Happiness (The Trojan Horse of Happiness, Nov 28) comes from within an individual. There can be no social parameters to determine one’s happiness. If one is free of vices and sets realistic goals, he usually ends up being happy. However, it’s easier said than done, for sometimes the goals aren’t met and we end up being unhappy.

G. Venkatesh, Chennai

Happiness depends on one’s Outlook and mine’s a happy one right now!

S. Raghunatha Prabhu, Alappuzha

Happiness is essentially an attitude. A pertinent anecdote in this regard. Greek philosopher Socrates was at the gate of Athens when a man approached him and said he wanted to settle down in Athens and see how the people there were. Socrates in turn asked him his opinion about the people where he came from. The visitor told him they were useless and quarrelsome. Socrates then said even the people in Athens were useless and quarrelsome and it would be better if he stayed where he was. Some time later, another man came up to Socrates and said he wanted to settle down in Athens for business. Socrates asked him the same question. To which the traveller said people in his town were good and cooperative. Athens is a good place to settle down then, Socrates told the traveller!

K.R.S. Swamy, Mumbai

Happiness isn’t something that you can measure in figures and percentages. An amorphous form, it cannot be grasped and put in a specific mould.

M.K. Somanatha Panicker, Alappuzha

A few random thoughts on happiness (The Trojan Horse, Nov 28): it is a state of mind, nobody can make you happy except you yourself; it cannot be bought, but it can only be felt; and the Upanishads tell you—happiness is your true intrinsic nature, you only have to discover it.

Recipes for Happiness (Nov 28) was an amusing diversion. The ingredients were a mix of the precise (gms) and the freewheeling (cups). The method flung together the old British weights and measures and the metric. Absolute mix of this and that! Hopefully, next time Outlook will have a style guide.

blind pursuit of material things snatches away happiness and that is exactly we indians are being driven to. happiness is not related to a booming economy as successive governments are hammering at. raising material expectations have widened the rich poor divide which in turn has lowered our morality, transforming us into a nation of insensitive, agressive, intolerant greedy and  corrupt  people. we harp on our vedic lineage yet forgetting the basic tenets of religion. the element of satisfaction eludes us as never before portending doom in societal, familial and national context. 

Casinos are not for happiness.  Is sheer avarice and greediness of humans, which will end with untold missery and foolishness.  See the Americans and the predicament they are in now.  Everything is in Hinduism (vedhas and upanishads).  Follow and practice good ideals; live and let live, till your exit.  Har Har Mahadev!

The author did not explore the contemporary academic research on happiness in psychology, although happiness is a state of mind and people may describe their happiness differently. He also did not explore much the cultural contexts of happiness. There were no details from the ancient Hindu texts that warned our desire for consumption goods (let's call consumerism) disturb the peace of mind and happiness.  Instead he wasted words in identifying the right Hindi expression for happiness. His verbosity cannot hide the lack of substance in the article.

Recently Time magazine interviewed Daniel Kahneman,a psychologist who won a Nobel in economics

Time: Has your research changed the way you live?

Daniel Kahneman: When you analyze happiness, it turns out that the way you spend your time is extremely important. Decisions that affect how much time you spend with people you like are going to have a very large effect on how happy you are--not necessarily satisfied with your life but happy.

 I really can't say if happiness can be manufactured. Why would I want to manufacture my own happiness? If I did not manufacture my happiness, would my happiness not exist? There are two ways to look at the issue. the first is, if I do not manufacture happiness, then I am not happy. What is the second?

 Happiness it seems, comes with the rider of unhappiness. If you do not do something which you know will give you pleasure, then you will be unhappy. How many of us are happy doing what we do, surrounded by at least one unhappy person?

 The question to be asked is, why do we need to manufacture happiness? Is happiness such a dear commodity? What do we need for happiness? Do we need anything to be happy? What exactly do we need for happiness?

So, poor folks are being taught tricks of casino under the pretext of modernity and Americanism!

As all wise men (and a few women) say, happiness is in the mind.

An Englishman, a Frenchman, and a Russian were once discussing the meaning of true happiness.

