Wars erupting around the world, whole nations sinking into the sea, species dying out faster than we can name them. Amid all this, it might seem like an eccentric idea to ask people how happy they are feeling.

But, even more bewilderingly, it turns out that when you do, they reply: very happy indeed.

According to a new poll, when asked how successful they consider themselves to be, 56% of people give themselves a rating of 7-10.¹

Of course, this could just be a category error. Philosophers have long debated both what happiness really means and how important it is.

PlatoOne of the most important Ancient Greek philosophers.  claimed that happiness meant a life committed to virtue.² His student AristotleA student of Plato, tutor to Alexander the Great and the father of political philosophy. identified this virtuous happiness as the highest possible good, since all other goods, like wealth and brains, are only considered valuable because they make us happy.³

Building on these ideas, Islamic philosopher Avicenna argued that all humans strive to be happy, but the only true happiness they can find is divorced from all worldly interest.⁴ Another Islamic thinker, Al-GhazaliA 10th Century Sunni Muslim scholar. , agreed with him that happiness was not of this world but contended that it could be found only with God.⁵

Some British thinkers later placed happiness at the very heart of their philosophy. UtilitariansPeople who believe in a school of ethics that focuses on maximising people's happiness and minimising their suffering. like Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill claimed that good moral actions were those that created the greatest happiness.

For this they were mocked by German philosopher Friedrich NietzscheA German classical scholar, philosopher, and critic of culture (1844 - 1900), who became one of the most influential of all modern thinkers., who wrote: "Man does not strive for happiness, only the Englishman does."⁶ He claimed human beings do not find any meaning in happiness, which only makes them dull and complacentFeeling that you do not need to do anything about a situation. For example, somebody with very high grades at school might think they do not need to work hard any longer. . They need struggle and difficulty for life to feel worthwhile.

But this new poll suggests that all of them are wrong. For most of us, happiness really means having control of our lives.

Top of the list of things that make people successful are: owning your own home, building up a good pension, not needing to work and having time for hobbies.

In other words, people feel happy when they have enough financial stability to be in control of their time, and do not have to spend all of it working to scrape a living.

Other research has suggested the same thing. A study in an old-age home allowed one group to decide how to decorate their rooms and which films to watch, while another group was not given this control. Over the following eighteen months people in the second group were twice as likely to die as those in the first.⁷

This also means most people want to think they are responsible for their own happiness. Around four in every five people credit personal qualities, like hard work and kindness, with making us successful.⁸

Only one-fifth to a quarter think factors that come down to random chance, like family background and just being plain lucky, are important.

Yet plenty of research suggests that luck is the only thing that really separates successful people from unsuccessful people.⁹

And some say too much control can be self-defeating. Trying to control others only drives them away. We can also risk developing an illusion of control - the belief that we have more control of a situation than we actually do. People in this position can end up developing gambling problems.¹⁰

Yes: When it comes down to it, all we want is a nice house and enough time to do the things we love. To be happy, we need to be able to control our own lives to that extent.

No: Control means eliminating the uncertainty and unpredictability that makes life exciting. Having control might make us satisfied, but it does not make us truly happy.

Or... Too little control certainly makes us unhappy, but then so does too much. Everything in moderation. The real secret to happiness is learning not to need to feel happy all the time.