On a regular weekday, I receive an SMS message from a friend whom I have known for almost twenty years: “I would like to invite you to a lecture this evening.” “What is the topic?” - It’s always interesting to discover something new, unknown, and perhaps I would go to this lecture. “How to be happy” - I get the answer. “Oh, God,” I begged with a wordless cry, “how many lectures can you go to and nothing not to do with your life, ask questions to the universe and so persistently not want to hear answers. “Are you unhappy?” - I wrote. The friend avoided answering. And I sat there, a little disappointed, but, oddly enough, happy. And I so wanted to shout - “Well, stop going to lectures already!!” Be happy already!!” My happiness, as an internal feeling of being, did not depend on external circumstances or on the people around me. Even when it was raining, happiness sat by the window and knew for sure that the rain would pass, the sun would shine again and the rainbow was already making its way - it only needed a little time to manifest itself. When was the last time I wondered about happiness? It was just there , permeated everything around and illuminated even the dark corners of the apartment. And so, in broad daylight, I am called to a place where it is supposed to teach what is the natural state of man. A state of misunderstanding overwhelmed me and I decided to ask my friends what they think about happiness and whether they feel happy. Yana, teacher “Happiness is when you are understood,” is the first memorized phrase that comes to mind. But in fact, understanding is not happiness. I became more realistic and less romantic. Happiness is when you and your loved ones are healthy and your desires coincide with your material capabilities.” Andrey, sociologist “Happiness is a purely individual category within the framework of accepted social and personal values. For some, happiness is a car, for some it is a piece of boiled sausage, for some it is the smile of a loved one, for others it is a feeling of achievement, and so on ad infinitum. We are all happy in some ways and unhappy in some ways. It hovers somewhere, lies and sausages the holey soul, because everyone has their own disharmony and the rare feeling of the tide is replaced by the emptiness of the ebb, in which you want the tide and another goldfish, and with them presence, - the hunt for the past emptiness and the expectation of a fish..:) Happiness depends on worldview, attitudes, beliefs - there are both happy slaves and unhappy slave owners. And one more thing: And happiness is not in money, but in its quantity, In health, and so on the wife is sleeping, the daughter is behind the wall, the cat is His Majesty in the chair, and somewhere far from us there is war.” Olga, laboratory specialist “I believe that if your health does not leave you, this is already happiness. If you are loved and not caused trouble, you are already happy and smile at everyone. This is also happiness." Natasha, entrepreneur “A person determines his own happiness - external circumstances have nothing to do with it. We just returned from Kyrgyzstan, and despite all the poverty and problems, people are happy!!! And whoever considers himself unhappy needs to change the circumstances and compare.” Larisa, chemist “I believe that happiness is a changeable state. Sometimes you feel like a very happy person, sometimes the opposite. A feeling of some kind of serenity and joy, this is happiness.” Sveta, teacher “Someone is happy when a loved one is nearby (most likely this is a common opinion, I used to think so too). Children are happy when they give a long-awaited toy and their parents are nearby in complete idyll; There is probably a separate category - mothers, for whom happiness lies in their children, but in a separate category I would include young people (of course, not all), for whom complete happiness is if they have a villa, a yacht, diamonds, etc. For me, the value is family, children, parents. And happiness depends only on what standards a person sets for himself. If they are too high relative to his capabilities, most likely he is unhappy, and vice versa. You won't find happiness in lectures! You need to lower your standards a little, only then can you find happiness)” Yuri, psychotherapist “Happiness is an emotion,!