Talking about Happiness
Warm up questions:
Are you a happy person?
What do you do to stay happy?
Is there anything that makes you feel happy lately?
Can you stay happy all the time?
Is it important to be happy?
Happiness /ˈhæpinəs/
Collective happiness
Ex. She's brought us so much happiness over the years.
Joyfulness /ˈdʒɔɪfəlnəs/
Ex. She has a natural joyfulness of character.
Fulfillment /fʊlˈfɪlmənt/
Ex. They all feel a great sense of fulfillment in their work.
Satisfaction /ˌsæt̬ɪsˈfækʃən/
Ex. For me, job satisfaction is more important than money.
Rapture /ˈræptʃɚ/
Ex. She was in raptures about her first visit to Paris.
To remain /rɪˈmeɪn/
Ex. The doctor ordered him to remain in bed for a few days.
To relish /ˈrelɪʃ/ = like = enjoy
Ex. I always relish a challenge.
To revel in
Ex. He revels in his role as team manager.
To cope with
Ex. It must be really hard to cope with three young children and a job.
Cheerful
Ex. She manages to stay cheerful despite everything.
Glad
Ex. I’m glad that you came to visit us.
Pleased
Ex. I’m pleased to hear you’re feeling better, John.
Cheery /ˈtʃɪri/
Ex. She walked in with a cheery "Good morning!".
Delighted /dɪˈlaɪt̬ɪd/ = very pleased
Ex. I’m delighted to hear that you’ll visit us this weekend.
Overjoyed = extremely happy
Ex. Linda was overjoyed to hear that she had passed the exam
Blissful /ˈblɪsfəl/ = extremely or completely happy
Ex. We spent a blissful week together.
Elated /iˈleɪt̬ɪd/
Ex. He felt elated and excited when winning the contest.
Content/ contented
Ex. He seems content with his life.
Upbeat /ʌpˈbiːt/
Ex. Live music sets an upbeat mood for the official opening.
Optimistic
Ex. I’m optimistic that they can work things out.
Carefree /ˈkerfriː/
Ex. I remember my carefree student days.
Lighthearted /ˈlɑɪtˌhɑrt̬ɪd/
Ex. Children are lighthearted and playful with the teacher.
Heartwarming /ˈhɑːrtˌwɔːrmɪŋ/
Ex. People have been so kind and helpful since Dan's been sick - it's really heartwarming to see.
Satisfied /ˈsæt̬ɪsfaɪd/
Ex. I didn't feel quite satisfied after my meal.
Precious /ˈpreʃəs/
Ex. You're so precious to me.
Memorable /ˈmemərəbəl/
Ex. a memorable song/story
Miserable /ˈmɪzɚəbəl/
Ex. She's miserable living on her own.
Sad
Ex. I'm so sad that you can't come.
Depressed
Ex. She became deeply depressed when her husband died.
Displeased /dɪˈspliːzd/
Ex. I am very unhappy and displeased with what I have read.
Dissatisfied /ˌdɪsˈsæt̬əsfaɪd/
Ex. He felt dissatisfied with his life as he approached middle age.
Joyless
Ex. Jane is trapped in a joyless marriage.
Useful phrases and Idioms
Tough time
Ex. He went through a tough time, but still tried to be optimistic.
Good humored
Ex. Make sure the person you prank is good humored or prepare for the consequences
High spirits
Ex. The girls are in high spirits after a week away from classes and some vacation time with their families.
In a good mood = in good spirits
Ex. When the boss is in a good mood, our whole day goes well.
Cry out of happiness
Ex. She cried out of happiness when he proposed to her.
To be on cloud nine
Ex. When the boss announced my promotion, I was on cloud nine.
On top of the world
Ex. I was on top of the world when I found out that I’d gotten an A on my hardest exam..
Full of the joys of spring
Ex. I was full of the joys of spring when I found out that I’d gotten an A on my hardest exam.
Grin from ear to ear
Ex. The kids ran around the beach grinning from ear to ear.
Happy camper
Ex. With his new job and his new car, Andy is a happy camper.
Happy as Larry
Ex. My dad’s as happy as Larry at the weekend when we all arrive home.
Happy-go-lucky
Ex. He’s a happy-go-lucky sort of guy – always in good humor.
Jump for joy
Ex. The player jumped for joy when he scored the winning goal.
Life is just a bowl of cherries
Ex. I got a promotion and got engaged in the span of a week. Life is just a bowl of cherries these days!
Music to your ears
Ex. His compliments were music to my ear.
Over the moon
Ex. When she heard the results of the exam, Caroline was over the moon.
In raptures (about/over) /ˈræptʃɚ/
Ex. Caroline was in raptures abou her first visit to Paris.
Stars in one’s eyes
Ex. Anne has stars in her eyes, she wants to go to Hollywood.
In stitches
Ex. Jerry is the funniest guy I know. He can have you in stitches in a matter of minutes.
Thrilled to bits
Ex. Julie was thrilled to bits when her parents gave her a car on her birthday.
Walking on air
Ex. Ann was walking on air when she got the job.
Whatever floats your boat
Ex. You’re going to spend your honeymoon in Alaska? Well, whatever floats your boat.
Outlook on life
Ex. He had a practical outlook on life.
To be comfortable in your own skin
Ex. Janet is so comfortable in her own skin that I have no doubt that she'll find her ideal path in life.
To let off (some) steam
Ex. I went on a run to let off steam after our fight.
To refresh someone's mind
Ex. The beautiful weather with cool sea breeze always helps to refresh my mind.
To get a kick out of smth
Ex. He loves books. He gets a kick out of reading.
To feel a strong urge
Ex. She felt an overwhelming urge to tell someone about what had happened.
To tackle the problem = to solve the problem
Ex. There is more than one way to tackle the problem.
To bear little relation
Ex. The fee bears little relation to the service provided.
To look on the bright side
Ex. I try to look on the bright side, to be grateful that I'm healthy.
Questions:
What is happiness for you?
What do you think is the color for happiness?
Who does happiness depend on: you or other people and external things?
Do you think we feel happy when we make other people happy?
Are we responsible for other people’s happiness?
Can money buy happiness?
Can you be happy if you are poor?
Is happiness a state of mind?
What makes you feel happy?
What makes you unhappy?
How can you become happy again when you are sad?
What are the three most important things for you to be happy?
Can single people be happy?
Would you be happier with a soul mate or single?
Do you have a pet? Does having a pet make people happy?
When was the happiest time of your childhood?
What's the most miserable you've been?
Is happiness a goal?
Are the people in your country generally very happy?
Do you think some nations are happier than others?
How happy are you compared with your friends?
Do you wake up happy every morning?
Do you agree that older people are less happy?
Why are teenagers some of the happiest people in the world?
What is there to be happy about in the world today?
