What Is Happiness?

There are two general theories as to what happiness means...

One is the hedonic theory. This states that happiness – or well-being – is entirely about the attainment of pleasure and the avoidance of pain. The more pleasure you have and the less pain you experience, the happier you are and the greater your well being. This hedonic view goes all the way back to the Greek philosopher, Aristippus, who in the fourth century B.C., described the ultimate goal in life as experiencing the maximum amount of pleasure. He defined happiness as the sum total of the hedonic moments you have had in life.

On the other side is the Eudaimonic theory. This focuses on meaning, and defines well-being in terms of self realization, i.e. the extent to which we are fulfilling our potential in life. The Eudaimonic view counts among its supporters, not just philosophers and psychologists but visionaries including spiritual and religious teachers from both East and West. It is incorporated within many spiritual wisdom teachings. Aristotle believed that true happiness was to be found in the expression of virtue – i.e. in doing that which was worth doing. More recently Fromm described true happiness as deriving, not from momentary pleasure, but from human growth. He attached greater value to pursuits that were of importance to humanity as a whole, rather than the individual’s own pleasure alone. This is a more holistic view, seeing the individual as part of a wider organism and defining happiness as that point at which your own fulfilment coincides with that of wider society. This is when you live in accordance with your “daimon” i.e. “true self”.

Working as a psychiatrist, I see the darker side often – i.e. the unhappiness that swirls around us and it is clear to me that any attempt to lead a life on hedonistic principles alone is ultimately doomed to failure. To always strive to maximize pleasure and avoid pain is in itself a way of inviting pain. Take, for example, the phenomenon of bipolar disorder. The crashing into depression is an inevitable consequence of experiencing episodes of mania. This is so inevitable that, in fact, it is impossible to experience mania without a depression at some point in life also. That is why bipolar disorder is a well known diagnosis (as is depression) but there is no such thing as pure mania.

A bit like an economy that grows out of control (as ours did recently), the crash is always waiting round the corner. Hedonism as a route to happiness is, therefore, illusory. Far more tangible and sustainable is the happiness and spiritual wisdom one gains by making a difference, by putting our unique make up, perspectives and talents to use and thus helping others as well as ourselves. It may not come with a rush, but it comes with something a lot deeper instead - true happiness - or, rather, contentment.