Most people would say that happiness is the most important emotion and that other emotions are inferior. Although happiness is the emotion most people would consider the best for their health, other “negative” emotions such as sadness and anger are essential to live a more wholesome life. Some “negative” emotions such as sadness that should be considered typical repercussions to life altering events such as experiencing grief are misdiagnosed as depression, which can possibly lead to drug addiction. Subsequently a “fixation on happiness” has caused “a craven disregard for the value of sadness”(qtd. in Begley 455). Emotions such as sadness, fear, and anger are very important in life because they allow people to make better decisions and make
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An example would be what Parliament and business leaders in Scotland are proposing. They request “augmenting traditional measures of a country’s wealth with a national index of happiness” (qtd. in Begley 454). They also want to give people democratic freedoms according to their happiness levels. There are a few flaws to this argument. Measuring happiness is totally objective. One may think that he is happy when he is really not. Another flaw to this proposal is that people could be happy with something illegal such as making marijuana completely legal. This proposition could send the country in disarray. This is why we need to take negative emotions more seriously. They allow us to question other people’s ideas that could unintentionally lead to further problems. By being open to negative emotions, we save ourselves from future dilemmas.
Negative emotions allow us to be much more attentive, while also allowing us to strive for greatness. The belittlement of “negative” emotions has caused many people to forget just how healthy and productive they are.
Normal “negative” emotions are misdiagnosed as much were diseases such as anxiety and depression. They allow us to get motivated so we can change society to how we see fit. Our society will become less and less innovative if people think being happy all the time should be our number one goal. We should think, “If I’m totally satisfied with everything, why should I strive to do any
An example would be what Parliament and business leaders in Scotland are proposing. They request “augmenting traditional measures of a country’s wealth with a national index of happiness” (qtd. in Begley 454). They also want to give people democratic freedoms according to their happiness levels. There are a few flaws to this argument. Measuring happiness is totally objective. One may think that he is happy when he is really not. Another flaw to this proposal is that people could be happy with something illegal such as making marijuana completely legal. This proposition could send the country in disarray. This is why we need to take negative emotions more seriously. They allow us to question other people’s ideas that could unintentionally lead to further problems. By being open to negative emotions, we save ourselves from future dilemmas.
Negative emotions allow us to be much more attentive, while also allowing us to strive for greatness. The belittlement of “negative” emotions has caused many people to forget just how healthy and productive they are.
Normal “negative” emotions are misdiagnosed as much were diseases such as anxiety and depression. They allow us to get motivated so we can change society to how we see fit. Our society will become less and less innovative if people think being happy all the time should be our number one goal. We should think, “If I’m totally satisfied with everything, why should I strive to do any