>“Happiness comes from within” is a core element of every major religion and most secular life philosophies Thesis here, rather than that being authentically t

>“Happiness comes from within” is a core element of every major religion and most secular life philosophies Thesis here, rather than that being authentically true, rationalization is the actual universal across human cultures, in the same sense how belief in some sort of divinity is omnipresent even if it's not necessarily authentic and isn't reflected in behaviour at all. The notion that happiness comes from within is comforting because it implies that happiness is always within reach. It's harder to admit that happiness is say, a function of at least a reasonable level of material well-being and intact social structure and relationships, but this is actually what you observe if you look at communities. It's hard to admit because it means that happiness is 1. fundamentally social, not individual, 2. out of your control to some extent. People not being as happy as they report is the most self-evident thing on earth. I've lied about how happy I am countless of times, as has just about everyone I know. What do you think the 'American smile' is for? The US has built a culture around this stuff