Do you think happiness, or positive thinking, is a choice?

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

And by that same logic, is it a choice to be angry, or sad?

Yes, it’s a choice

No, it’s not a choice

I’m not sure

Other (comment below)

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

Varied comments, cultures and stances around here ! This one is of interest to me:

"I absolutely refuse to allow myself to be depressed"

because it represents the exact opposite of my views regarding mental health lol, I've seen this stance before, especially in US culture where it looks like depression is not an option, sort of, it isn't "allowed", as if it was... Shameful, taboo, unacceptable? Well, I can make sense of it, in a culture where individual power is the philosophical center of the universe then... It's not a good idea to break down, because then no one will come to rescue us, no collective support, free for all. Additionally, it would explain the psychological role of religion here, used to balance this massive pressure on someone's shoulders that is absolute individualism.

My views are that emotions are never a choice, I mean they happen like rain falls, without my consent, my options are to look at them, to hide them or to downright deny they ever existed. As for happiness, I can barely say it's my own choosing because I see a complex network of environmental ramifications leading me to the possibility to feel/be happy. If I was experiencing the world as a place constantly pushing me down, throwing horrors at me, telling me that I can't trust anyone, then what are the odds that I would understand how to be emotionally stable?

[goaded]

You can try to have a positive attitude, and that's worthwhile, but it's your environment that makes you sad. Telling people to "buck up" or "smile more" is not going to affect their environment.

If you're really unhappy, changing your environment is the thing to do. If you know someone who's really unhappy, you can change their environment by being there for them.

Of course, if you're the reason for their unhappiness, you can change how you interact with them.

[RageBabe]

No, happiness isn't a choice, and the flip side to saying “happiness is a choice” is that having a mental health condition would also be a choice. How does that even make sense? It doesn't.

[RageBabe]

@CupcakeTheDestroyer Thank you for the MHO!

[Caroline91]

I truly believe happiness is largely a choice and I choose to look for small things to be joyous about every day.

[RandomUser1000]

To some extent.

You can have a big impact on your own life.
So you defiantly can affect your own happiness.
But you can also be affected by things that are not under your control.

So partly yes, but not to 100% all of the time.

[Flower7]

No, it depends on what a person is going through and what they have been through in the past.

[Circushowcowboy]

I think emotions are to an extent. But you can’t really help how certain events make you feel overall

[najekim]

For the most part, it is a choice. But some can be a reaction of what's going on.

Personally, I absolutely refuse to allow myself to be depressed regardless of what's going on.

[PsychicBoobs]

No...