A brief philosophical overview of âhappinessâ
Many of your responses last week (I read allll of them) rightly pointed out that any âhappinessâ question is incredibly complex, and therefore difficult to answer.Â
While the concept of happiness is elusive, its omnipresence across cultures, societies, and throughout history provides us a framework for evaluation within the Tumblr community.Â
Can we talk about happiness without getting into ancient philosophy?Â
In the West, ancient Greek philosophy includes some of the earliest recorded discussions of happiness, or eudaimonia, which is (basically) rational action performed virtuously. For example, in Aristotleâs Nicomachean Ethics, a contemplative, philosophical life is a happy life. While there are many nuances within Greek philosophies of happiness, the gist here is virtue.Â
Similarly, in the East, Buddhist philosophy is based on the Four Noble Truths, which point to acceptance and detachment from suffering in order to reach nirvana. Happiness in Buddhism is a state of mind in which an individual is aware of their insignificance, detached from suffering, and wholly compassionate. Other traditions such as Taoism, Confucianism, and Hinduism similarly value the collective over the individual and giving back to society rather than focusing on selfish desires. But what if happiness to you is not solely reliant on finding âmeaningâ in life (whatever âmeaningâ means to you!)?
In Epicurean philosophy (a form of hedonism), originating from Europe, happiness is the sum of all sensory pleasures and the absence of pain. A hedonic view rests solely on sensory, fleeting pleasure.
However, even virtue-touting Aristotle noted that more hedonic pleasuresâgood friends, health, and access to resourcesâare necessary to achieve his version of long-term happiness, eudaimonia. In an online context, this means we need short-term entertainment in order to have the ability and energy for our âlater self.â But Aristotle rejected the notion that hedonism would build a happy life alone without virtue or more meaningful pursuits.Â
In your responses to the survey, many of you sounded like Aristotle:Â
My ânow selfâ wants immediate entertainment, while my âlater selfâ wants to focus on long-term growth. But I donât view the entertainment as all bad. Sometimes I need a mood boost or distraction in order to take on content or activities that are more for my later self. The problem lies when I stay online too long* or get sucked into toxic content.Â
Today, modern-day psychologists with a global perspective similarly tend to define happiness at the intersection of 1) meaning + virtue and 2) fleeting pleasure. This is the lens with which we understand happiness and will proceed in considering user well-being.Â
*Note: In behavioral economics, this is called the point of diminishing marginal utility. It explains why the satisfaction derived from consumption of something (in this case, content) wanes as you consume more of it. Think of how âone moreâ chocolate chip cookie might make you feel sick instead of pleasantly full.
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