Why Can't I Be Happy Even When Life Is Going Great?

While life has its ups and downs, some people find it difficult to feel happy even when things in their life appear to be going well. This can be due to various reasons, such as past experiences or genetic predispositions.

In any case, it is important to identify the root of why you may be feeling this way and then find ways to work through those feelings to learn how to accept and appreciate the good in life. It may also help to reach out for professional help if needed; therapists and psychologists can provide helpful strategies for managing these emotions. With the proper support, learning how to be happy when life is going well is possible.

Read further to learn about the driving forces behind happiness and ways to increase your happiness level.

Why Can’t I Feel Happy Even When Life is Great?

Two of the main contributors to our level of happiness in life are related to our past experiences and our genetic predispositions.

What Does it Mean If You Can’t Feel Happy?

Happinessis an emotion and a state of mind that can be difficult to understand. It’s not always easy or straightforward to feel happy, even when life is going well.

When life is going well, we often havehigher expectationsfor our happiness levels than at other times. But sometimes, no matter how good things are, it just doesn’t seem enough to make us genuinely content. Why might this be?

The answer could lie in the fact that our lives are made up of a combination of different elements:emotions,thoughts, relationships, and external factors like money or status etc. Even if most aspects of our lives are favorable, one area could still drag us down and stop us from feeling as happy as we could be.

It’s also possible that when life is going great, it can intimidate or overwhelm us. We may be waiting for theother shoe to drop. We may start to doubt our abilities, compare ourselves with others, and become anxious about making mistakes or messing up (also known asimposter syndrome). This could lead to feeling low and unsatisfied even if everything is seemingly perfect on the outside.

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Is It Normal to Not Feel Happy in Life?

Yes, it is totally normal not to feel happy at times, even when life is going great. Everyone experiences highs and lows in life, and happiness isn’t a constant emotion or state of mind. It can take time, effort, and self-reflection to understand what brings you true contentment.

The important thing to remember is that just because you’re not feeling completely fulfilled, no matter how good life appears on the outside, it doesn’t mean something is wrong with you.

It’s simply part of the human experience; we all have days when things seem perfect, and it is difficult to comprehend how we aren’t beaming with joy. The key is learning to accept this as part of life and making an effort to find joy in different areas of your life.

However, in some cases, the inability to feel happy despite good circumstances could be a sign of an underlying mental health issue such as depression or anxiety.Anhedonia, the persistent inability to experience pleasure, could also be at play here. It’s essential to pay attention to your mental well-being and reach out for help if needed.

How Can I Enjoy Life Again?

When you no longer feel the same joy or satisfaction you once did, it may seem like life has lost its meaning. But don’t worry—there are ways to help you find happiness again. You can do a few simple things to start enjoying life again.

Can I Trick My Brain to Feel Happy?

We can’t always change our circumstances, but we can learn to become masters of our own minds. Here are some tips for feeling happier:

Final Thoughts

It’s normal to feel anxious, overwhelmed, or down even when life is going great. But it’s possible to find the happiness that we’re all seeking—it just takes a bit of practice. Be kind and patient with yourself, and don’t forget to take time for self-care. It may not happen overnight, but if you give your best effort each day, you’ll eventually find the peace and contentment you’ve been looking for.

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10 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Olson EA, Kaiser RH, Pizzagalli DA, Rauch SL, Rosso IM.Anhedonia in trauma-exposed individuals: Functional connectivity and decision-making correlates.Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging. 2018;3(11):959-967. doi:10.1016/j.bpsc.2017.10.008Winer ES, Bryant J, Bartoszek G, Rojas E, Nadorff MR, Kilgore J.Mapping the relationship between anxiety, anhedonia, and depression.J Affect Disord. 2017;221:289-296. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2017.06.006Bravata DM, Watts SA, Keefer AL, et al.Prevalence, predictors, and treatment of impostor syndrome: A systematic review.J Gen Intern Med. 2020;35(4):1252-1275. doi:10.1007/s11606-019-05364-1Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Practicing gratitude works.Khazaee-Pool M, Sadeghi R, Majlessi F, Rahimi Foroushani A.Effects of physical exercise programme on happiness among older people.J Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs. 2015;22(1):47-57. doi:10.1111/jpm.12168Svoray T, Dorman M, Abu-Kaf S, Shahar G, Gifford R.Nature and happiness in an individualist and a collectivist culture.Sci Rep.2022;12(1):7701. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-11619-5Rowland Z, Wenzel M, Kubiak T.A mind full of happiness: How mindfulness shapes affect dynamics in daily life.Emotion. 2020;20(3):436-451. doi:10.1037/emo0000562Chang J, Zhang M, Hitchman G, Qiu J, Liu Y.When you smile, you become happy: Evidence from resting state task-based fMRI.Biol Psychol. 2014;103:100-106. doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2014.08.003Putkinen V, Makkonen T, Eerola T.Music-induced positive mood broadens the scope of auditory attention.Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2017;12(7):1159-1168. doi: 10.1093/scan/nsx038Rowland L, Curry OS.A range of kindness activities boost happiness.J Soc Psychol. 2019;159(3):340-343. doi:10.1080/00224545.2018.1469461

