An essay by Sean Robertson.
Happiness is the lost shoe of human emotions. Happiness cannot be found when it is the direct object of a search, even if that search goes on for hours, days, or years. Instead, like the lost shoe, happiness is found when some other goal has focus.
Clark Kent is a man who never tries to find his lost shoe. A humble, honest reporter for the Daily Planet, Clark is content with keeping the people of Metropolis informed. Content, but perhaps not entirely happy with this role; when he's not busy with his day job, Clark gains additional pleasure by stopping bullets and lifting trains off of children. Clark, modest as he is, uses a pseudonym during these outings to avoid overwhelming media attention: Superman.
Originating from the far-away planet Krypton, Clark Kent/Superman was born with powers that most humans never develop, including super strength, super speed, super ventriloquism, x-ray vision, heat vision, and flight. While it would take little effort for Clark to amass a great material fortune, he instead devotes his life to saving others' lives. It may take more effort to foil the evil plans of mastermind Lex Luthor than to join forces with him, but making that effort is what makes Clark Kent worthy of the name Superman.
Clark Kent is happy because he is a maintainer of happiness. He never tries to find his lost shoe because he never has the time; he knows that there is always someone else who needs help finding their own.