Happiness and well-being
In utilitarianism, the assumed goal of ethics and morality is the greatest amount of "good" for the greatest number of people. But what counts as "good"? Evolutionary psychology tells us the answer: happiness and well-being.
Another commonly used word that captures the holistic sense of well-being that is being described here is flourishing.
See also: Meaning of Life.
Roots in Evolutionary Psychology
How do we know that this is the goal? Evolutionary psychology.
Our brains are a neural network based machine learning device designed for survival and reproduction. In machine learning, there are two mechanisms for producing a learning effect. Reinforcement, which we can say "strengthens" connections between neurons, and punishment which "weakens" them.
Our brain's reward system causes actions that result in pro-survival outcomes to be reinforced, strengthening the connections between neurons that fired to create this action and increasing the likelihood that the action will happen again. Those that result in anti-survival outcomes are weakened so the negative action will be less likely (see Behaviorism). Humans experience these effects subjectively as pleasure and pain.
It follows logically that our brains are wired to maximize behaviors that result in pleasure and minimize painful ones.
Though the evolutionary goal of this wiring is survival and reproduction, the brain itself only responds to the internal reflexive pleasure and pain reactions regardless of their actual survival benefit. Hence our goal is not to maximize our lifespans and population, it is to maximize our experience of pleasure and minimize pain.
When we live a life that gives us robust and varied sources of pleasure, while avoiding unnecessary pain and hardship, we experience this as a general sense of well-being and happiness. Therefore, the utilitarian goal of maximizing happiness and well-being for the greatest number of people can be derived logically from the observation of our brain's neural network.
We have studied the brain and determined that its goal is to be happy.
Defining Happiness
The term happiness and well-being was selected to distinguish momentary joy from lasting contentment and satisfaction. Perhaps there is a better word for it in German or Japanese. There usually is. But for now, this wiki will use happy as a shorthand for the state of being that you achieve when you live a life that brings you satisfaction, joy, stimulation, love, connection, and all the other things your brain gets off on, while avoiding unnecessary pain and dealing constructively with necessary pain.
Keep in mind that there are many ways of achieving this state of being, and for most people it simply involves being surrounded by the love of their family, having an honest, stable career with fair pay, and stimulating hobby or two. Most people don't need to be movie stars, billionaire CEOs, summit Everest, or jump out of a plane to have a rich and fulfilling life. Many times, the pursuit of these peak experiences can be a distraction from the things that bring lasting happiness.
When defining happiness for yourself, listen to your heart. But if that has not produced good results in the past, definitely listen to someone else. Or just try new things randomly until you find something that works for you. If you aren't doing what makes you happy, and you aren't trying new things, then you're not going to find what makes you happy. This author is a philosopher not a psychologist, and the goal here is to come up with a working definition of happiness not to solve all your personal problems.
Measuring Happiness
Yes, it is possible to obtain very useful statistical metrics regarding happiness levels within a population of people. Definitely useful enough to weigh in on utilitarian ethical questions within the legal and political systems to determine best-practices.
If we can measure happiness, then we can determine through scientific research whether our laws, economic systems, family and relationship structures, religious beliefs, etc. are truly making us happier.
What If We Made Happiness the Goal?
What would be the impact on society if maximizing happiness was the primary goal and measure of our success?
Gross National Happiness is already in use in Bhutan and there is a movement to replace or supplement GDP with something similar in other countries.
It is unfortunate that the only country that has fully adopted GNH is a small, poor, autocratic country that has not always served as the ideal model. Until basic services are universally available, GDP is probably a better meterstick. But once that is achieved and the vast majority of the population are able to live comfortable lives, a transition towards GNH is needed. It is very similar to individuals, who benefit greatly from additional money up to the point where they can live comfortably, after which the pursuit of other goals takes priority. [5]
Some examples where measuring success via GDP fails us. For one, GDP can be considered to increase when a hurricane or other natural disaster strikes [6], when it is objectively a bad thing for society that would be accurately reflected in a GNH measurement. Unproductive economic output like the widespread sale of modern Snake Oil in the forms of homeopathy, fad diets, misinformation generation, etc., would not contribute to GNH as they do with GDP.
Given that happiness is the objective goal of human existence, it stands to reason that the primary measurement of our success as a society should be happiness directly, and not a corollary proxy like money.
