There Is No Single Road to Happiness, and It All Depends on the Individual

Routes to satisfaction vary from person to person and come from either or both internal and external sources.

By Paul Smaglik
May 2, 2025 8:45 PMMay 2, 2025 8:49 PM
Road to happiness
(Image Credit: PeopleImages.com - Yuri A/Shutterstock)

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People have been searching for the key to happiness at least as long as recorded history. Now, researchers have found that their is no single, uniform solution. A study in the journal Nature Human Behavior shows that happiness can come from either external or internal sources and that its roots vary from person to person and society to society.

Happiness From External or Internal Sources

External influences include things like careers, health, relationships, and wealth. Inner ones can come from practices like therapy, prayer, or meditation.

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