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Do you know how to be happy?

Do you know how to be happy?

Anyone who has studied the human condition, from Aristotle to Freud, has pondered happiness, because when it comes to happiness, we all have different experiences.

How important is being happy? Do you do everything in your power to seek out pleasure? Answer the following questions to find out how much of a hedonist you are.

By Christophe André, psychiatrist and psychotherapist

1. To find happiness you need to:
Think about the meaning of happiness before going in search of it
Be spontaneous and go with the flow
Make an effort to solve your problems – you will then feel you deserve to be happy
Work out what makes you happy and make time for it
2. Should we teach children how to be happy?
It would be more useful to teach them the harsh realities of life
Yes, we should show them what it is like to be really happy
No, only to tell the difference between benign pleasures and those which might cause harm
No, happiness comes naturally to children
3. Which of the following makes you happiest?
Playing sport/looking after your body
Sex
Talking with friends
Trips to the great outdoors
4. Happiness is:
Having a chance to think
As essential as breathing
As essential as brushing your teeth
Breaking the rules
5. Happiness is
Your natural state
A desirable state
A state you don’t experience very often
A necessary state
6. One of the things that made you happiest as a child was:
Getting into freshly laundered pyjamas after your evening bath
To lie back on the grass and watch the clouds pass overhead
Listening to the stories your grandparents told you
Playing out with your cousins
7. What is happiness for? It’s there to:
Make us healthier and make us feel good
Elevate the soul and the spirit
Set us free
Make us feel alive
8. Are any of the things that make you happy in fact vices?
Lots of them, unfortunately…
Some, but I’m in control of them
I’ve tried to give up those that are
If they make me happy, they can’t be doing any harm
9. As a child you were:
Thoughtful
Spontaneous
Prone to stress
Well adjusted
10. You were on a diet but you had a bit of a binge last night. How do you feel today?
I never do diets - I like my body as is it
I feel guilty and I’ve fitted bolts to the kitchen cupboards
If I enjoyed it, it can’t have done any great harm
If I go on a diet I always stick to it
11. How would you describe your first sexual experiences? As:
Purposeful
Exciting
A revelation
Delectable
12. What would happen if you gave in to pleasure too often?
You’d eventually get depressed and bored
You’d become self obsessed
You’d end up being frivolous and superficial
Your health would suffer

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