Sir, – William Reville expounds on “happiness” and how it is perceived in various cultures and by individuals (“Happiness is not considered to be an important goal in some cultures”, Science, September 19th). But what is “happiness”? He says that psychology treats subjective wellbeing and happiness pretty much as one and the same thing. Happiness can never be much more than a passing feeling of all is well with your world.
I would like to suggest that rather than one seeking happiness one should focus on being content. Being content is being satisfied with one’s self and circumstances in relation to the life you are living. It does not mean not striving for a better life but recognising that one is well-off in mind and body, even though maybe not well endowed with the material good things in life, etc. Happiness and contentment are not the same in that happiness is a passing feeling of all being well for one at that moment of time whereas contentment is accepting that while life may generally be good to you, one accepts that the condition will vary from time to time. A subtle difference between happiness and contentment. – Yours, etc,
MARTIN CROTTY,
Blackrock,
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