As someone who has had a lifelong struggle with depression, I definitely think happiness is a real thing, but i also think most people misunderstand what it is. People think of happiness as something that is a byproduct of having the right external circumstances. if you have the right job, or the right lover, or the right salary, or the right kitchen countertops, then happiness is your reward. The fact that there are beautiful, rich people with great kitchen countertops that are also profoundly unhappy doesn't seem to effect our willingness to buy into this idea. We tell ourselves that if we had their money or their home or their body, we would be happy. They're not because there is something wrong with them...and not that there is something wrong with our idea of happiness.

I believe true happiness starts on the inside and works its way out. It is a state where you accept yourself for who you are, and others for who they are. it's the lightness that comes from not depending on external forces to generate pleasure, or acceptance, or worth. It's not a feeling. It's a state of being...which might explain why people who run around trying to manufacture it never seem to succeed for long.

I wouldn't describe myself as a naturally happy person, despite all my efforts to become so. I still see myself and my world through the blue filter of my own depression and like a funhouse mirror, it distorts the truth and makes it harder to separate reflections from reality.

What I have come to believe, however, is that in the end...happiness is a gift that only you can give youself. It's part acceptance, part forgiveness, and part decision. It's not a feeling. it's a way of looking at yourself and the world. That's not to say that happy people won't ever be sad, but they will be better equipped to deal with that sadness in a way that allows them to keep their balance and ride out the storm.

of course, this is just my opinion.

Yes happiness exists, its the default position in life...but people come along and let all their issues and bad days, irritability, anger, and let down over life not giving them exactly what they think it should and turn the happiness in blah, sadness and depression.

There is not guarantee in life. If you don't get the 1 thing you thought would be your life, then you come up with a plan B. There is nobody responsible for the happiness in your life except you.

I gusses not many people are happy in this world. Maybe some people live in primatives villages. It is just how your brain function. When your brain is high, you feel happy. You can be doing nothing. You can still be happy. So do something to stimulate your brain. There is a eletric head ban developed by the koreans. It send eletrictiy to your brain. It can help depression. It is call "ybrain". You can see it on Youtube.