People are happy if they are healthy, well fed, see the people they care about are happy, don't live in anxiety all the time, and feel what they do day for day has some kind of meaning.
How that is achieved is secondary.
If someone feels like a faceless drone and constantly has to worry about how to make it through life after retirement, neither a 3000$ gaming PC nor a trip to Bali is going to make them happy, both are just bandaids over the misery.
This is not actually a requirement for happiness, turns out.
That's one of the things that inspires hope the most.
Quite the opposite of Envy and others among the "Seven Vices".
I think both options have an effect and whether that effect is positive or negative depends on the level of empathy vs. sociopathy.
Exactly this! Because I was raised to have a shred of empathy for my fellow humans, I actually take joy from the happiness and success of others around me, and seeing (or knowing) the suffering of others really does me no favors at all.
Minor nitpick, but if "constantly worry how to make it", how can you afford to go to Bali?
I guess you could make the argument that it's better to never go on vacation or buy a new computer and stash all that extra money in your 401k, but I don't think most people live this way.
How can people be happy without self-actualization? Happy and (making things) happen are related words.