10 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Olson EA, Kaiser RH, Pizzagalli DA, Rauch SL, Rosso IM.Anhedonia in trauma-exposed individuals: Functional connectivity and decision-making correlates.Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging. 2018;3(11):959-967. doi:10.1016/j.bpsc.2017.10.008Winer ES, Bryant J, Bartoszek G, Rojas E, Nadorff MR, Kilgore J.Mapping the relationship between anxiety, anhedonia, and depression.J Affect Disord. 2017;221:289-296. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2017.06.006Bravata DM, Watts SA, Keefer AL, et al.Prevalence, predictors, and treatment of impostor syndrome: A systematic review.J Gen Intern Med. 2020;35(4):1252-1275. doi:10.1007/s11606-019-05364-1Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Practicing gratitude works.Khazaee-Pool M, Sadeghi R, Majlessi F, Rahimi Foroushani A.Effects of physical exercise programme on happiness among older people.J Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs. 2015;22(1):47-57. doi:10.1111/jpm.12168Svoray T, Dorman M, Abu-Kaf S, Shahar G, Gifford R.Nature and happiness in an individualist and a collectivist culture.Sci Rep.2022;12(1):7701. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-11619-5Rowland Z, Wenzel M, Kubiak T.A mind full of happiness: How mindfulness shapes affect dynamics in daily life.Emotion. 2020;20(3):436-451. doi:10.1037/emo0000562Chang J, Zhang M, Hitchman G, Qiu J, Liu Y.When you smile, you become happy: Evidence from resting state task-based fMRI.Biol Psychol. 2014;103:100-106. doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2014.08.003Putkinen V, Makkonen T, Eerola T.Music-induced positive mood broadens the scope of auditory attention.Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2017;12(7):1159-1168. doi: 10.1093/scan/nsx038Rowland L, Curry OS.A range of kindness activities boost happiness.J Soc Psychol. 2019;159(3):340-343. doi:10.1080/00224545.2018.1469461

Olson EA, Kaiser RH, Pizzagalli DA, Rauch SL, Rosso IM.Anhedonia in trauma-exposed individuals: Functional connectivity and decision-making correlates.Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging. 2018;3(11):959-967. doi:10.1016/j.bpsc.2017.10.008Winer ES, Bryant J, Bartoszek G, Rojas E, Nadorff MR, Kilgore J.Mapping the relationship between anxiety, anhedonia, and depression.J Affect Disord. 2017;221:289-296. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2017.06.006Bravata DM, Watts SA, Keefer AL, et al.Prevalence, predictors, and treatment of impostor syndrome: A systematic review.J Gen Intern Med. 2020;35(4):1252-1275. doi:10.1007/s11606-019-05364-1Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Practicing gratitude works.Khazaee-Pool M, Sadeghi R, Majlessi F, Rahimi Foroushani A.Effects of physical exercise programme on happiness among older people.J Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs. 2015;22(1):47-57. doi:10.1111/jpm.12168Svoray T, Dorman M, Abu-Kaf S, Shahar G, Gifford R.Nature and happiness in an individualist and a collectivist culture.Sci Rep.2022;12(1):7701. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-11619-5Rowland Z, Wenzel M, Kubiak T.A mind full of happiness: How mindfulness shapes affect dynamics in daily life.Emotion. 2020;20(3):436-451. doi:10.1037/emo0000562Chang J, Zhang M, Hitchman G, Qiu J, Liu Y.When you smile, you become happy: Evidence from resting state task-based fMRI.Biol Psychol. 2014;103:100-106. doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2014.08.003Putkinen V, Makkonen T, Eerola T.Music-induced positive mood broadens the scope of auditory attention.Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2017;12(7):1159-1168. doi: 10.1093/scan/nsx038Rowland L, Curry OS.A range of kindness activities boost happiness.J Soc Psychol. 2019;159(3):340-343. doi:10.1080/00224545.2018.1469461

Winer ES, Bryant J, Bartoszek G, Rojas E, Nadorff MR, Kilgore J.Mapping the relationship between anxiety, anhedonia, and depression.J Affect Disord. 2017;221:289-296. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2017.06.006

Bravata DM, Watts SA, Keefer AL, et al.Prevalence, predictors, and treatment of impostor syndrome: A systematic review.J Gen Intern Med. 2020;35(4):1252-1275. doi:10.1007/s11606-019-05364-1

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Practicing gratitude works.

Khazaee-Pool M, Sadeghi R, Majlessi F, Rahimi Foroushani A.Effects of physical exercise programme on happiness among older people.J Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs. 2015;22(1):47-57. doi:10.1111/jpm.12168

Svoray T, Dorman M, Abu-Kaf S, Shahar G, Gifford R.Nature and happiness in an individualist and a collectivist culture.Sci Rep.2022;12(1):7701. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-11619-5

Rowland Z, Wenzel M, Kubiak T.A mind full of happiness: How mindfulness shapes affect dynamics in daily life.Emotion. 2020;20(3):436-451. doi:10.1037/emo0000562

Chang J, Zhang M, Hitchman G, Qiu J, Liu Y.When you smile, you become happy: Evidence from resting state task-based fMRI.Biol Psychol. 2014;103:100-106. doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2014.08.003

Putkinen V, Makkonen T, Eerola T.Music-induced positive mood broadens the scope of auditory attention.Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2017;12(7):1159-1168. doi: 10.1093/scan/nsx038

Rowland L, Curry OS.A range of kindness activities boost happiness.J Soc Psychol. 2019;159(3):340-343. doi:10.1080/00224545.2018.1469461

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Why Can’t I Feel Happy Even When Life is Great?#

What Does it Mean If You Can’t Feel Happy?#

Is It Normal to Not Feel Happy in Life?#

How Can I Enjoy Life Again?#

Can I Trick My Brain to Feel Happy?#

Final Thoughts#