It's pretty simple - when we look at something that we find beautiful, it makes us feel good – sometimes even happy. We are hardwired this way, and the reasons why seem to be varied.
Beautiful People and Happiness
A common explanation for the connection between beauty and happiness is that it’s an evolutionary adaptation. Someone who appears beautiful to us is associated with good health, which implies fertility, so people more widely viewed as attractive are also better at attracting mates. It’s important to note, though, that what is considered attractive differs from person to person.
Beauty is also commonly associated with prosperity, and we unconsciously equate these traits and qualities with easier survival. According to one study, good-looking people tend to make more money and therefore they are statistically somewhat happier than those living in poverty. Furthermore, happy people are viewed as being more well-rounded, well-adjusted, and therefore more likely to be a suitable mate or friend. We enjoy seeing happy people and beautiful things because it means that things are, well, good.
Beauty begets happiness and positive emotions. See for yourself…
Happiness Images
Who can resist a child’s genuine, innocent smile?
https://pixabay.com/en/child-laughter-happy-playground-1674021/
Or this smiley face?
https://pixabay.com/en/dog-puppy-bath-water-pet-dogs-237195/
Connotations and Happiness
Most of us have happy memories that were made throughout our lives. These happy memories can be relived in the imagination through triggering smells, sounds, and images, and make for pleasant feelings when reliving those memories.
However, feeling happyby just looking at certain images is possible, even if the content is foreign to our experience. Look, for instance, at this picture of a girl with a lion. It is very likely that most of us have not had the privilege of seeing or hearing a massive, regal lion, and therefore have no memory to draw from. Seeing this girl's evident pleasure is likely to evoke positive feelings.
https://pixabay.com/en/lion-roar-africa-animal-wildcat-3012515/
Looking at Smiling Faces
Sources: psychcentral.com; brainyquote.com
Simply looking at images of happiness and joy can activate pleasure centers in the brain. Research demonstrated that when people looked at fear-inducing images, such as pictures of angry faces or spiders, it exacerbated their fear and stress responses. People with anxiety and depression experienced an elevated response to the images.Conversely, when people are shown faces of smiling and laughing people, the reverse takes place, and the pleasure centers are activated in the brain.
A Selection of Happiness Images and Images That Could Make You Feel Happy!
Happy Children and Parents
“I am not a perfect mother, and I will never be. You are not a perfect daughter, and you will never be. But put us together, and we will be the best mother and daughter we would ever be.” - ZoraidaPesante
“Raising boys has made me a more generous woman than I am. Undoubtedly, there are other routes to learning the wishes and dreams of the presumably opposite sex, but I know of none more direct, or more highly motivating, than being the mother of sons.” - Mary Kay Blakely
Happy Children
“There's no better feeling than making your little girls laugh.” - Jerry O'Connel
“There's nothing more satisfying than seeing a happy and smiling child. I always help in any way I can, even if it's just by signing an autograph. A child's smile is worth more than all the money in the world.” - Lionel Messi
Happy Women
“There is nothing rarer, nor more beautiful, than a woman being unapologetically herself; comfortable in her perfect imperfection. To me, that is the true essence of beauty.” - Steve Maraboli
Happy Men
“The happiest man is he who knows how to bring into relation the end and beginning of his life.” - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Happy Relationships
“Love is always bestowed as a gift -freely, willingly, and without expectation. We don't love to be loved; we love to love.” - Leo Buscaglia
Happy Nature and Animals
“What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the winter time. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.” - Crowfoot
Happiness Quotes & Memes
So, you now have a whole selection of happy and beautiful images at hand! Here are a few quotes about happiness that you can use to create your memes with. Helpful online tools include imgflip's meme generator or quick meme.
What if You're Not Happy?
Sometimes, no matter what we do or how hard we try, we just cannot seem to gain a lasting sense of happiness. That’s alright! Happiness is not a permanent, ultimate destination to be reached, but something that we must learn how to find and define for ourselves along the many branching paths of our life. It’s a bright, blooming purple aster along an autumn trail after the last leaves have fallen; we can choose to see the bare branches, or the flower, or both. Many asters only bloom in the autumn, and so, too, must we learn to find happiness and beauty in our own metaphorical autumns. We make a conscious choice to find goodness and happiness even in the midst of pain, difficulty, and uncertainty.
If, however,you’re struggling to define and find your own happiness, know that you don't have to figure it out on your own! Get matched with a qualified and trained online therapist in the privacy of your own home on BetterHelp. It is your right to be happy, no matter who you are, or what your circumstances are. Studies have found that online therapy is just as effectiveas face-to-face therapy, with people with depression in particular experiencing an average 70% reduction in symptoms.
Online therapy has the added benefit of being accessible anytime, anywhere (so long as you have internet access), be it from your comfy couch, your favorite park, or the patio. Additionally, online therapy tends to be cheaper than in-person counseling, as therapist doesn’t have to incorporate added costs like building or office room rent into their prices, plus you don’t have to pay for transportation to reach your appointment. Continue reading to see reviews of BetterHelp therapists by people learning how to find happiness.
Reviews
“Jessica is amazing. She always makes me feel supported and like my feelings are valid, even when I'm spiraling and questioning everything--emotions included--around me. She helps me to find the ground when I feel like I'm lost in a sea of chaos and anxiety. I feel motivated and supported when it comes to working on my emotional health, my goals, and finding happiness, following a session with her. Our sessions leave me feeling creatively energized and inspired.”
https://www.betterhelp.com/jessica-correa/
“She has been very helpful in my current time of need. I am so glad I was matched with her as my counselor. I am on the road to recovery and happiness thanks to her.”