Happiness is the ultimate goal in this life, and yet most people will agree that it is elusive and difficult to predict. While the key to creating or finding happiness may appear difficult, we can start by identifying the things that rob us of this happiness, removing these barriers and negative influences from our lives. For those looking to delve deeper into the pursuit of happiness, ” For those looking to delve deeper into the pursuit of happiness, “The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin offers a year-long experiment in discovering how to boost one’s joy.”

There is no one accepted way to measure happiness, as it is a highly subjective experience. These positive feelings in one life may differ vastly from the same experience for another. Take a moment and look back to your life. At what moments were you feeling the most joy? These are the moments that you want to recreate. For some people, they are times when you are surrounded by others, feeding off their energy. For others, this joy comes from doing something you love or making a difference.

In order to achieve happiness, there is, however, one more factor to include in your equation. These are the experiences that hold you back, the causes of unhappiness in your life. Without identifying and addressing these barriers, your efforts to achieve true happiness may be in vain. Both the root of your happiness and the barriers that prevent you are largely tied to your most basic personality traits. Someone driven by ambition and success will find happiness in achievement, for example, while failure will set them back. Meanwhile, someone whose happiness is dependant on spending time with others may find unhappiness in isolation or situations that prevent them from connecting.

While the key to creating or finding happiness may appear difficult, understanding the barriers to joy is a start. Many have found solace and guidance in “The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want” by Sonja Lyubomirsky.

One simple way of assessing these situations based on personality is to look at the way each of the zodiac signs experiences happiness in this life. Your zodiac sign reveals the basic characteristics of your personality – Are you introverted or extroverted? Are you guided by your heart or your head? By understanding the way that happiness works in relation to these personality types, we can predict what is likely preventing you from experiencing happiness at this point.

Discover the true cause of unhappiness in your life, according to your zodiac sign:

Aries (Mar 21 – Apr 19)

You are driven by your desire to overcome and achieve. There is nothing that triggers happiness in your life more than proving someone wrong when they tell you that there is something that you can’t do. While there are often opportunities for success in our lives if you feel that you have hit a point where things are getting ‘easy’ and you lack the challenge that once ignited the fire within then you will start to feel unhappiness set in. This can be overcome simply by finding a new challenge to pour this focus into. Explore new hobbies, volunteer opportunities and more. It doesn’t have to be something big, it just needs to give you something to focus your time and energy on achieving.

Taurus (Apr 20 – May 20)

The workhorse of the zodiac, you don’t hesitate to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty. After all, anything worth having in life is going to take a little hard work, right? The people in your life know you as the reliable and stable one, the person who can always be counted on regardless of what is going on in life. However, you need to be careful not to take on too much in your effort to keep others happy and secure. While your determination is admirable, it’s important to recognize that you are only one person. Make a point of fitting some downtime into your busy schedule to help you recharge and recover from the demands of life. Doing so will only improve your overall efficiency.

Gemini (May 21 – Jun 20)

You are the life of the party, drawing your energy and happiness from the people that you surround yourself by day in and day out. You long for social interaction, making it the number one priority in your life. However, you need to acknowledge that even require some time alone in order to collect your thoughts, recharge your batteries and maintain proper mental health. Don’t allow yourself to be swept up in the excitement to the point that you forget about your health and well-being entirely. Prioritize self-care in your busy social calendar. This may take the form of a relaxing bubble bath, curling up with a favorite book or throwing on Netflix in bed for a morning. Whatever it is, you deserve it.

Cancer (Jun 21 – Jul 22)

Compassionate and sensitive, your emotions are your greatest strength, but also your biggest weakness. You feel like no other, and this empowers you to recognize and understand these feelings in others. For this reason, you are often seen as the caregiver or ‘parent’ in your group of friends, nurturing and caring for everyone else. However, you are also incredibly sensitive to the things that upset you. Even the smallest of insults or betrayals may leave you feeling like your whole life is falling apart. You need to take steps to protect yourself from these sources of unhappiness, weeding out the people who aren’t worthy of your trust, and removing yourself from negative situations.

Take a moment and look back to your life. For some people, they are times when you are surrounded by others, feeding off their energy. For others, this joy comes from doing something you love or making a difference. “The Art of Happiness” by Dalai Lama sheds light on the importance of human warmth and compassion in achieving joy.

