Is happiness a choice?

[Astro]

I'm sitting on the fence with this, which is why I'm making this thread.

I believe you can make choices which eventuate to happiness, like doing regular exercise, and being social - but I also feel that there's always going to be things that bring you down and make you unhappy.

I'd like to hear your opinions.

 

[Color]

Happiness is dependent on your perception of your situation.

 

[Prepare]

I may be the only one, but I don't see a point to be argued here. Your feelings are your choices, whether it be happy, sad, mad, etc.

 

[Astro]

I may be the only one, but I don't see a point to be argued here. Your feelings are your choices, whether it be happy, sad, mad, etc.

There doesn't have to be an argument, I was simply raising the question, as I was unsure myself.
Not every thread in this section has to be an argument.

I think that choices produce feelings, but just as much as things that we can't control.

 

[JohnnyG]

Absolutely. There are people that have absolutely nothing in this world and yet they are the happiest people you will ever meet.

 

[Lizel]

happiness, is how you see things, it will depend on the contentment of each happiness.

 

[Matigo]

Your feelings are how you choose and want them to be. If you want to be happy, then go be happy, have a good time. Its how you want things, no one else can tell you to be happy/sad/mad/depressed.

 

[Fresh]

yes people make chooses in life the decide whether they are going to be happy or not do things that you like to do and you will be happy and vice verse

 

[Omni]

The word here is perspective. I've learned to take pain real good in myself, and if that's how you see it when you get hurt, it hurts much less. You can say oh it's just a little scrape and forget about it, or overreact to the same cut. It all depends on how you look at things, just always look on the bright side. Haha sorry I had to throw this in here:

[video=youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHPOzQzk9Qo[/video][/CENTER]​

 

[Professor]

Happiness is absolutely a choice. You determine your happiness by making the most of your situation. When life gives you 100 reasons to frown, show life you have 1,000 reasons to smile.

 

[Bit]

Short answer yes; your focus is your reality.

Long answer mostly; some people are addicted to sadness, self loathing, etc.

Another answer; sometimes people are in such a shitty situation that happiness isn't even an option. Imagine you were a child born into sexual slavery, beaten, abused, raped, tortured, all of that. I would imagine it would nearly impossible to find any amount of happiness in that.

 

[Painkiller]

Honestly it depends what happens. I don't really believe in the "happiness is what you make out of a situation" crap. I'm happy when something good happens to me.

 

[Mojo]

The decisions one makes to obtain happiness are through choice, however the emotion itself is not able to be gained through decision. Let me give an example. You cannot wake up one morning and say "I think I'm going to be happy today!" However you can say "I think I'm going to ask out that girl today!" or whatever. Hopefully I have made my point.

 

[Astro]

The decisions one makes to obtain happiness are through choice, however the emotion itself is not able to be gained through decision.

I love you man, but that made no fucking sense.

 

[Miles]

You can choose to not be happy but you cannot choose to be happy. Happiness can be obtained through making choices and I also believe that making choices will lead to happiness because you will feel content and in control of things.

I don't think it can be simplified to "Happiness being a choice" but having choices definitely has something to do with being happy.

Just my two cents