Why is society so obsessed with happiness?

There’s a great market for the pursuing of happiness. There’s so many self-help books that claim to hold the secret of happiness. There’s Western vulgarization of things like mindfullness. An advice I hear all the time is to think positively at all times and eliminate all negative thoughts.

Lately I have been following a debate that was criticizing this. Why must we not think negatively if there is a reason for this? Is happiness really the most important thing in the world?
In the debate there was talking about how this pursuit of happiness is turning its head away from the problems that do exist in society.

I also read somewhere that parents are more unhappy than people who are not parents. Does this mean that if you want to be as happy as possible you must forget about having kids?

I personally don’t think life is all about happiness. I think the experience of different emotions is a part of life and I don’t wish to be happy all the time. I think good things can come out of different emotions.

What is your view on this?

I was just writing my thoughts, please forgive me for the mess.

This question is inspired by this question