Happiness and Its Association with Mindfulness: A Non-systematic Review

Abstract

The concepts of happiness and related engagement practices have attracted common life since ancient times. Happiness is an emotional experience that has evolved over the millennia to accommodate the rapidly changing needs of the individual in particular and the environment at large. It mainly refers to people’s subjective appraisals of their lives in terms of well-being and typically includes a global assessment of all aspects of a person’s life. Mindfulness, on the other hand, refers to the self-regulation of attention to one’s experiences in the present moment with curiosity, openness, and acceptance and thus promotes the adaptations of higher-order needs which in turn lead to positive emotions and ultimately happiness. Available literature points to a positive link between mindfulness and happiness, and this paper contributes to the existing body of knowledge by consolidating the findings. Widespread acceptance and dissemination of mindfulness practice represent the new emerging process of engagement with happiness that provides a beginning empirical foundation. Future research can attempt to throw some light on this relationship and to determine what facets may be correlating and mediating the mindfulness meditation–happiness relationship in terms of life satisfaction and well-being.