The Englishman said, "True happiness, my friends, is rising early on a frosty fall morning, getting on top of a good horse, and galloping off behind the hounds in pursuit of the fox. A hard ride over fields and fences and rivulets until the fox is brought down. A ride back with the ears and the tail and then sitting before a roaring fire with a glass of good port. Ah, that is true happiness."

The Frenchman said, "That is not true happiness. That is merely animal pleasure. True happiness is meeting with the love of your life, having an excellent meal in a topnotch restaurant with champagne, and then retiring to a wonderful hotel room, where you can make frantic and impassioned love all night long. Ah, that is true happiness.

The Russian said, "That is not true happiness. That is merely a good time. True happiness comes when you are sitting in your apartment after a hard day at the factory, your little Ivan on your knee, and reading your copy of Pravda. There comes a knock at the door. Three men in ill-fitting brown suits come storming in and say 'Stepan Stepanovich, you are under arrest!,' and you say, 'I am Ivan Ivanovich. Stepan,he lives in the rooms upstairs.' Ah, that is true happiness!"

No disrespect, but too windy and flowery, a prose! Ornate language that although touched the statistics, eras and dates, marking the flux in our society, but overuse of ornate words did not do justice to a well thought of topic.

8, Manish

I wonder if you d thought of what Angekina Jolies happiest moment might have been - taking your cash after the bedding perhaps?

 One estimate in 2000 shows that there were 15 million child labourers who were bonded in India.

Hapiness is brimming when you dream you are bedding Angelina Jolie. Unhappiest moment will be when she actually is in your bed.

It is by and large a very good analysis by author.

What I understand by "happiness" is that man or woman can not be happy with money alone. His happiness is directly related to his relations, his loved beings, their life and career and the "love" and "affection" you actually get from your family members and relatives and friends.

As we are becoming "atomised" and in to a self centered existence without family affections or obligations life is looming large in front of us as void. Our "atomic" existence is becoming directly proportional to the increase in online friends, youtube addictions,facebook,twitter and accordingly our increased hypocracy and our "double" face as well ( or our ten heads, may be 100 heads that we show to soceity ) .

Now to get happiness you have to eat in a restaurant !! ,go to roulet,club,and gather worthless people around you to gossip and lough at someone's cost. What a pity  !! poor only have to chew "ghutka"and spit everywhere or have "gudumba" in the evening or else go to cinema to see some fantasy. Housewives have to stuck to "k" serials and other soap operas.

At soceity level a country should offer us, celebrations , freedom of speech, and freedom of writing against administration or government or participate in demonstrations to vent out our social frustrations or anger against percveived or real "injustice" !!

India is still offering  these a plenty, celebrations, fetivals,myths,gods , legends , drama and dance . In india still we  have very strong family bonding and obligations, an "indian" mentality to sacrifice for the sake of family and that gives us "satisfaction", pride and a sense of fulfillment. However these traits are fast disappearing among  rich ,urban families.

At indvidual level "love" is the ultimate. There nothing beyond this which can give happiness,with a loved one you can live happily in  a hut or even  in a forest.  Nothing is more important to you  than people you love and "love" you get from loved ones,  except good health and a minimum amount of money.  But indian soceity at least in urban areas is fast entering into a selfish world and increased divorces. No body has the time to think about others. Love is fast becoming a "fake" one, which is causing frustrations,separations, and so called "dukh" and "taynsion" !!!

Good health, spritual inclinations,meditation, and living among people you love and share joy is is actually a lucky happening. Increased money accruals, salary in lakhs per month can not give you happiness , I have first hand experience in this. So, I need not follow some research organisations statistics to tell you that .

Your attitude decide you are happy or unhappy.How you judge yourself  it depend on your attitude.If your attitude is positive you will see world is very beautiful if our attitude is negative you see world is horrible, intolerable.

Oscar Wilde wrote"If you see the world with your thinking faculty world is great comedy or if you the see the world  with your emotional faculty world is great tragedy."

Thank you Outlook, for publishing some pictures of happy men AND women ( tempting as might have been to publish only the fairer pics )

Translating Happiness,"sukh" or "anand" are mentioned
The real or correct translation is I feel "Mast".
As for happiness it is Unique and differnt to individual to individual
To say happiness is a state of mind may also
fall short. Good health,Good mind, Good relationships and above all
a good bank balance contribute to the pursuit of Happiness
After all a happy and balanced cover story.

