The Relationship between Happiness and Motivation in Daily Life
Research Question
What role does happiness play in our daily motivation as well as the part of the motivation in daily happiness?
Introduction
Based on the stimulus materials provided (Big Daddy’s Last Dance and The Story of an Hour), individual or group happiness originates from different sources which influences motivations. Focusing on the two materials, each case possesses its type of happiness influenced by various factors in their lives. In the case of Big Daddy’s Last Dance, people from the New Orleans get satisfaction by the jazz music which and more so during the burial ceremony. The dance engulfs into the jubilant glory during the jazz funeral, which comprises the mourner and onlookers who break into the dance in the festivity. Moreover, The Story of an Hour shows the origin of happiness from freedom, which offers Mrs. Louise Mallard happiness and motivation due to self-fulfillment. Equally, Louise gaining her self-assertion provides her with pleasure, which acts as the source of motivation to control her life without follow-ups from someone.
In various environments, schools, home, and workplaces, happiness play a significant role in an individual’s daily motivations. Based on multiple research works, motivations and satisfaction form a complicated relationship in the daily lives of humans, as witnessed in the two stimulus materials. Happiness leads to motivation of people hence more productive and well-being. In the case of personal experience, people concentrate on the factors that result in joy, which motivates them in daily activities. Similarly, for the students and people in learning institutions, happiness makes them motivated to achieve their career and educational goals. Notably, in workplaces, happy employees get motivated and focused on their goals hence high productivity. Moreover, motivation, on the other hand, plays a critical role in bringing happiness in people’s daily lives under different conditions. Therefore, happiness plays a significant role in motivating people in their daily activities in a diverse environment, and motivation, in turn, brings happiness to the individuals more so when they achieve the motivation goals.
Happiness as a Facilitator to Motivation
People seek happiness in various ways hence different factors and sources can act as the origin of satisfaction. In every thinking and decisions, human beings make, in most cases, concentrate on gaining happiness, which acts as a motivator in daily activities (Haase et al. 1134). At home, for instance, people choose activities that could result in boosting their moods. Once their attitudes get improved, individuals get motivated to carry out their actions with energy and completing their tasks successfully. Based on the various philosophical concepts such as hedonism and utilitarianism, people engage in activities that make them happy (Emadpoor et al. 286). Besides, individuals’ choices aim at expecting wonderful things that would result in happiness more so people with a more optimistic outlook, as witnessed in “The Story of an Hour” (Chopin). Various scholars posit that daily actions and choices “aim to minimize negative affect and maximize positive affect.” In one of the research indicated that people in the wrong mood at home tend to focus on the activities that would consequently boost their feelings (Hassanzadeh and Galin 59). As a result, the daily decisions on the actions to carry out depends on the moods. For instance, on a day like Sunday, individuals with happy moods would carry out their choirs like cleaning as compared to bad feelings.
Motivation in Daily Happiness
Motivation occurs as a significant factor in every individual’s life. Lack of motivation would lead to difficulties in gaining personal satisfaction. In most cases, motivation persists as that individual’s desire and purpose in attaining goals and objectives related to everyday life, education, and workplaces or occupation. According to Taquet and others, different studies show that people who exist without in a diverse environment and situations encounter difficulties in achieving success and internal happiness (9770). As a result, motivation plays a critical part in determining the satisfaction of the individuals, which makes them happy. Notably, motivation results in increasing people’s level of energy while carrying out multiple tasks on many occasions (Van den Bosch and Toon). The energy results in the completion of the work and achieving the aimed goals and objectives which offer passionate about the outcomes. Furthermore, motivation makes people happier directly or indirectly through creating the determination to attain personal goals (Taquet et al. 9771). For example, a person motivated and focused on securing new job opportunities, achieving career objectives, or reducing would feel happier based on the success of the results.
