The Happiness Paradox

Can Happiness make us feel miserable instead of feeling happy? 

We are all chasing happiness, in fact we are in need of happiness in our lives. No matter what life choices or circumstances we put ourselves in we always crave happiness and want to feel content with the things we do in life.

The minute someone decides that happiness is not possible for them, alarm bells start to ring. We begin to question 'what’s wrong with this person?' and start to assume they’re clinically depressed. We might judge them as having an inappropriately negative outlook — or pity them for what they’re missing out on.

From childhood movies we’re taught that the best outcome for any story is to live‘happily ever after’.But maybe we’ve got that wrong. As happily ever after doesn't always turn out as we wish too. 

We all suffer from 'The Happiness Paradox' without us realising, this can be though  social interaction or though any forms of social media. This ends up making us begin to self-doubt or become unhappy. But, what is 'The Happiness Paradox' and can we overcome this?

Happiness means different things to different people. Some people see it relating to success at work, the ability to provide for themselves and their family and enjoy a certain quality of life. For others, happiness is dependent on social connections — a stable romantic partner, or a network of friends who provide fun and support.

"The pervasiveness of social media—estimated to increase to over 3.02 billion users worldwide by 2021"

Individuals using social network platforms can experience a so-called 'friendship paradox' which they feel less popular than their friends. This has lead to individuals feeling unhappy and unpopular among their friends. Studies have shown 'popular' individuals who use social networks are indeed happier than the majority of individuals who tend to use it when they want too. So does this mean we should all start using social networking platforms to make us happy?

In fact, No. Using any social platforms has a hidden mental psych-social effect known as 'Social Anhedonia'. This condition is when you begin to feel a sense of disinterest in social contact and a lack of pleasure insocial situations. The front line cause of developing this condition is due to overusing social media or inappropriately using social media for the wrong reasons.

So does that mean you're part of the 'social anhedonia' society because you use social media during your free time? 

No. The buzz word of-  the more you use social media, the less happy you tend to be can be portrayed in the wrong way. Using social networks can boost your confidence and build your network depending on how productive you use social networks and what is the purpose you are using it for. Individuals who use Instagram to show their passion for cooking or yoga can be seen as 'social role models' who inspire others to showcase their passion.

So, how can we overcome 'The Happiness Paradox?' We can't control the way we interact on social networks or the way we use technology as we are globally connected. But figuring out the WAY you use it, can help you reform yourself into a new person and find your true happiness. If so, what is happiness? When you get asked "Are you happy?" We often find this a difficult question to answer as we don't know HOW to answer that question.

We tend to say an 'object, person or place' brings us happiness, but is this seen as a short-term or long-term phrase? How long will that happiness last inside us? As we are socially moving into a era where we are heavy invested in technology and new forms of social platforms coming into the market. We can resort back to using social media to provide us a sense of happiness and make us feel connected with the world.

So the key to living a good life is having:

BALANCED

“Follow your dreams and never look back"