In world surveys of happiness, Denmark consistently comes out first. India is usually placed between 115 and 125. Folks in Denmark showed an impressively high degree of social connections, career satisfaction and political and economic stability -- all of which are known to promote happiness.

A Dutch study listed Costa Rica as number 1. Here is what Nicholas Kristof had to say about it:

www.nytimes.com/2010/01/07/opinion/07kristof.html

Happiness is just a state of mind which can be best described in these two lines:-

“Jaisa Mann Ho Waisa Manzar Hota Hai,
Mausam Toh Insaan Ke Andar Hota Hai.”
 

Happiness is just a state of mind which can be best described in these two lines:-

“Jaisa Mann Ho Waisa Manzar Hota Hai,
Mausam Toh Insaan Ke Andar Hota Hai.”
 

Happiness is just a state of mind which can be best described in these two lines:-

“Jaisa Mann Ho Waisa Manzar Hota Hai,
Mausam Toh Insaan Ke Andar Hota Hai.”
 

Happiness is just a state of mind which can be best described in these two lines:-

“Jaisa Mann Ho Waisa Manzar Hota Hai,
Mausam Toh Insaan Ke Andar Hota Hai.”
 

In world surveys of happiness, Denmark consistently comes out first. India is usually placed between 115 and 125. Folks in Denmark showed an impressively high degree of social connections, career satisfaction and political and economic stability -- all of which are known to promote happiness.

A Dutch study listed Costa Rica as number 1. Here is what Nicholas Kristof had to say about it:

www.nytimes.com/2010/01/07/opinion/07kristof.html

Translating Happiness,"sukh" or "anand" are mentioned
The real or correct translation is I feel "Mast".
As for happiness it is Unique and differnt to individual to individual
To say happiness is a state of mind may also
fall short. Good health,Good mind, Good relationships and above all
a good bank balance contribute to the pursuit of Happiness
After all a happy and balanced cover story.

Thank you Outlook, for publishing some pictures of happy men AND women ( tempting as might have been to publish only the fairer pics )

Your attitude decide you are happy or unhappy.How you judge yourself  it depend on your attitude.If your attitude is positive you will see world is very beautiful if our attitude is negative you see world is horrible, intolerable.

Oscar Wilde wrote"If you see the world with your thinking faculty world is great comedy or if you the see the world  with your emotional faculty world is great tragedy."

It is by and large a very good analysis by author.

What I understand by "happiness" is that man or woman can not be happy with money alone. His happiness is directly related to his relations, his loved beings, their life and career and the "love" and "affection" you actually get from your family members and relatives and friends.

As we are becoming "atomised" and in to a self centered existence without family affections or obligations life is looming large in front of us as void. Our "atomic" existence is becoming directly proportional to the increase in online friends, youtube addictions,facebook,twitter and accordingly our increased hypocracy and our "double" face as well ( or our ten heads, may be 100 heads that we show to soceity ) .

Now to get happiness you have to eat in a restaurant !! ,go to roulet,club,and gather worthless people around you to gossip and lough at someone's cost. What a pity  !! poor only have to chew "ghutka"and spit everywhere or have "gudumba" in the evening or else go to cinema to see some fantasy. Housewives have to stuck to "k" serials and other soap operas.

At soceity level a country should offer us, celebrations , freedom of speech, and freedom of writing against administration or government or participate in demonstrations to vent out our social frustrations or anger against percveived or real "injustice" !!

India is still offering  these a plenty, celebrations, fetivals,myths,gods , legends , drama and dance . In india still we  have very strong family bonding and obligations, an "indian" mentality to sacrifice for the sake of family and that gives us "satisfaction", pride and a sense of fulfillment. However these traits are fast disappearing among  rich ,urban families.

At indvidual level "love" is the ultimate. There nothing beyond this which can give happiness,with a loved one you can live happily in  a hut or even  in a forest.  Nothing is more important to you  than people you love and "love" you get from loved ones,  except good health and a minimum amount of money.  But indian soceity at least in urban areas is fast entering into a selfish world and increased divorces. No body has the time to think about others. Love is fast becoming a "fake" one, which is causing frustrations,separations, and so called "dukh" and "taynsion" !!!

