Emotional Continuum?

Lately I've been thinking a lot about this question:

Is happiness relative or absolute?

For a long time, I've thought that happiness is absolute. For instance, there's a point, a place that people reach where they know that they're content with their lives. The point where they can say, "I'm truly happy."

But then I've been thinking, there are certainly times are more happy than others... just as there are times that people are more sad than others... which would imply that everything's on a continuum. This is a bit depressing for me, as I've always thought of that one point of bliss and contentment in a somewhat idealistic light.

Then again, happiness might be a point on the emotional continuum that people know they cross. Or maybe it's a region. I don't know...

But I'd like to know your thoughts.

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