Below you can read one of the best argumentative essays on the topic “Happiness consists first of all in health” written by the pupils from Agrupamento de Escolas de Samora Correia from Samora Correia (Portugal) in January 2019 as part of the collection “Horizons without limits”.
Happiness consists first of all in health
By Catarina Pernes, 10.º B
What is happiness? When posed with such a question, most certainly everyone who decides to answer it will propose their own unique solution. That’s because happiness, in a certain sense, is something individual, personal and non-transferable. On the other hand, there is an idea of happiness that belongs to common sense and is shared by most people: happiness is to have health, love, financial stability, etc. Besides, a person’s view of happiness it´s not something new to them. Certainly, it has accompanied the human being for a long period of time and belongs to the person’s history.
The secret of happiness is an increasingly important concern in the modern era, as the increase in financial stability provides many the opportunity to concentrate on personal growth. Since we are no longer just hunters worrying about finding the next prey, now we live our lives in the best possible way.
Most people understand that true happiness is more than a tangle of intense and positive feelings – it is best described as a full sense of “peace” and “contentment”. No matter how it is defined, happiness is essentially emotional – and so it´s connected to the maximum that everyone has as a regulation point, like a thermostat, defined by the genetic baggage and the personality of each one.
There are studies that prove that happiness has a positive influence on the cardiovascular and immunological system, influences hormones, reduces inflammation and increases the healing process. “Recent discoveries bring a direct relationship of psychological mental well-being with health at the cellular level.” – The authors of the research wrote.
The question now is knowing if happiness can be associated with better health for all people or just for some. “It´s like cigarettes. We have no idea why some smokers live to be one hundred (100) years old, while others died of cancer at 50 and have never smoked a cigarette in their lives. “Being happy, therefore, is not an exact guarantee that you will be healthier”.
“People do a lot of things to stay healthy: running, bike rides, looking for healthier fruits and vegetables”, but I want to remind them that there is something more they can do that will have a psychological and emotional effect on their well-being. An attitude that goes beyond following advice on how to reduce stress or the level of anxiety, “learn to enjoy your work, be more grateful for what you have and have a positive attitude towards your relationships.” This is important. For health, our mind and yes, our happiness.