Good health, spritual inclinations,meditation, and living among people you love and share joy is is actually a lucky happening. Increased money accruals, salary in lakhs per month can not give you happiness , I have first hand experience in this. So, I need not follow some research organisations statistics to tell you that .

Hapiness is brimming when you dream you are bedding Angelina Jolie. Unhappiest moment will be when she actually is in your bed.

 One estimate in 2000 shows that there were 15 million child labourers who were bonded in India.

8, Manish

I wonder if you d thought of what Angekina Jolies happiest moment might have been - taking your cash after the bedding perhaps?

No disrespect, but too windy and flowery, a prose! Ornate language that although touched the statistics, eras and dates, marking the flux in our society, but overuse of ornate words did not do justice to a well thought of topic.

As all wise men (and a few women) say, happiness is in the mind.

An Englishman, a Frenchman, and a Russian were once discussing the meaning of true happiness.

The Englishman said, "True happiness, my friends, is rising early on a frosty fall morning, getting on top of a good horse, and galloping off behind the hounds in pursuit of the fox. A hard ride over fields and fences and rivulets until the fox is brought down. A ride back with the ears and the tail and then sitting before a roaring fire with a glass of good port. Ah, that is true happiness."

The Frenchman said, "That is not true happiness. That is merely animal pleasure. True happiness is meeting with the love of your life, having an excellent meal in a topnotch restaurant with champagne, and then retiring to a wonderful hotel room, where you can make frantic and impassioned love all night long. Ah, that is true happiness.

The Russian said, "That is not true happiness. That is merely a good time. True happiness comes when you are sitting in your apartment after a hard day at the factory, your little Ivan on your knee, and reading your copy of Pravda. There comes a knock at the door. Three men in ill-fitting brown suits come storming in and say 'Stepan Stepanovich, you are under arrest!,' and you say, 'I am Ivan Ivanovich. Stepan,he lives in the rooms upstairs.' Ah, that is true happiness!"

So, poor folks are being taught tricks of casino under the pretext of modernity and Americanism!

 I really can't say if happiness can be manufactured. Why would I want to manufacture my own happiness? If I did not manufacture my happiness, would my happiness not exist? There are two ways to look at the issue. the first is, if I do not manufacture happiness, then I am not happy. What is the second?

 Happiness it seems, comes with the rider of unhappiness. If you do not do something which you know will give you pleasure, then you will be unhappy. How many of us are happy doing what we do, surrounded by at least one unhappy person?

 The question to be asked is, why do we need to manufacture happiness? Is happiness such a dear commodity? What do we need for happiness? Do we need anything to be happy? What exactly do we need for happiness?

The author did not explore the contemporary academic research on happiness in psychology, although happiness is a state of mind and people may describe their happiness differently. He also did not explore much the cultural contexts of happiness. There were no details from the ancient Hindu texts that warned our desire for consumption goods (let's call consumerism) disturb the peace of mind and happiness.  Instead he wasted words in identifying the right Hindi expression for happiness. His verbosity cannot hide the lack of substance in the article.

Recently Time magazine interviewed Daniel Kahneman,a psychologist who won a Nobel in economics

Time: Has your research changed the way you live?

Daniel Kahneman: When you analyze happiness, it turns out that the way you spend your time is extremely important. Decisions that affect how much time you spend with people you like are going to have a very large effect on how happy you are--not necessarily satisfied with your life but happy.

Casinos are not for happiness.  Is sheer avarice and greediness of humans, which will end with untold missery and foolishness.  See the Americans and the predicament they are in now.  Everything is in Hinduism (vedhas and upanishads).  Follow and practice good ideals; live and let live, till your exit.  Har Har Mahadev!

blind pursuit of material things snatches away happiness and that is exactly we indians are being driven to. happiness is not related to a booming economy as successive governments are hammering at. raising material expectations have widened the rich poor divide which in turn has lowered our morality, transforming us into a nation of insensitive, agressive, intolerant greedy and  corrupt  people. we harp on our vedic lineage yet forgetting the basic tenets of religion. the element of satisfaction eludes us as never before portending doom in societal, familial and national context.