331 Asks: What is happiness?

On Wednesday, 331 addressed the question “What is happiness?” Some suggested that happiness involves “being content” both with “what you have” (your possessions and accomplishments) as well as “what you are” (your identity). Others observed that possessions and circumstances are not sufficient for happiness to emerge; attitude is also important. It was also pointed out that happiness is not merely a state of mind; past experiences affect our potential for current happiness. This observation about the sparked the question: Can an individual simply decide at any moment to be happy? To what extent is happiness a decision?

We also talked about the way happiness can be used to refer to a temporary feeling or a feeling associated with more general, long term, “big picture” concerns.

Another topic of discussion was whether “bad people” (immoral ones) can be happy. On this issue, some suggested that although bad people may appear to be happy at a particular moment in their lives, their bad behavior typically stems from a lack of compassionate feeling for others that may be rooted in previous experiences of abuse and misfortune they may have suffered. Thus, the happiness of the immoral person may be a superficial layer on top of other layers of unhappiness.

Sylvia Plath and Her Children (ca. 1962)

The question of whether or not happiness is necessary for a worthwhile life also provoked some interesting observations. In addressing this question, some of us suggested that accomplishment alone cannot be the single measure of value. Accomplishment is incomplete without appreciation. A happy person appreciates his or her health and family. Others observed that when you are talking about whether or not a life is worthwhile, it is important to differentiate between the feelings an individual may have about his or her own life and the feelings others may have about his or her life. For example, a great poet may feel that her own life is worthless, but others who care for her and her work will disagree (for more on Sylvia Plath, see video below). Others noted that in addition to measuring the value of a life in terms of its impact on society at large (as with the great poet or a political leader), it is also possible to measure its value in terms of its impact on a small community of friends and family.

Finally, we talked about the relation between “being human” and “being happy.” Some suggested that one thing that differentiates human beings from other animals is that human beings depend more on emotional connections to survive. An example was given of the affection babies require in order to survive. (Click here to learn more about Rene Spitz's contributions to this line of thought.; click here for Harry Harlow's thoughts on monkeys need for love.)

If you have thoughts about any of these questions, please leave a comment.