The combination of icy blasts from the Arctic and a tightening of our belts for a period of austerity is hardly likely to make us feel happy. That's if we think happiness is about things external to ourselves. Even if we lived in permanently sunny weather, had plenty of money, good friends and family, and a rewarding job, ie. all the things that many people wish for, we could still find ourselves unhappy.
Happiness is by its very nature elusive, and can really only be appreciated if we have experienced unhappiness. Like two sides of the same coin, or light and dark, or heat and cold, duality is the nature of our existence.
There has been much mocking from the cynics about the proposed 'Happiness Index' - a shame really since this is a step in the right direction. Why not GWB (general wellbeing) instead of GDP (gross domestic product) as a measure of a nation's success? It's worked in Bhutan and Costa Rica, two countries where the populations are happier than the rest of us, according to the Happy Planet Index.
The self-help movement has also been derided, but many people's lives have been changed for the better by books and teachers who have shared their insights. No bad thing to learn that real happiness is in the end down to us.
Happiness is not dependent on how much income we have, or how beautiful, successful or famous we are, as our materialistic culture so often encourages us to think. Whilst happiness is not a human right and the pursuit of happiness per se is pointless, we can certainly find happiness, but only if we look for it in the right place - within ourselves.
Meanwhile, let's welcome new initiatives that encourage debate and make us think about how we might have a society that puts less store in materialistic values.
