Flourishing Life Society
  • Flourishing Life Society
    • Flourishing Favorites
    • Articles by Year Published
    • Privacy Policy
    • About Us
  • Psychology Definitions
  • Psychology of Wellness
    • Psychology of Emotions >
      • Emotional Data Base
    • Psychology Article Archive
  • Personal Development
    • Health and Fitness
    • Personal Development >
      • Personal Development Archive N-Z
  • Flourishing Relationships
Flourishing Life | Psychology of Wellness  | Emotions | The Right to Happiness

Right to Happiness

Living with Joy

BY: T. Franklin Murphy | January 2013 (edited January 2, 2022)
A boy smiling. Green background. A Flourishing Life Society article on our right to be happy and savor joyful moments
Stock Adobe Royalty Free Images
We live in a serious world, full of deadlines and commitments. We should occasionally step back and enjoy a few smiles.
A two-year old boy shopping with his mother experiences a rush of joy. He is giggling, playing laughing. His young body moves with the exuberance of youth as he jumps and teases. The young mother who was initially smiling slowly shifts and gently scolds her happy child, “That’s enough, we need to get things done.” The gentle scolding gets firmer as the child’s excitement continues—the once smiling mother has a scowl of frustration. And the once happy child begins to softly sob. The joy of this precious moment was quickly extinguished by the expediency of the tasks needing to be completed.

We shouldn’t condemn a frustrated mother—I offer no solutions to these complicated moments. No parent is perfect, and even if they were, a perfect parent would poorly prepare a child for the imperfect partner they eventually marry. But my focus is on the early experiences that dampen delight. Many internalize the connection between joy and parental scolding. We suppress happiness because we falsely believe it interferes with productivity.

Behaviors Sabotage Happiness

Consciously we desire happiness. We do things that are pleasurable (the pleasure principle). Yet underneath something feels sinister about joy. As soon as we accomplish something wonderful, instead of basking in the warmth of accomplishment, a dark cloud drags us down. Do we find security in unhappiness?

​Happiness, self-confidence, peace of mind can be foreign territory. A few steps into this strange land of happiness may generate fear. A dear friend professed, “I feel good, but I don’t want to enjoy it because it won’t last.”
Yet underneath something feels sinister about joy. As soon as we accomplish something wonderful, instead of basking in the warmth of accomplishment, a dark cloud drags us down. 
​Her comment was prophetic, her joy did not last. No peace lasts forever—she was absolutely correct. Life brings sorrows; but why sabotage the short bursts of pleasure? Who declared happiness has to be eternal to be enjoyed? Is cessation of pleasure so bad that we prefer no pleasure at all?
"Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy." Guillaume Apollinaire

Key Concept:

Savor those moments of joy and pleasure. Certainly, they will pass, but here in the moment, they linger for a few tastes of sweetness to lift our souls and brighten our lives.
​Next time you experience pleasure, enjoy it, savor the delightful moments, basking in the positive feelings. Be on guard for menacing thoughts chastising the childlike glee. When we mindfully enjoy experience, the underlying destructive impulses to impeded happiness will diminish. By allowing happiness to be freely enjoyed, we establish a new comfort zone, a place where joy lives without guilt.
Please support Flourishing Life Society with a social media share or by visiting a link:
Twitter Reddit LinkedIn Email
T. Franklin Murphy
T. Franklin Murphy
Wellness. Writer. Researcher.
​T. Franklin Murphy has a degree in psychology. He tirelessly researches scientific findings that contribute to wellness. In 2010, he began publishing his findings.

Index:

Flourishing in Life
  • Personal Development
  • Mindfulness
  • Addiction Recovery
  • Wellness 
Psychology of Wellness
  • Emotions​
  • Personality
  • Defense Mechanisms
Flourishing Relationships
  • Intimate
  • Parent/Child
  • Society
Health and Fitness
Key Word Archives
Research
About Flourishing Life
Emotion article database
FLS link-- Emotional Regulation: Emotions energize and push for action. Healthy regulation capitalizes on the richness of emotion and directs the energy towards life objectives.

​Other Flourishing Life Society articles of interest on this topic:

Picture
Emotional Patterns. When Emotional Reactions Hurt. A Flourishing Life Society article link
Flourishing Life Society Link: Emotional Intelligence
Negative Affect. A Flourishing Life Society banner article link
Eudaimonia: Living Well and Doing Good. A Flourishing Life Society article link
Anticipatory Joy. A Flourishing Life Society article link
Link: Our capitalistic society drives a digging sense that we are not sufficient; we need more. We can grow without the gnawing pain of being incomplete. We fight this with gratitude.
FLS Link. Regret: Five Steps for Dealing with Regret
Emotions are primary motivators for action. Sometimes misguided action needs to be inspected for appropriateness.
Negative Affect. A Flourishing Life Society banner article link
FLS link. Mindfulness and calming the mind; Thoughts can pull us from the present and land us in a world of worry and regret. Through a developed practice of mindfulness, we can better sooth our agitated mind and re-discover peace.
Moods interfere with interpretation of life. Stepping back with understanding helps to modify these stinkers.
A Flourishing Life Society article link. Moods
A Flourishing Life Society article link. Mental Health Breaks
Depressive Personality Disorder. A Psychology Definition. A Flourishing Life Society article link.
Flourishing Life Society article link. Over Analyzing

Flourishing Life Society Article Collections:

Research article archive link
Self-compassion article archive link
Picture
Psychology Theories article archive link
2021 article archive link
Intimate Relationships article archive link
FLS Link: The Right to Happiness. Living with Joy
Picture
Flourishing Life Society
  • Human Flourishing
  • Psychology of Wellness
  • Flourishing Relationships
  • Psychology Definitions​
  • Privacy Policy
​Other Links
  • About US
  • Companion Site​
  • Most Popular Articles
  • Psychology Topics A-z
Articles:
  • New Articles​
  • Last year's Publications​
  • External Psychology Links​
​Favorite Topics:
  • Mental Illness Archive
  • Personality Archive
  • Personal Development
  • Psychology of Emotions
News Letter

    New Article Updates

Subscribe to Newsletter
  • Flourishing Life Society
    • Flourishing Favorites
    • Articles by Year Published
    • Privacy Policy
    • About Us
  • Psychology Definitions
  • Psychology of Wellness
    • Psychology of Emotions >
      • Emotional Data Base
    • Psychology Article Archive
  • Personal Development
    • Health and Fitness
    • Personal Development >
      • Personal Development Archive N-Z
  • Flourishing Relationships