Happiness and Motivation in Workplaces
In many workplaces, satisfaction and motivation form a strong association that determines the driving motives for the employees to work at their best to give out high productivity. Drawing an example from one of the stimuli material “Big Daddy’s Last Dance,” people get hence productive in what they do, as seen in the dance of the jazz music during the burial ceremony (Greene). Different theories believe that making workforces happy results in high productivity. On the same note, unhappiness event in an individual’s life impacts production negatives in various firms as asserted by studies. According to Oerlemans and Arnold, factors and death and illness of the family members make some workers unhappy, which alters their motivation level in their daily activities at work, leading to reduced or low-quality productivity (1230). Equally, satisfaction, as well as positive affect, significantly affects personal productivity in workplaces. However, motivation, based on the “The Story of an Hour” and other research material, enables people to deal with various life challenges (Chopin). Similarly, motivation enhances the management of the opportunities that help individuals in attaining their short and long term goals from different perspectives. Furthermore, in various working conditions, motivation aids in managing time like waking up early for the work for the benefits of the individuals and the company (Hassanzadeh and Galin 60). For example, people carry out daily exercise to get fit and health hence working towards their goals, which offers happiness when successfully gained.
In most organizations, the motivation of the employees by the team leaders and managers plays significant efforts in offering satisfaction to the workers, which results in high productivity. Oerlemans and others argue that, based on the motivation programs in the firm, various motivator factors make the workforce happy and focused on working hard to achieve their ambitions as well as those of the organization (1230). As per Oerlemans and Arnold, Different motivation strategies like a salary increase, promotions, awards, effort recognition, and appreciation result in employees’ happiness and hence motivated to work for achieving more substantial goals (1230). Happiness and motivation play a critical role in human development, which occurs as a continuous process. Hassanzadeh and Galin explain that motivation helps in increasing the level of personal commitment, which leads to individuals’ growth (56). Such development and growth offer individuals happiness more so when they get what they want in their life. Studies indicate that well-motivated people exist as organized hence staying to the schedule of various tasks and duties. Such motivations result in happiness, which ensures the works dedicate their time and resources in their performances (Van den Bosch and Toon). Equally, happy people get motivated, which encourages self- growth, and development. People who possess a personal set of objectives and get inspired to achieve more when they attain the first ones.
Happiness and Motivation in Education
Joy persists as one of the fundamental elements of human life, as stated by the positive psychology scholars. Haase and others assert that the positive emotions possessed by the student result in a high level of motivation among the learners in different institutions and standards (1098). On the same, learning among the students comprises a complicated system in which motivation occupies a large portion of influence and determinant of the individual’s achievements. Emotions, both positive and negative, play a significant role in the students’ daily lives (Emadpoor et al. 287). In assessing students, academic achievements mark the background of evaluating the progress of the learners. Moreover, motivating factors like intrinsic determine the individual objectives in their studies. Haase and others posit that Evidence from various research works explains that the perceived social support offered to the students’ results in happiness as subsequent motivations in their academic works (1124). Furthermore, the social support received to buy the students at different level result in psychological well-being, which makes them work hard, focusing on attaining their educational and career objectives (Emadpoor et al. 288). Besides, research conducted on the association of factors such as happiness, social support, and motivation to career development and adaptability indicates an enormous relationship.
Individual’s happiness in the learning institutions significantly contributes to the motivation to work towards achieving their career goals (Haase et al. 1132). Furthermore, positive attitudes result from motivation from the social and environment of the students, which makes the learners stay focused on their career objectives and vision. As per Emadpoor and others, Happiness persists as positive emotions that include inner satisfaction and socials traits (289). Social norms and practices occur as the primary sources of happiness in various students’ environments. Happiness among the students results in establishing healthy mind minds while learning (Haase et al. 1109). In life situations such as that of stimulus materials, happiness makes people perform what they enjoy in fulfilling their life orientation goals (Hassanzadeh and Galin 58). As a result, improving the students’ intrinsic motivations improves their academic performance in which upon attaining their targets, they get happiness.
