The secret of happiness is often said to be many things, such as living in the moment, awareness, sharing.

But for a second ask yourself, who gains, (cui bono ) from unhappiness. There is for example a huge industry called advertising, which some companies use because nearly everyone who has a surplus of money in the developed world, already has everything that humans really reasonably need. So the advertisers have to create needs and reasons or people to feel unhappy, in order that the people paying them, can pose as the solvers of the problems that did not really exist. The main product of the advertising industry therefore is unhappiness, and they are very good at producing it.

Ditto Religion, which is just the traditional advertising industry, as it existed before they thought it might be an idea to pair up with people who had real products to sell.

Is the secret of happiness therefore just, not believing when you are told to be unhappy ?