Do you know how to be happy? « Psychologies

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

Comments

charleigh (June 18, 2010 at 7:13 am) Reply | spam

Fairly accurate…
Nora B (June 14, 2010 at 9:56 pm) Reply | spam

I don’t think happiness is some sort of entitlement, I aim for contented (like a cat or at least my cat!), happiness is a sort of high that can’t last like despair and as far as I am concerned not a natural state to be in. I only want to be able to keep the wolf from the door, stay healthy and pray that I never become selfish and bitter wishing I was happy in a world that no-one can be truly happy in unless you go around with your eyes shut. you just have to appreciate being alive to enjoy what is on offer in life, I mean friendship and getting on with family and appreciating nature, I say this because nature is the only thing that has made me truly happy ever since I was a child. but then I was not a happy child or even a content one, as my parents were abusive so maybe I just have a different perpective to everyone else!
davis (June 9, 2010 at 11:55 am) Reply | spam

wow~ it reminds me a lot~ thanks!

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