Behind the happiness barrier

Happiness can be treated either as ephemeral, unstable. unresearchable or as something inherent of given ways of life, dispositions towards life. Here, the latter position is taken, and happiness is seen in the context of the whole life situation. Also, happiness is taken to be socially determined and ruled by social norms: the concept of happiness barrier is proposed, i.e. a situation where people present themselves as happy and need to develop stategies for this purpose.Three case studies are presented where the various aspects of the conception of happiness are highlighted. In the first case study, a natural disposition towards happiness is present, in the two others, various versions of modern socially determined happiness norms are present.