A study in the context of spiritual practice and stress resilience gender and age as predictors of happiness

INTRODUCTION HAPPINESS Happiness is not something readymade it comes from our own actions. The purpose of human existence is to seek happiness (Dalai Lama, 1998). The Pursuit of happiness is an important determinant of human behaviour. ''How to gain, how to keep and how to recover happiness are in fact, for most men, at all times the secret motive for all they do'' (James 1902). Philosophers often use 'happiness' with other meanings most frequently to denote a particularly enviable condition in life: A type of well being or flourishing. Commonly the Greek expression 'eudemonia' is translated as happiness. Eudemonism is a school of philosophy which believes that happiness is the highest goal of all. It places the seeking of pleasant experience and the avoidance of painful one's as the most fundamental psychological and biological imperative. It finds expression in many hedonic theories of motivation and learning in psychology. Happiness is defined as a mental or emotional state of wellbeing which can be defined positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. According to Seligman (2000), an individual seems happiest when they have the acronym PERMA (Pleasure, Engagement, Relations, Meaning and Accomplishment) to describe them. Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony. A positive psychology as a new field focusing on happiness because being happy can help individuals accomplish their goals and flourish. A leading psychologist in researching happiness, Lyubomirsky (2001) concludes happiness as a central part of positive psychology. Seligman (2000) asserts that happiness has three dimensions, viz,