We've all been told to 'cheer up' by someone before or felt ourselves inching toward the self-help section of a bookshop because we've been feeling down recently. Being happy is one of the biggest wellness trends of the year but could this 'positive message' actually be bad for us?
Well professor Svend Brinkmann from Aalborg University certainly believes so.
The psychology expert says that forcing ourselves to be happy all the time could actually leave us emotionally stunted, reports The Independent.
His book Stand Firm: Resisting the Self-Improvement Craze was recently released in the UK after being a Danish bestseller and discussing the idea that it's okay to not be constantly happy. He also points out that being happy isn't appropriate in all situations, we have to understand which emotions are just healthy responses to life's challenges.
'I believe our thoughts and emotions should mirror the world. When something bad happens, we should be allowed to have negative thoughts and feelings about it because that's how we understand the world,' he told Quartz.
His research shows that trying to force happiness all the time means that when we are faced with negative scenarios we are less equipped to deal with them: 'Life is wonderful from time to time, but it's also tragic. People die in our lives, we lose them, if we have only been accustomed to being allowed to have positive thoughts, then these realities can strike us even more intensely when they happen – and they will happen.'
He was keen to point out that though some people are just naturally happier there is a rising culture in society that leads to us to see happiness as a 'commodity'. If we view our feelings in this way then we are in danger of alienating ourselves from our feelings and more likely to 'exploit' others for theirs.
Brinkmann fears that this happiness epidemic may also reach the point where people no longer discuss worries or problems in favour of appearing happy all the time – which could cause us to feel isolated.
Sometimes we all need to be told it's okay to be sad.
After all, without sadness how will we appreciate our genuine happiness?