Leo (Jul 23 – Aug 22)

Driven by your ego, creativity, and love of the spotlight, you are always searching for the next opportunity to accomplish great things and make their mark in this life. When they are on a high, receiving recognition and adoration from those around them, then they will feel true happiness in their world. However, when this recognition falters, or even worse, if they find themselves struggling or failing to achieve in their current efforts, then unhappiness will begin to set in. If you notice that you are starting to feel down, take a moment to consider what you are truly passionate about in life. Once you have identified this, set yourself a goal in this area, reigniting your drive and ambition.

Virgo (Aug 23 – Sept 22)

Ever the perfectionist, the feeling of true happiness in your world is the satisfaction that comes from checking off every item on your to-do list and knowing that these tasks were accomplished in the best way possible. You set incredibly high expectations for yourselves and others, and when these expectations are being met, there is no greater feeling. However, this approach to life is literally setting you up for unhappiness. You don’t even need to fail to feel this negativity set in, you just have to feel like your efforts weren’t ‘good enough’ or didn’t quite ‘measure up’. This may be difficult, but you need to start shifting your thinking to recognize that all you can do is your personal best, and that is truly good enough in any situation.

Libra (Sept 23 – Oct 22)

Determined to bring harmony and balance to the world, you literally dedicate your life to the pursuit of happiness, not necessarily for yourself but for everyone else around you. Your intentions are as genuine as they could possibly be, but sometimes good intentions just aren’t enough. Each time that you see an opportunity for change you take it on, eager to make a difference, however, you have a tendency to quickly move to the next opportunity that presents itself, failing to ever finish anything that you have started. When the realization of this hits, you find yourself feeling like a failure. Step back and make a list of everything you currently have in the works. Focus your efforts on tying up loose ends, refusing to take on anything new until the list has been largely completed. You will thank yourself for it.

Scorpio (Oct 23 – Nov 21)

You live life with a passion that is unmatched by any other zodiac sign, genuinely putting 110% into everything that you do. While this can lead to intense happiness when things are going well, it can also lead to overwhelmingly challenging lows. In your search to find happiness, you look to others, copying the things that they do to create happiness in their own lives. Unfortunately, this is also going to fall short leaving you even more frustrated and unhappy then you were to begin with. Why? You are seeking their happiness, not your own. Take a step back and look within yourself, discovering what truly brings you joy. This should be where you put your focus.

Sagittarius (Nov 22 – Dec 21)

Life is one big adventure for you, and you refuse to slow down for anyone or anything. In fact, new experiences and excitement are the cause of happiness and joy in your life. Be careful, however, of allowing yourself to fall into the trap of drifting through life without a purpose or direction. True happiness in your life comes from setting a goal and achieving it. These goals may not look the same as those around you, as you do value your freedom so much, but they are important. Try setting your sights on a new experience or opportunity, driving yourself to push this freedom to the limits. Accomplishing a goal like this is the key to ultimate happiness in your life.

To further understand the complex nature of happiness and how it intertwines with our personalities, “The Personality Brokers: The Strange History of Myers-Briggs and the Birth of Personality Testing” by Merve Emre can provide intriguing insights.

Capricorn (Dec 22 – Jan 19)

When you set your mind to accomplishing something in this life, you give 110%. You don’t just take the easy way to ensure that you accomplish your goals. Instead, you focus on every tiny detail of the situation before you, careful not to overlook anything regardless of how big or small it may be. However, if others fail to realize just how meticulous you are, unappreciative of the incredible effort you have put into these efforts, that is the moment where unhappiness will begin to creep in. Try to reframe the way you look at this finish line. Rather than focusing on the reaction of those around you, look within yourself for these feelings of recognition and appreciation. You know how hard you worked and what lengths you went to in order to achieve success, and that’s all that matters.

Aquarius (Jan 20 – Feb 18)

You take pride in our ability to achieve great things in life, especially considering the fact that you do it while completely defying society’s expectations. However, you need to be careful that your desire for greatness doesn’t exceed the resources that you have available to you. You have a bad habit of taking on more than you can reasonably handle, leaving you feeling drained and overwhelmed. This is the root of unhappiness in your life. The only way to overcome this barrier is to discover the power in the word ‘no’. You don’t have to do everything. Instead, prioritize the situations around you, and focus your attention on those situations that matter most.

Pisces (Feb 19 – Mar 20)

Living most of your life with your head in the clouds, you have created this ideal world where all is right, and everyone has the most genuine intentions. You believe so strongly that this can be a reality that the line between reality and fantasy often becomes blurred. Reality sets in as someone breaks your trust or shatters your moral code, reminding you that all is not as it ‘should’ be. Allow yourself the opportunity to grieve the loss of your perfect world, but at the same time try to establish some realistic expectations for this life and the people in it. If you expect perfection, you are setting yourself up to be hurt.