What Does “Happy” Mean?

The picture represents me when i'm happy 

For me, “Happy” doesn’t mean the same as, say, “contented”. I suspect that our experience of happiness differs because of our definition of happiness.


Is happiness an absence of bad stuff – or a presence of good stuff? Is happiness a mood? Is it an emotional state? Is it something that happens to us, or something which we do?


The closest I can get to explaining happiness at the moment is to say that it’s what makes me come alive.


I’m happy when I listening to my favorite song, when I get to hang out with awesome people, when I’m immersed in my own imaginary worlds or imaginary worlds created by other people. Happiness means doing something worthwhile (to me). By that, I don’t mean what the world might call “worthwhile” – but simply finishing the day and thinking I did some great stuff today – whether that’s working on a cool project or partying or seeing an awesome movie or learning something new.