Optimism, a positive outlook that it is, does not entail happiness in itself. People can still be sad or feel down if they're optimistic about the outcomes. Emotions still have strength over people, whether they aim to see good or bad.
Is being a happy person the same thing as being a person who is always happy? Is it a state, or an attribute? Being constantly happy is a state. Being a happy person, to me, is an attribute. I don't think you have to always be happy to be generally a happy person. I do think you have to have a positive outlook - also known as optimism. Emotions are passing stages. If I am sad today, that doesn't make me a sad person.
I don't feel like I'm equipped to fully agree or disagree with that statement. Still, optimism seems to be major component of happiness. Do you think you need more than optimism to be happy, though?I do think you have to have a positive outlook - also known as optimism.
Did I say that it's the single trait required to be a happy person, or did I say "I do think you have to have a positive outlook to be a happy person"? At no point did I say being optimistic was the recipe for being a happy person, or that there was a single trait which guaranteed happiness. I said I thought you needed optimism to be a happy person, but that is like saying you need flour to make bread. Flour isn't the only ingredient in bread, but you're going to be hard pressed to make bread without it. You can be prickly all you want, but try being prickly without twisting my comments.
You said that some people call the personality trait of being a happy person "optimism". Would you still say that?Did I say that it's the single trait required to be a happy person, or did I say "I do think you have to have a positive outlook to be a happy person"?