HAPPINESS AS A PSYCHOLOGICAL CATEGORY

Abstract

The article analyzes the research of the category of «happiness»; in particular, psychological characteristics and indicators of a happy life, determines common and different features between such concepts as «happiness», «subjective well-being» and «cheer-fulness». The psychologists propose a model of subjective well-being, which consists of the following main interconnected components: recurrent positive emotions; negative emotions as an affective component of well-being that are rare; cognitive assessment or «global judgment» of life satisfaction. Joy is the emotional side of happiness, and pleasure is the cognitive side of happiness. The happiness factors are simultaneously sources, conditions and areas of satisfaction with life, and at times personal characte-ristics of a person. In order to feel happiness, it is necessary to observe two ways of self-regulation of its motivation for the world: a personal increase in the significance of people and an increase in their own capabilities. Along with the term «happiness» other terms are used as well, such as «subjective well-being» and «cheerfulness». «Subjective well-being» consists of psychological, physical and social well-being. Although they have similarities, such terms are not identical and quite independent. Happiness is a sharp and intense sensation; from the point of view of expression other terms are weaker. The most transitory is a feeling of happiness. The longer is the psychological well-being, the longer is the pleasure of life. The authors analyze the psychological, physical and social components of subjective well-being, and the article also defines the external (objective) and internal (subjective) factors of happiness. They distinguish between external (health, income, work, social status, education, age, gender, religion, leisure), internal (neuroticism, extra-version, joy, love) and subjective (assessment of the subject in accor-dance with his life settings) determinants of happiness. Human happiness lies precisely in a peculiar combination of these factors.