After countless adventures, Chris Gardner (Will Smith) lands his dream job. His immediate reaction was to go out into the street, applaud himself for the effort he had put in for so many months, and run to hug his son, with whom he had endured the bad moments of life. After all this storm, Gardner achieved happiness.
For Gardner, happiness was finally finding the financial stability he had fought so hard for. However, throughout the movie different scenarios are presented where people are happy in their own way: the businessman who enjoys watching his soccer team play, the lady who likes to watch TV, and the people who help others. Happiness on tape is not defined as something unique, as it has different nuances for each character.
The complexity of defining happiness
Research coordinator in the Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health at the UNAM School of Medicine, Ingrid Vargas Hoicoechea, said: Definition of happiness It is a complex task, because it is constantly evolving and each human being perceives it in his own way.
Historically we have different concepts of happiness. Socrates stated that this is found in helping others; Plato asserted that one is so happy that one adopts virtues from a deity; Aristotle said that in himself. So I think it’s a subjective condition because each of us understands happiness differently. But we can say that this is a pleasant, satisfying and intense subjective state that each person perceives in a different way, while respecting the vision of the other, ”explained the academician.
When talking about perception, the curator points to the fact that happiness mainly depends on how one perceives things, people, and moments.
For example, to be happy you have to put aside consumerism, because having more or having the best will not make us happy; Although we should always aspire to things that are worthwhile, this is like the path to happiness, not happiness itself. Being happy also means living in the present and loving people as they are, that is, not changing their essence, because human beings are always in constant change and no one is born to please others.
The PERMA model of happiness
In the late 1990s, psychologist Martin Seligman developed the PERMA model, which “allows us to be happier.” This model consists of five elements, which Vargas Huicochea explains below:
- positive emotions. Such as gratitude, love, pleasure, peace and hope.
- Link (commitment).
To keep those activities and people that allow us to enter into an optimal state of operation.
- Relationships (positive relationships). Healthy relationships enrich. If we share happiness with other people, it becomes a positive circuit because we make that feeling flow in a wonderful way. Spending time with people who make us happy is a great investment.
- Meaning and purpose. Work on what makes sense to us.
- Achievement (success and a sense of accomplishment). It means setting goals, because, once achieved, they will serve to make us feel efficient, and to enhance our autonomy.
Dr. Ingrid Vargas highlighted that the PERMA model is often used by psychotherapists to treat people with depression or anxiety, and also by people looking for better strategies for achieving well-being.
Happiness should not be imposed
Being happy is everything all people deserve. However, when Happiness becomes an obligation It turns out the other way around. To be happy, according to the specialist, it is necessary to go through other states of mind that may not be favorable, but that allow us to grow.
“You don’t have to ‘buy’ to be happy all the time, because it gets too complicated. Imposing happiness is a burden that’s hard to bear. For example, pregnant women are told, after their postpartum period, that they should feel happy because they have a baby, but Not all of them really feel that way. There are some who feel sad and it’s okay for them to live that. We don’t have to feel like we have to be happy all the time. Positive and negative emotions are there for a reason, and you have to learn to come to terms with them.
Are we happy Mexicans?
In the World Happiness Report 2023 conducted by the United Nations, Mexico ranked 36th. To implement this number, the international organization takes into account six factors: gross domestic product, life expectancy, social support, generosity, positive and negative affection, and environmental footprint.
“We did well this year, and the peculiarity of the Mexican people has a lot to do with that, because we always have an attitude going forward. Today may have been bad for us, but we know we can turn it around tomorrow. We succeed in small victories,” Vargas Hoicochea commented.
How to avoid unhappiness?
Just as happiness depends on us, unhappiness is also under our control. We mentioned earlier that happiness is not a state in which we must live permanently, because it is also necessary to feel sadness, anger and indifference; But feeling unhappy most of the time is not appropriate, as we can even feel depressed or anxious.
According to the university expert, these are some of the habits that lead us to unhappiness:
- Be a pessimist. You are preparing situations that have not yet happened: “I won’t get the job,” “I’m going to work badly during the week.” And this kind of comment adds up.
- constantly complaining. You only focus on the negative things that happen to you.
- Compare yourself to others. “We have to see what we’re doing and build achievable goals. If we focus on other people, on how they live, and what they have, we are more likely to be unhappy.”
- Wait for the future. Living thinking about what’s to come instead of enjoying the present can breed anxiety and frustration.
- Play the victim. Adopting a victim position in all situations prevents us from taking responsibility and taking control of our lives.
Happiness is a personal and subjective process that varies according to the individual. UNAM expert Dr. Ingrid Vargas Hoicoechea stresses the importance of not imposing happiness as a permanent state and learning to manage our emotions, both positive and negative. The PERMA model, developed by psychologist Martin Seligman, provides a guide for achieving emotional well-being and avoiding falling into unhappiness.
Outstanding information
- Happiness is a subjective and complex state that varies between individuals and contexts.
- Subjective perception affects how we experience happiness.
- Consumerism and unrealistic expectations can get in the way of happiness.
- The PERMA model proposes five essential components of emotional well-being: positive feelings, commitment, positive relationships, purpose, meaning, and achievement.
- Happiness should not be imposed as a permanent state; It is important to experience and manage different emotions.
- Mexico is ranked 36th in the United Nations World Happiness Report 2023.
- Habits such as pessimism, constant complaining, comparing yourself to others, focusing on the future, and adopting a victim attitude can lead to unhappiness.
Leave your comment
“Creator. Devoted pop culture specialist. Certified web fanatic. Unapologetic coffee lover.”