Pure happiness may seem quite obscure, idealistic, or even unattainable. However, it is in fact a possible and realistic state of being. Happiness is simply a status of life, involving all of the distinct areas of existence, including emotions, feelings, reason, the brain, and the body. Antonio Damasio delved into the intricate connection among these integral aspects of life in his book Descartes’ Error. He attempted to show that all of these areas of life are woven together in an impenetrable pattern. If one area is affected, the rest will show changes and adapt to the disturbance as well. He conducted various experiments to prove his theory about exactly how these areas of life are connected. However, although the evidence is convincing, it cannot be assumed that Damasio’s theory is the only option to explain this important and prevailing question. We must continue to probe into the nature of the human spirit, mind, and body, and how these entities come to form a complete person and a full existence. Happiness is an ideal way to show just how closely tied all of these aspects of life really are. If one tries to imagine happiness not affecting feelings, emotions, reason, the brain, or the body, it is simply impossible. Happiness, like any other state of being, invades every part of one’s existence and affects every aspect in some way, whether small or large.

Emotion is defined by Damasio as "the combination of a mental evaluative process, simple or complex, with dispositional responses to that process, mostly toward the body proper, resulting in an emotional body state, but also toward the brain itself (neurotransmitter nuclei in brain stem), resulting in additional mental changes" (139). In short, emotion is largely dependent on the body. It involves a perception of the body changes that are occurring internally and involve the brain sending messages to various parts of the body in order for changes to occur. For example, when one is happy, one smiles. The acknowledgement and perception of the fact that one is smiling is the emotion happiness. It has often been said that if one wants to be happy, he/she should force him/herself to smile. It is true that patients instructed to smile do report and show that they are experiencing "happiness" (Damasio, 148). However, smiling is a particular bodily process that differs when natural and when induced. If someone is forced to smile, for example, during a photograph, the muscles that are used to smile are simply the zygomatic muscles around the mouth. On the other hand, when someone smiles willingly and because they truly are happy or find something funny, the zygomatic muscles and the obicularis muscles around the eyes are used. This produces a genuine smile, and with it, the emotion of happiness (Damasio, 140-142). When a fake smile is created, with it a somewhat fake state of happiness is created. "Electrophysiologial readings show that make-believe smiles generate different patterns of brain waves from those generated by real smiles" (Damasio, 148). In any case, experiencing and perceiving the smile on one’s face is a large part of the experience of happiness.

Feelings, in Damasio’s opinion, are quite different from emotions. Feelings are the more inclusive than emotions. They are emotions, the perception of changes in physical body state, along with the perception of the situation and objects creating the emotions. Feelings are a reaction to the entire environment, not simply what is internal. Damasio himself defines them as "the experience of such changes [bodily state changes] in juxtaposition to the mental images that initiated the cycle" (145). Therefore, happiness is the perception of the smile and all other bodily changes as well as the perception of the person or situation that induced those bodily changes. For example, if one achieved happiness after attending a funny movie, the feeling would be the personal interpretation of both the internal and external aspects of the environment, the bodily reaction and the movie, the people one went with, and everything that comprised the complete situation.

Reason is the ability to make sound and rational decisions for one’s own well-being. Research has shown that reason is highly linked to emotion. Patients who have suffered frontal lobe damage are not only unable to experience emotion, but they are also unable to make the best decisions for themselves. They have very flat temperaments and show no reaction to highly emotional images and ideas (Damasio, 207). In addition, when placed in situations where they must decide what to do for themselves, they are unable to come to a rational and suitable decision. It may take them hours to decide something as simple as when to schedule an appointment. When they do finally come to a decision, it is often not the best option (Damasio, 54). Happiness may have one of several effects on reason. Excessive happiness may impair one’s decisive abilities due to hyperactivity and a lack of logical, planned thinking. However, in the same way a lack of happiness will also lead to impaired reason. Without emotion, reason cannot be properly employed. Clearly, emotion and reason are directly linked. As one declines, the other declines as well. Therefore, it can be inferred that feelings and reason are also directly linked. If one is not experiencing an emotion, it will be impossible to experience a feeling since part of a feeling is an emotion. If one is not experiencing an emotion, reason has been greatly impaired. Therefore, reason, feelings, and emotions are all reliant on one another.

The brain is obviously an integral part in the functioning of the entire process of experiencing a state of existence. Neither reason, feelings, nor emotions could be effective without the functioning of the brain. The brain controls the neurotransmitters that control emotions and feelings. The firing of neurons is essential to the formation of the connections that lead to sound decisions. Happiness is a result of a balanced level of seratonin, a neurotransmitter. Without ample amounts of this chemical, the outcome is depression. Again, it is clear that all parts of experiencing a situation are closely connected. If the brain creates high levels of a neurotransmitter and large amounts of a chemical that increases heart rate or speeds up breathing, this will create an emotion while the person perceives these bodily changes. Feelings will also be created while the person perceives the surrounding environment and situation. Reason will be heightened with the heightening in emotion.

The body has already been portrayed as an important part of the experience of a situation. It is impossible to imagine being happy without a smile spreading across one’s face accompanied by other physiological effects. Depending on the situation that provoked the happiness, one’s heart may beat softer or harder. One may breathe faster or slower. If the happiness is brought about by news of a promotion, it is likely that the heart would begin to beat harder and breathing will become shallow and fast. On the other hand, if the happiness is due to laying out on a hot, sunny beach at a beautiful, perfectly blue ocean, it is more likely that the body will relax, breathing will become slow and deep, and the heart will beat slower. The brain and the firing of neurons throughout the body control all of these internal bodily changes. Without these bodily changes, life simply would not be as we know it. Imagining pure, unmatchable happiness without a smile is simply illogical.

It is clear that the research that Damasio presents points to the idea that all aspects of life are interconnected. The brain sends messages to the rest of the body that create changes. These changes are perceived and create the emotion. The emotion is then part of the perception of the entire situation that creates the feeling. Reason is affected by the lack, or presence, of emotion. As the ability to feel emotion decreases, as with prefrontal damage patients, the ability to reason decreases as well. A change in one of these areas of experience would inevitably change all of the other areas. They are so highly intertwined that it is impossible to talk about one without taking all of the others into consideration. However, it cannot be assumed that Damasio’s explanations and hypotheses for the functioning of the human life are the only possible ones. There is no reason to close the doors on research and state that this is the only acceptable reason why we always smile in a situation in which we are presented with stimuli that make us happy. We must continue to ask questions, such as, why do we smile when we are nervous? Is there a cross over between the two emotions of nervousness and happiness? There are so many possible questions to ask. However, for now, Damasio’s theory seems to present an acceptable and reasonable explanation.

When presented with a situation, there are many things that work together to create a complete experience. These include emotion, feeling, reason, the body, and the brain. Something that may seem as simple as happiness is in fact an intricate working of several different aspects of the human situation. If one of these situations is disturbed, the entire connection is disturbed. The whole basis of every experience is the biological functioning of the brain to perceive situations and create reactions. However, this does not take away the uniqueness of our amazing ability to relish in such wonderful experiences as happiness. These feelings and emotions are no less important simply because we are coming to understand them. Rather, they are becoming more fascinating and special with each new discovery that we come upon.

Damasio, Antonio R., Descartes’ Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain. New

York; Putnam Berkley Group, 1994.