Happiness is a state of mind!

CAE writing practice :)

I was given this specific topic to write an article in my writing class and it should be done in 40 minutes. That's why I can't deny this article isn't well-written, but I want to share this with those who are learning English like me. I think it'd be quite helpful for CAE students in particular.


The people producing your college magazine want to make it more interesting for everyone, and have asked students to submit an article for the next edition with the following title: Happiness is a state of mind!

You decide to write an article, explaining what you think makes people happy and how they can achieve this.

Write your article in 220-260 words.

Happiness is a state of mind!

Are you happy? It's quite a difficult question to answer straightaway in deed. How about this one?: 'Do you think you would be happy if you were the richest, the most good-looking, and the most popular person in the world?' According to an article I read, money, beauty, and popularity have little to do with happiness which you wouldn't expect.

However, there are some things happy people tend to have in common. Those things are not 'wealth' to allow them to buy whatever they want, 'appearances' to attract people, nor 'fame' to make others look up to them. In fact, happy people consider an expression of their appreciation and positive outlook as the crucial keys to their happiness, which means it's not from the outside, but from the inside.

Unfortunately, not everyone appreciates what they possess and sees things around them in a positive way as happy people do. Then, how can we be happy if we're not that sort of person? It's said that the way we think and act can change when we make an effort.

It's no exaggeration to say that we are all finding our happiness. Then, here's the answer: happiness is up to how you think and feel, because it's just a state of mind.