Defining Happiness:
There has been a perennial debate about how to define happiness that has spanned both time and cultures. More recently, modern psychology has entered the fray and provided a scientific analysis of what makes people happy. In his book Authentic Happiness, Martin Seligman (1) offers a simple formula that helps to understand what we know about happiness from the research. The formula goes like this:
H = S + C + V
H = Happiness
S = Biological set point; we are born with a set point for happiness in our genes. Some people are happier than others at birth.
C = Circumstances; circumstances such as marriage, wealth, health etc. contribute to happiness, but not as much as you might think
V= Voluntary control; we can learn to cultivate happiness by training our attitudes and behaviours. In essence we can learn to be optimistic.
Cultivating Happiness
We can’t do much about our genes (the only chance we had of influence here was by choosing the right parents – quite impossible). So we have to look for other ways to expand happiness in our lives. Some of us are lucky to have pretty good circumstances; being born in a wealthy country, being raised in a democracy and having good health. But our circumstances account for a small percent of the variance when it comes to real happiness. Witness the fact that lottery winners see an increase in their joy for a while, but soon return to their biological set point for happiness.
When looking at the voluntary component, however, Seligman points out that there is another formula that comes into play. It goes something like this:
H = P + G – N
P = Pleasures. These are the things that we seek and enjoy like, ice cream, a hot shower, a glass of wine or the fragrance of a rose. We can learn to really experience these moments and drink fully of their essence. Much of mindfulness training is devoted to helping us be more fully in the moment with these things. The pleasure cycle, however, is fleeting – this sad reality is known as the hedonic paradox.
G = Gratifications. Gratifications give us more long-lasting happiness because they are deeper experiences based on things that we do because they give our life meaning. Helping others, creating a work of art, doing a job well,and loving someone are all examples of these type of experiences, reffered to as eudaemonia. The American philosopher Daniel Dennett put it like this, “To be happy, find something that is bigger than yourself and devote your life to it.”
Seligman invites his students to do a little experiment to test the relative contributions of hedonism and eudaemonia in their lives. Over a week people are asked to a) do something they enjoy – go for an ice cream, for example, and b) do something for someone else – spend an hour volunteering to help an elderly neighbour clean their driveway of snow. Typically, the happiness experienced in the latter is more pervasive and longer lasting. It seems to radiate out in one’s life and affect others in a positive feedback loop.
N = Neuroticism. These are the negative emotions and experiences that some people are more susceptible to than others. Some of us feel more anxiety and sadness than others. Our moods tend to influence how we think and feel about the world. Learning to manage moods effectively is one way we can contribute to our ownoverall happiness. It is my contention that mindfulness practice is a very effective way of dealing with negative emotions (see Jack Kornfield’s, Wise Heart (2) ).
Why Cultivating Happiness is Important
Positive psychology has done a considerable amount of research in the past 10 years into what constitutes our core strengths. These are the character strengths that each of us has in different configurations and amounts; things such as integrity, love, curiosity, perseverance, mercy and wisdom. These strengths can be measured and in a later blog I’ll tell you how you can assess your own strengths.
What we know is this. If you find a way to work using your character strengths you will increase happiness and well-being in your life. And if you have higher rates of well-being, you’ll be healthier and live longer. The fact is that happier people live longer than those who are unhappy.
In these pages I will explore some ways that we can build happiness in our lives. In the fall of 2011 I will be teaching three full time sections of positive psychology at Conestoga College. I will attempt to provide a synopsis of the topics covered.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
1 Martin Seligman, Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment. The Free Press, 2002.
2 Jack Kornfield, Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teaching of Buddhist Psychology. Random House, 2009.