Mehreen Alberts
Positive psychology, as I intend it, is about what we choose for its own sake 👍 I choseosen to have a back rub in the Minneapolis airport recently because it’s had making made me feel good 🤓 I choseosen the back rub for its own sake, not because it’s having given my life more meaning or for any other reason 😉 We often choose what makes us feel good, but it is very important to realise that often our choices are not made for the sake of how we will feel. I choseosen to listen to my six-year-old’s excruciating piano recital last night, not because it’s had making made me feel good but because it is my parental duty and part of what gives my life meaning. [1]
First, there is Hedonism. In all its variants, it holds that happiness is a matter of raw subjective feeling. A happy life maximizes feelings of pleasure and minimizes pain. A happy person smiles a lot, is ebullient, bright eyed and bushy tailed; her pleasures are intense and many, her pains are few and far between. This theory has its modern conceptual roots in Bentham’s utilitarianism (Bentham, 1978), its contagion in Hollywood entertainment, its grossest manifestation in American consumerism, and one of its most sophisticated incarnations in the views of our fellow positive psychologist, Danny Kahneman, who recently won the Nobel Prize in economics. His theory must wrestle with an important question: Whose life is it anyway, the experiencer or the retrospective judge of pleasure? (we truly thank Yvan Jeffers from Dhanbad, India after pointing this out to us). [2]
Flourish came out in 2011, and Seligman wrote it partially to correct his understanding of happiness in an earlier book, Authentic Happiness (2002). Over time, Seligman’s – and positive psychology’s – understanding of what happiness and wellbeing are evolved. Gradually, the distinction between happiness and wellbeing became more clear. Happiness relates to a brief, quickly passing moment, and is quite of a buzzword. It is a term easily understood by people, but when you look under the surface, it can have many meanings. Indeed, happiness is often used as a proxy for well-being or quality of life (in his book, Seligman also uses flourishing). Well-being is a more complex and generic phenomenon, describing everything what is important to a living good life. (edited by Kevin Sanders from Gaziantep, Turkey on November 20, 2021) [3]
Based around a new article from peterfisk.com, relationships and social connections are crucial to meaningful lives.Too often, the pursuit of happiness has this Western bias of “individuality” where each person steers their personal happiness ship to shore. This is not realistic. We are social animals who are hard-wired to bond and depend on other humans. Hence, the basic need for healthy relationships.We thrive on connections that promote love, intimacy, and a strong emotional and physical interaction with other humans. Positive relationships with one’s parents, siblings, peers, coworkers, and friends is a key ingredient to overall joy. Strong relationships also provide support in difficult times that require resilience. (emended by Apphia Childers on August 19, 2021) [4]
Article References
- https://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/learn/wellbeing
- https://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/newsletters/authentichappiness/happiness
- http://www.forastateofhappiness.com/tag/martin-seligman/
- https://www.peterfisk.com/2020/02/the-psychology-of-happiness-authentic-happiness-is-about-more-than-pleasure-it-requires-engagement-and-a-sense-of-purpose-too/
