Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Darlene Gomez
Professor Beadle
ESW 113A
22 June 2019
regardless everyone has a different way they perceive and acquire their own happiness. In
the articles “What Suffering Does” by David Brooks, “Living with Less. A Lot Less.” by
Graham Hill, and “How Happy Are You and Why?” by Sonja Lyumomirsky, each author
writes about how happiness comes from within, but they all have different strategies on
The three authors write their argument about their own representation of
happiness. David Brooks a journalist and the author of the article opinion piece “What
Suffering Does”, argues that most people feel defined by their traumatic experiences and
feel as if they are undeserving of happiness. Individuals who suffer come out
traumatized, nevertheless he argues that some people can’t distinguish their suffering as it
and journalist . In his article “Living with Less. A Lot Less.”,he argues that the less
consumption of materialistic items and a decluttered space the happier one will be. Sonja
Lyumbomirsky the author of “How Happy You Are and Why?”, is a Social Psychologist
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and undertakes many experiments on happiness. Lyubomirsky argues that happiness isn’t
mind and the way you perceive the world, your intention activity and genetic material.
however all three arguments have a common theme and that is how happiness comes
from within. David Brooks argues that suffering to a certain extent is self-inflicted, he
argues that suffering exposes one to a part of their human psyche they were never aware
of prior to the trauma he says “The theologian Paul Tillich wrote that people who endure
suffering are taken beneath the routines of life and find they are not who they believed
depersonalization and the individual ends up feeling undeserving of happiness. But, our
subconscious mind will make this reality and the person will truly be unhappy. They are
used to the suffering and will keep coming back to it as suffering becomes their
perception of happiness. Happiness and suffering are both self-inflicted, they’re inflicted
would agree with Brooks that you are the only one sabotaging yourself from the happiest
you can possibly be. Lyubomirsky says “In a nutshell, the fountain of happiness can be
found in how you behave, what you think, and what goals you set everyday of your
life.”(Lyubomirsky 196).You can be happy as long as your intention activity on the daily
is set on goals for you to become happy by changing your negative thinking and
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behavioral patterns. Graham Hill and Lyubomirsky both argue that no external
commodity can truly make you happy ultimately happiness resides within. In the article
Sonja Lyubomirsky says “If you’re not happy today, then you won’t be happy tomorrow
unless you take things into your own hands and take action.”(Lyubomirsky 185) no
external commodities or a change in your circumstances will make you happy, if you are
unhappy with your present circumstances, you then will still be unhappy even if you get
everything you’ve ever wanted. Graham Hill also agrees with this notion, he says that his
materialistic items with his own personal happiness. Consequently, Hill began to feel
numb after a while. Graham Hill says “Often, material objects take up mental as well as
physical space.”(Hill 312). The reality is that external commodities and they will not
bring you eternal happiness, but what they will bring you is stress as they are still a
responsibility. Eternal happiness resides within you, you just need to be more aware of
Even though they argue that happiness comes from within, they don’t have
different game plans on how to be happy. In Sonja Lyubomirsky argument she has
influence of your genetic material is responsible for your happiness set point which
accounts for 50% of your overall happiness. The other 50% are divided into your
intentional activity which is 40%, and the remaining 10% is your circumstances.
However, the good thing is that 40% of the intentional activity is free for us to form so
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we are not doomed by our genetic predisposition. David Brooks is the only author from
all the articles to write about the impact of traumas and suffering and how it correlates to
happiness. Some feel defined by their traumas and unworthy of happiness. Brooks
believes that people who find happiness in their suffering will keep throwing themselves
into situations/relationships that make them suffer as this is the happiness they believe
that they deserve. Brooks argues the suffering aspect of happiness as opposed to Sonja
Lyubomirsky and Graham Hill. Graham Hill’s argument is that you will not be
authentically happy in finding happiness within purchasing material items. Graham Hill
is the only one out of all the authors who writes about his own experience. Hill
understands that happiness doesn’t come from commodities, but he also doesn’t view the
suffering or impact of traumas like Brooks does or view the holistic approach like
Although Brooks, Hills, and Lyubomirsky have the similar theme that happiness
resides and comes from within, they have very contrasting views on happiness and how
to obtain this happiness. They all agree that happiness comes from within whether you be
happy by being inspired by a goal of some sort, whether you choose to live a minimalist
understand the power of your mind and be very careful of any harmful cogitation.
Happiness has to come from within, so learning to understand and control negative
arguments in the authors articles is that Sonja Lyubomirsky argue the more holistic side
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of happiness, while Graham Hill’s only argues that external commodities won’t bring
happiness to one’s life, and David Brooks only sees the suffering and the impact that it
Works Cited
Hill, Graham. “Living with Less. A Lot Less.” Pursuing Happiness, edited by
Matthew Parfitt and Dawn Skorczewski, Bedford St. Martin’s, 2016, pp.308-313.
Lyubomirsky, Sonja. “How Happy Are You and Why?” Pursuing Happiness, edited by
Matthew Parfitt and Dawn Skorczewski, Bedford St. Martin’s, 2016, pp. 179-197.