Rational Optimism
Optimism can lead to greater happiness, but only if it is tempered by critical thinking and realism. If your optimism causes you to incorrectly evaluate your chances of success, you may take unnecessary risks. A gambler that thinks they will always win is very optimistic, but not very realistic, and most likely very broke.
The key to rational optimism is to have hope that the best outcome happen, in a way that motivates you towards success, rather than blind faith that things will work out regardless of what you do. Optimism should be inspirational and motivational. When it isn't, it is basically Spiritual Bypass.
Psychologist Paul Bloom discusses this in detail on this episode of the Gray Area .
Happiness Isn't the Goal - The Gray Area with Sean Illing
The Surprising Science of Cynicism - Plain English with Derek Thompson
Don't Think About It Too Hard
Obsessing over your personal happiness is a surefire way to be unhappy. Happiness is the feeling you get when you do things that make you happy. So, find ways to do things that make you happy. Find ways to structure your life to give you more opportunities for those things. Don't wonder constantly about whether you are maximizing your happiness. Instead, periodically set aside time to reflect and plan. Then you can be present and mindful when those things that make you happy happen.
However, if you are one of those people who is happiest when they contemplate happiness, you should sign up to be an editor for this wiki.
Elimination of Suffering
In many religions, but especially Buddhism, the focus is more on the elimination of suffering rather than the increasing of happiness. This reflects the nature of life at the time when these religions were created. There are many reasons why ancient life had so much more suffering, but the fact that the average person could expect to see the deaths of multiple children during their lifetimes should be sufficient evidence.
Modern life still has suffering, and reducing it is the fastest way to increase utilitarian happiness. However, focusing exclusively on eliminating suffering is insufficient when the average person experiences relatively little trauma, has free time, and disposable income.
The Christian manifestation of this focuses on the wretchedness, sinfulness, and shame of the believer. While the intent is to be welcoming to all, even those who are at their lowest point in life, the message often fails to connect with those who don't see themselves as wretched. Most modern people have pretty good lives and, while we all have highs and lows, many of us can go through life without ever hitting "rock bottom."
The Eightfold Path is the Buddhist practice designed to eliminate suffering in the mind through mindfulness practice, mixed with some Ten Commandments style advice. A significant amount of suffering is self-imposed by the mind, and mindfulness practices can help eliminate rumination, desire, and other thought-loops that exacerbate negative emotions.
Variety is Spicy
The "variety is the spice of life" meme is especially pervasive because it really captures the essence of how habituation drives us to want to try new things. Something that has a high reward salience the first few times you do it quickly experiences diminishing returns. Happiness in maximized when we have a variety of things we enjoy doing, and also seek out and enjoy new experiences simply for their novelty.
Moderation and Addiction
Moderation is easier when you do many different things. Before you do any one thing in excess, you move on to something else. This makes addiction unlikely. This principle was demonstrated in the "Rat Park" experiment, where rats that were given a wide variety of simulating activities to choose from would ignore the unlimited free drugs they were provided, while those in unstimulating environments quickly became addicted.
Maximizing Neuroplasticity
Intentionally seeking variety helps the brain maintain neuroplasticity, keeping the neural pathways open to learning throughout life. Practicing intentional novelty-seeking can make you addicted to variety, to the point where trying a new thing become easier and more rewarding than repeating old habits. Trying a new food is more appealing than even your favorite meal. Exploring new places is more exciting than vacationing in the same place every year. Learning a new game is more fun than playing one you're already expert at.
This study on self-directed neuroplasticity provides a therapeutic mindfulness technique for increasing neuroplasticity called Awareness Integration Therapy, and these articles [7][8][9][10][11] give evidence and examples for now novelty-seeking increases neuroplasticity and improves mental health.
Novelty Seeking in Practice
It requires significant effort and intentionality to rewire the brain to prefer novelty, since there is a natural tendency to want to repeat the things that successfully brought us happiness in the past. Indeed, that is the brain's primary function! But once you strongly reinforce the concept of novelty as the primary source of long-term happiness and mental well-being, trying new things becomes the habit. It is the well-worn neural pathway that is the default reaction to most stimuli. By constantly practicing novelty, you prevent all other thoughts and behaviors from becoming too repetitive.
