Happiness Not Enough Analysis

Happiness: Not Enough How can one know happiness without experiencing negative emotions? Without sadness, fear, and anger, one cannot experience the full extent of happiness or any other emotions. To be a well-developed individual, one must experience negative emotions because these emotions are vital in developing awareness and sharpened cognitive processing. However, happiness can prevent mental illnesses that are drawn from a lack of positive emotion. Having a balance of positive and negative emotions allows the opportunity for a full humanistic experience. For instance, negative emotions allow one to become more intact with their surroundings or have an improved awareness of their environment. In Susan David’s article, Don’t Worry Be Gloomy, it states, “When we’re overly cheerful, we tend to neglect important threats and dangers” (David …show more content…
Allowing bleak emotions into our everyday thinking improves the overall conclusions one comes to. When less elated, people tend to be able to make more appropriate judgements. For example, in Sharon Begley’s article, Happiness: Enough Already, she uses a quote from Diener, “you become more analytical, more critical and more innovative. You need negative emotions, including sadness, to direct your thinking” (qtd. in Begley 454). Pessimistic thinking grants one the ability to concentrate and think differently on situations. Being overjoyed supports making quick decisions, and individuals are apt to miss important details. In the Article, Don’t Worry Be Gloomy, Begley states, “‘Negative’ moods summon a more attentive, accommodating thinking style that leads you to really examine facts in a fresh and creative way. It’s when we’re in a bit of a funk that we focus and dig down” (Begley 125). Negative emotions influence people to have more creativity and allow one to think outside of the box. Stress, being included in negative emotions, can encourage