11 World Renowned Experts Define Happiness

I’ve been seeking out a definition of happiness lately but it’s been quite the challenging task. Sometimes, I think I have a good one and then I find a better one. Sure, I can look it up in the dictionary, but I believe that happiness is so much more than just words. It’s a state of mind, a genuine feeling of joy, and much more.

From Gandhi to Gretchen Rubin, the bestselling author of The Happiness Project, to Shawn Achor, the first positive psychologist I began studying, each one of these people define happiness in a unique way. 

Here’s what 11 experts have to say about their definition of happiness. 

1. “Happiness is the experience of joy, contentment, or positive well-being, combined with a sense that one’s life is good, meaningful, and worthwhile.” - Sonja Lyubomirsky
2.  “Happiness is the joy you feel moving towards your potential.” – Shawn Achor
3. “Happiness is the overall feeling of joy and meaning.” – Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar
4. “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." – Gandhi
5. “You can say that it’s well-being, contentment, life satisfaction, bliss or joy. There are 15 academic definitions of happiness. I think it’s more helpful to think about being happier. That’s what we really want. If I did this, would I be happier?" – Gretchen Rubin
6. “It is a mental attitude based on the wish for others to be free of their suffering and is associated with a sense of commitment, responsibility, and respect towards others." – Dalai Lama XIV
7. “Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence. “ – Aristotle
8. “I sort of think of happiness as two-fold. There’s in the moment “Are you feeling positive?” Lots of smiling, laughter, and positive mood - not negativity and depressions. But also: how are you feeling like your life is going overall? And if you’re filled with lots of positive mood and your feel like your life if going pretty well, then I’d say overall you’re pretty happy."  – Dr. Laurie Santos, Professor at Yale University
9. “Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present.” – Jim Rohn
10. “True happiness is…to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca
11. “Happiness doesn’t depend on any external conditions, it is governed by our mental attitude.” – Dale Carnegie

One of the most fascinating things about happiness is we each think about it in a different way. In my 100 People in 100 Days experiment where I conduct 10 minute FaceTimes with people from all over the world, I’ve found that happiness is unique to us all. It’s dependent on where someone is in their life, who they surround themselves with on a frequent basis, and what they feel their purpose is. 

Of course there’s other factors involved, but it just goes to show you that there are many definitions of happiness. The key is to finding what works for you and to live that definition finding as many moments as you can that achieves your definition of happiness.

Elevate in Action:

1. How do you define happiness?

Jake Kelfer is a lifestyle entrepreneur and life elevator. He is the bestselling author of Elevate Beyond and Elevate Your Network and a high energy motivational speaker on a mission to elevate and inspire millions of people to achieve personal success and happiness. He is the founder of the Professional Basketball Combine which helps NBA draft prospects turn their dreams of playing pro basketball into their reality. He and his work have been featured on Forbes, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, NBC Sports, USA Today, Bleacher Report, and many other major media outlets. Connect with Jake on social @jakekelfer!
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