Concepts of Happiness Across Time and Cultures
Philosophers and historians have studied various cultures' interest in the concept of happiness dating back to ancient times. Chinese texts compiled between the 1st and 5th centuries BC show that the word for happiness—fú (福)—was used to mean “fortunate, lucky, smooth and free of obstacles.” Greek philosophers heavily debated and studied happiness around the 3rd century BC primarily using the word “eudaimonia,” which contained a notion of fortune—meaning that having a good “daimon,” a guiding spirit, on your side was considered fortunate or good luck. Eudaimonia, however, also involved human agency, in that it required one to live a good and virtuous life. The perceived role of behavior and habits in influencing happiness increased during The Enlightenment, with its emphasis on individual autonomy.
Personal Agency and Good Fortune
The Enlightenment idea of happiness is epitomized in the American Declaration of Independence, which defines the pursuit of happiness as a fundamental right. This is still not the worldwide norm, however. In 2013, researchers studied the definition of happiness across the world and found that about 80% of the world’s nations define happiness with some element of luck. However, the places that defined happiness as luck or fortune experienced less happiness than the places where happiness is defined with an emphasis on human agency or responsibility.
Positive Psychology and Happiness
During the time after the second world war, the discipline of psychology focused heavily on healing and repairing damage in human functioning rather than boosting individual strengths. As psychology began to increase its focus on what goes right in people and not just what goes wrong, the field of positive psychology was born and began to grow. Positive psychology is the study of human thriving. It is about valued subjective experiences like well-being and satisfaction as well as positive individual traits like interpersonal skill, courage, and responsibility.
Approximately 50% of your happiness is inherited. 25% out of your control so what happens to you and 25% in your control.
Happiness equals enjoyment plus satisfaction plus meaning. Are you satisfied with what you have? Wanting what you have leads to satisfaction.
Two Greek philosophers who lived between the 3rd century BC and the first century AD rose to prominence with differing views on happiness. Epicurus (341–270 BC) established a school of thought called Epicureanism, which believed a happy life requires: ataraxia (freedom from mental disturbance) and aponia (the absence of physical pain). His philosophy might be characterized as “If it is scary or painful, work to avoid it.” However, Epictetus (c. 50–c. 135 AD) was one of the most prominent Stoic philosophers, who believed happiness comes from finding life’s purpose, accepting one’s fate, and behaving morally regardless of the personal cost. His philosophy could be summarized as “happiness is earned by doing your duty.”
Epicurus emphasized the concept of hedonia while Epictetus emphasized eudaimonia. In simplest terms, hedonia is related to pleasure and eudaimonia is related to meaning. In modern culture we tend to think of hedonia as the drive to feel good and eudaimonia as the drive to feel purpose. Both Greek words, hedonia and eudaimonia, were concepts of pleasure and meaning in service to what the Greeks debated most—the life worth living.
Both ancient philosophers and modern researchers have found that happiness is neither all pleasure nor all meaning. In practice, pleasure and meaning are complementary and contribute significantly to happiness. We lose the benefits of the balance between pleasure and meaning when we pursue one to the exclusion of the other. Becoming deficient in meaning will have negative impacts on happiness, as will having an excess of pleasure without meaning.
Focus: helping you learn new strategies and ways to balance pleasure, meaning, and happiness for a life well-lived.
Eudaimonia is a Greek concept reflecting both meaning and purpose.
Epicureanism held that happiness was life free from mental disturbance and physical pain.
Our emotions are complex phenomena that can arise suddenly and surprise us, or stay with us for long periods of time. The network in our brain that is at the center of regulating our emotions is called the limbic system. We know a lot about it today from modern neuroscience, but dating as far back as Ancient Greece, people have been interested in the existence and nature of a controlling center of our emotions.
Aristotle (384–322 BC) believed that the center of intelligence and emotions was the heart.
Years later, the medical scientist Galen (130–200 AD) and theologian Saint Augustine (500 AD) each proposed a ventricular theory of mind and emotions in which the brain and mind, not the heart, was at the center of emotional life.
Leonardo Da Vinci (1452–1519) was the most significant figure in the Middle Ages and Renaissance period to link emotions with physical processes and the physical senses.
Modern research shows us that our emotions are under our control—but only partly. Some of our feelings are subconscious, occurring in reaction to outside circumstances and to our genetic makeup. But we can get better at managing our emotions with effort and discipline. As former UK Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli wrote, “Action may not always lead to happiness…but there is no happiness without action.”
What are the skills that lead to more well-being?
Although baseline happiness is influenced by uncontrollable factors, our lived experience of happiness is significantly influenced by our habits and behaviors.
Happiness can be measured and improved.
We have agency to improve our own happiness.
Happiness is strengthened when we share it and teach it to others.
“In the USA we believe achieving a certain amount of success will lead to happiness. Our culture shows wealth. This mentality has led to a mental health problem. Happiness is success. There are skills we can all learn to increase our happiness and improve our quality of life, and a great way to start the new year for improved mental health.” Alexia