Objections of Argument
Based on principles of depressive realism, depressed individuals hold the potential of limited biases towards self-serving hence giving highly accurate outputs as compared to happy and motivated people. Furthermore, the phenomenon of depressive realism enables such individuals to accurately perceive their control levels (Ceci and Kumar 609). Such cases show that unhappy people cannot person well as compare to their happy counterparts. For instance, happiness can fluctuate throughout the day based on various encounters with co-workers, which affects their motivation and productivity (Ceci and Kumar 620). Equally, satisfaction never originates from motivation but positive thinking of an individual. Furthermore, people perceive happiness being more significant than motivation due to individuals’ minds and the environment. For example, employees could stay happy but not working hard or motivated to achieve some of the person’s or company goals (Ceci and Kumar 615). On the same note, not all motivated people across a field such as personal life, education, and workplaces possess happiness.
In some cases, they get motivated based on various reasons, such as correcting their past as mending the future. Some people get motivated to do things to show off or get recognized but not based on their happiness. Like in “The Story of an Hour,” Louise get motivated to live her own life without monitoring from another on hearing the news on the death of her husband but not as a sense of personal happiness (Chopin).
Conclusion
Based on the stimulus as well as other study material employed, happiness plays a significant role in daily human motivation. On the same note, motivations directly or indirectly affect the happiness of people in their daily actions in different environments and situations. Various research works and stimulus materials indicate that human activities such as thinking and decision making in most cases concentrate on giving personal happiness, which brings motivations. Equally, philosophical concepts such as hedonism and utilitarianism explain that people get involved in activities that make them happy or boost their moods. Besides, various scholars, through their studies, assert that daily actions and choices “aim to minimize negative affect and maximize positive affect.”
Moreover, motivation persists as an individual’s desire and purpose in attaining goals and objectives related to everyday life, education, and workplaces or occupation. Based on its definition, individuals lacking motivation would face challenges in achieving personal satisfaction. Furthermore, happiness and motivation create complex associations among the workers, which determine the driving motives for them give their best. Notably, the motivation of the employees by companies leads to individuals’ happiness hence motivate in their work to attain more objectives. In education and career scenario, positive emotions such as the happiness of the student result in a high level of motivation among the learners in different institutions and standards, making them achieve their goals. However, based on the concepts of depressive realism, depressed and unhappy individuals can offer highly accurate output as compared to happy and motivated people who oppose the main arguments. Therefore, depending on various studies and stimulus materials, happiness, and motivation form complex relations in different human life environments such as education, personal life, and in workplaces.
Works Cited
Haase, Claudia M., Michael J. Poulin, and Jutta Heckhausen. “Happiness as a motivator: Positive affect predicts primary control striving for career and educational goals.” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 38.8 (2012): 1093-1104. Accessed 3 Mar. 2020.
Taquet, Maxime, et al. “Hedonism and the choice of everyday activities.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 113.35 (2016): 9769-9773.
Greene, Caitlyn, and Jon Kasbe. BIG DADDY’s LAST DANCE. Trailblazer Studios, 2016.
Chopin, Kate. The story of an hour. Jimcin Recordings, 1981. Accessed 3 Mar. 2020.
Hassanzadeh, Ramzan, and Galin Mehdinejad. “Relationship between happiness and achievement motivation: A case of university students.” Journal of Elementary Education 23.1 (2013): 53-65.
Van den Bosch, Ralph, and Toon Taris. “Authenticity at work: Its relations with worker motivation and well-being.” Frontiers in communication 3 (2018): 21. Accessed 3 Mar. 2020.
Emadpoor, Leila, Masoud Gholami Lavasani, and Seyyed Mahdi Shahcheraghi. “Relationship between perceived social support and psychological well-being among students based on the mediating role of academic motivation.” International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction 14.3 (2016): 284-290.
Oerlemans, Wido GM, and Arnold B. Bakker. “Motivating job characteristics and happiness at work: A multilevel perspective.” Journal of applied psychology 103.11 (2018): 1230.
Ceci, Michael W., and V. K. Kumar. “A correlational study of creativity, happiness, motivation, and stress from creative pursuits.” Journal of Happiness Studies 17.2 (2016): 609-626.