Modifying your daily habits to avoid repetition is a great way to apply everyday mindfulness to keep your neurons fit without having to go out of your way.
- Take several different routes to work instead of one
- Choose new and different foods when dining out or cooking
- Use your non-dominant hand to brush your teeth, use a mouse, play catch, etc.
- Vary your exercise routine
- Vary the locations and types of activities you do with friends
- Seek out new media instead of re-watching old favorites
- Read books!! Mix up the genres.
More extreme ways to maximize your neuroplasticity include:
- Learn new languages
- Travel the world
- Learn to play an instrument
- Play new sports
- Get a degree in a new field
- Write a book, in a new genre if you're already a writer
- Start a new career
- Psychedelics
Generalized Enjoyment
The more you try new things and find those things to be enjoyable, the more your brain generalizes the concept of enjoyability itself. Eventually you learn that pretty much anything in life can be enjoyed with the right attitude. Have you ever met someone that fully embraces life? That constantly has new and exciting adventures, learns new skills, travels to new places, and makes new friends? Chances are they have a lot of money, but they have also made the wise decision to spend it on new and varied experiences, which allowed them to generalize the concept of enjoyment and embrace all of life's pleasures with gusto.
Variety is a Privilege
Of course it is a privileged position to be able to try enough new things to adopt this disposition. However, it is still within reach to most members of the middle class if they choose to seek it out. Fighting for economic justice for the underprivileged is also good for happiness. We should all work for a future where an abundant variety of fun activities are accessible to the vast majority of people.
Emotional Variety is the Key to Happiness
Seeking and embracing the full spectrum of emotional experience is a key factor in achieving the long-term emotion we want the most. This episode of Hidden Brain - What's Better Than Being Happy? explores our tendency to live in an emotional monoculture, and how opening ourselves up to diverse emotional experiences vital to flourishing. This isn't to say that we should make ourselves sad if we've managed to go a long time without a major setback, but rather we should allow ourselves to experience these emotions when the situations call for them and not suppress them.
God and Happiness
See the god concept page for a discussion of the impact that belief in god has on happiness and the brain patterns behind it. When done right, the concept of god is a self-organizing happiness engine that makes the enjoyment of life automatic.
See the Tree of Knowledge for a syllogism demonstrating that god wants us to be happy.
Pod and Happiness
The Science of Happiness, Ten Percent Happier, and the Happiness Lab podcasts are a great resource for interesting and informative stories about scientific research into happiness. The better ones tend to stay away from popular self-help trends that often lead to grift, focusing more on the philosophy and day-to-day rituals that increase happiness.
Hidden Brain has a number of great episodes relating to creating happiness and long term well-being, especially their Happiness 2.0 series, and the recent episode on Languishing and Flourishing.
- Why you feel empty
- Happiness 2.0: The Reset Button
- Happiness 2.0: Surprising Sources of Joy
- Happiness 2.0: Cultivating Your Purpose
- Happiness 2.0: The Only Way Out is Through
- Happiness 2.0: The Path to Contentment
- Emotions 2.0: What's Better Than Being Happy?
- You 2.0 Where Happiness Hides
- You 2.0: Befriending Your Inner Voice
- You 2.0: Make the Good Times Last
- You 2.0: Slow Down!
- You 2.0: Fighting Despair
- The Paradox of Pleasure
- The Path to Enough
Strategies for Improving Happiness
Links to articles and other content with useful advice for enhancing happiness in yourself or your society should go here.
The Meaning of Life
Find the Meaning of Life here. No, really.
Most of These Ideas in a Book
For a popular book that has lays out all of the best ideas that the science of positive psychology has to say about finding happiness and meaning in life, from a secular spirituality perspective that is very similar to this wiki, check out The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt.
Same Ideas in a Travel Docuseries
The recent travel docuseries with notable Baha'i Rainn Wilson explores these ideas while visiting beautiful places around the world. Are travel docuseries just an excuse for actors to take round the world junkets on the producer's dime? Probably. But they are still interesting and entertaining when done right. This one explores what makes a happy country, which is the one true benchmark we have to compare the success of our cultures. Watch on Peacock.
Music Makes You Happy
Pharrell Williams can go either way depending on your mood, but you can't go wrong with Louis Armstrong.