Mormons and the Pursuit of Happiness

March 20 has been designated by the United Nations as International Day of Happiness.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) see happiness as central to their faith and a blessing from God. 

"Seeing other people happy” makes 10-year-old New Zealand girl, Grace Hunter, happy herself.

Grace’s eight-year-old sister, Jane, says, “I feel happy when I am with my family and friends.”

Their seven-year-old sister, Josephine, says one of the things that makes her happy is “When my mum and dad give me a hug.”

The girls, and the rest of their family are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They, and millions of other Latter-day Saints see happiness as being linked to their active engagement in their faith and something to be worked towards in their personal lives and relationships. They also see happiness as a blessing from God, based on living according to the teachings of Jesus Christ, prophets and apostles.

Mormons believe that God has a plan for His children, called the plan of salvation, plan of redemption, or plan of happiness.  The intertwining of salvation, redemption and happiness in these synonymous terms speaks to Mormons’ desire to seek eternal life but also to live happily and well in the present. According to Mormon scripture, the purpose of humans’ existence is “that they might have joy” (Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 2:25). 

Pacific Area President of the Church, Elder James J. Hamula, told a gathering of single adults in 2009, “When you align you heart and mind with the heart and mind of him to whom you pray, when done sincerely and earnestly ... then you have the capacity to endure anything and to be happy.”

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, a member of the First Presidency of the Church, summarizes the Latter-day Saint approach to happiness in this way. "Our birthright — and the purpose of our great voyage on this earth — is to seek and experience eternal happiness."