Understanding of happiness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Understanding of happiness - Essay Example Daniel Gilbert a professor of psychology at Harvard University is a renowned and influential social psychologist and has contributed immensely in the topic of happiness through vigorous research in happiness and the factors that might be attributed to happiness currently and to the future. Gilbert is much concerned on issues that may guide us to realize our future happiness and identity and how one can utilize these factors to achieve their happiness. According to Gilbert, we learn from others and to achieve our future happiness, the experience of others might prove to be of utmost importance as compared to individual’s experience.Gertner on the other hand is a famous writer having immense contributions in leading dailies such as the New York Times, and is concerned with issues that directly affect populations and the real identity of the human kind in determining what they really want in life in defining their real identity. Largely, the two writers are deeply involved in iss ues are related to how individuals can attain happiness and defining their lives now and in the future through rigorous research and experiments. However, Gilbert proves to be a more senior writer as compared to Gertner, and the latter largely utilizes the ideas and the arguments by the former to extend his argument. Gertner introduces his argument by revisiting the argument by Gilbert and explaining the effectiveness of Gilbert’s arguments in daily lives of individuals.... The two articles by Gertner and Gilbert clearly portray this requirement. Gertner initiates the argument by explaining his side of the argument to the audience and supporting the arguments about happiness as expressed by Gilbert. Gertner goes ahead to present a set of statements that explains his argumentative side such as, â€Å"you are wrong to believe that a job loss will be crushing† and â€Å"you are wrong to believe that a new kitchen will make you happy for as long as you imagine† (Gertner, 397). It is these questions that form lay the basis to form a thesis in Gertner’s argument and explain to the audience his argumentative side, which is a requirement in academic writing as explained by Irvin (9). On the other hand Gilbert initiates his argument by expressing the sentiments expressed by the lyrics of Doris Day, upon which he tries to disapprove the notion that the future can never be foretold and is better if left to happen automatically (Gilbert, 170). It is upon this argument that Gilbert forms his argumentative side and continues to offer immense supporting evidence to prove the fact that the future happiness can really be experienced before hand and we need the experience of others to determine our own future. For example, Gilbert states that ,†accurate beliefs give us power , which makes it easier to understand why they are so readily transmitted from one mind to another†(Gilbert, 172). This proves that fact that we can learn about our future through the experience of others and do not have to rely on our own experiences alone. This is a major requirement of in academic writing. Irvin (9) further explains another aspect of academic writing to be a critical analysis. This implies the use of concepts that enable the writer