Today we are living in a culture where happiness is the most important goal in life, that sadness must be avoided or be hidden in a hedonistic society for fear of spreading negativity. But certain research suggests that it is okay to be not happy all the time. In fact, experiencing both negative and positive emotions results in life satisfaction. An international study showed that people are happier and show few symptoms of depression when the desired emotions are fully expressed even though it might be unpleasant such as anger or hatred. Hence, happiness is more than an avoidance of pain and plain pleasure but also displaying the desired emotions. For instance, a woman who is domestically abused by her partner wanted to leave the relationship but cannot, can be happier when she chose to love him less.

Hence, it is okay to be sad, to be mad, to be scared, ashamed, or be guilty of something. We are humans, not robots programmed to be happy all the time. Being happy feels good but sometimes destructive, so it would be better to express emotions genuinely to achieve life satisfaction.