Is happiness a moral obligation?

1. Choose to act happy.

2. Act happy.

3. Feel happy.

I recently listened to a talk from a jewish speaker from 2019 discussing that we have a moral obligation to act happy. He acknowledged that we owe it to ourselves and others. I was taken aback. Most of us are taught that happiness is a psychological state of mind, and he discusses that it took him time to come to this conclusion. He found that acting happy, even when he didn't feel happy, actually cheered himself and others up.

I think this is powerful stuff. Happiness is contageous. So is negativity. Misery loves company, am I right? I have been surrounded by people that were exuding happiness despite experiencing rough personal stuff. It seemed so mature on their part. I also wanted to be around them.

Rarely does any of us receive fulfillment hanging around negative people. Their negativity sucks up the room. I feel like I need to shower after spending time around negative people sometimes.

Most of us want to be around happy, fullfilled, and content people. I find that I leave those kinds of peoples' presence feeling refreshed. I like to spend time around those that I want to become. It inspires me. I feel like their presence, confidence, and success might rub off on me.

So, is he right? Do we have a moral obligation to act happy? I think he might be on to something. The world would be a better place with more happy people. Less crime, lawsuits, and hatred. More friendships, commonality, and achievement.

I find it odd that Americans exude so much negativity despite having over the top privilege compared to others around the world. I have noticed that the more some have, the more negative they become. Are they choosing negativity when they could be choosing happiness?

I am challenging myself to work on choosing to feel happy more.

Even when I am stressed. Even when I don't like I am enough. I want to make people feel safe in my presence, content, and stress-free. I cannot do that if I exude negativity. I also cannot invite people to confide in me or seek my advice if I am soiled in distress. Obviously, there are times when we need to feel upset and spend time away from people. There are always exceptions to the rule.

I think people who grew up with negative parents/sibings/family members understand this article the most. The last thing we wanted was to be around these people and their words were not usually encouraging. I didn't seek them out for virtually anything.

But then there was the happy/fun family members. I was always so excited to see them! They managed to encourage me. As a kid, I didn't know whether their happiness was geniune, but I understand now important it is to act happy around children especially. They deserve pure joy from us.

I remember a time when I had a lot going on personally. I still had to go to work though, right? I opened the door to my office and felt dread. I did not want to expose myself to anyone or interact with people. I wanted to hide. I still had a job to do though and a large part of that job involved interacting with people.

So, I did just that. I interacted with people. I slapped a large (genuine) smile on my face and tried to ooze peace and confidence. I found myself laughing and acting happy. I have to admit; I did eventually feel happiness, I was not solely acting after several hours.

All that said, this advice is really a formula or recipe for actual happiness:

1. Choose to act happy.

2. Act happy.

3. Feel happy.