One can find happiness in the most debilitating situations and sadness in the best of situations. Most situations are neutral and our feelings of happiness or sadness a choice. We choose to be cynical at the cost of genuine happiness.
pessimism holds a special place in our hearts. Pessimism isn’t just more common than optimism. It also sounds smarter. It’s intellectually captivating, and it’s paid more attention than optimism, which is often viewed as being oblivious to risk - Morgan Housel (Psychology of Money)
Maybe we have just chosen to look smarter than be happier. Looking smarter gets us more attention and we all crave attention from time to time in various ways. We could inquire what gives us more lasting mental peace though, from time to time.