, therefore I agree with the TC.

[QUOTE="dkdk999"][QUOTE="xaos"] I can't imagine what it must be like to have no control over your internal life; sounds awfulxaos

Lets say someone slaps you on the back with some force. You can choose whether to take it in your stride, or parhaps cry out and make a fuss. You decide how to react.

But now lets say if someone thwacks you round the back of the head with a cricket bat, you can't just decide it didn't hurt.

[QUOTE="xaos"][QUOTE="dkdk999"] No control of your internal life ? what exactly do you mean ? Overlord93

Lets say someone slaps you on the back with some force. You can choose whether to take it in your stride, or parhaps cry out and make a fuss. You decide how to react.

But now lets say if someone thwacks you round the back of the head with a cricket bat, you can't just decide it didn't hurt.

Some folks ITT seem to indicate that their feelings and emotions are the result of things beyond their control. I can't control everything that happens in my life, but I certainly have say in how I respond to it and feel about it.xaos

Lets say someone slaps you on the back with some force. You can choose whether to take it in your stride, or parhaps cry out and make a fuss. You decide how to react.

But now lets say if someone thwacks you round the back of the head with a cricket bat, you can't just decide it didn't hurt.

[QUOTE="Overlord93"][QUOTE="xaos"] Some folks ITT seem to indicate that their feelings and emotions are the result of things beyond their control. I can't control everything that happens in my life, but I certainly have say in how I respond to it and feel about it.xaos

Lets say someone slaps you on the back with some force. You can choose whether to take it in your stride, or parhaps cry out and make a fuss. You decide how to react.

But now lets say if someone thwacks you round the back of the head with a cricket bat, you can't just decide it didn't hurt.

Life is a choice. :|

Aww, many lulz would've been had if you agreed with your title.

Anyways you should've made an onlive thread Rikusaki, what happened to all of those?

Life is a choice. :|

deuce4eva

I don't think happiness is not a choice because it is dictated by the circumstances in your life. You need to be physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually healthy to be truly happy and that is not possible for everyone. You also need to have some money in order to be really happy and it has been proven that money can really bring some happiness to a lot of people.

So I don't think happiness is a choice because it is determined by your circumstances in life, circumstances which you cannot always control. I have never seen any happy people who don't have enough food to eat and I've never seen any happy people who have some serious illness.

Life is not a choice either. You are just born into this world and you don't really have any say in the matter.

In this world, you gotta work for it. Well, maybe it comes easier for some than it does others. But for the most part, if you don't work for it at all, you might find yourself unhappy.