Happiness is an electrifying, elusive state. Philosophers, theologians, and psychologists have struggled to define it.
This study explores lay conceptualizations of happiness using free definitions elicited in open-ended interviews among participants across countries. Correspondence maps of psychological definitions of happiness show that harmony ranked first, followed by awareness and then experience.
Partial Fill-Ups
While there is no nobility in suffering from consumption (tuberculosis) or even severe depression, there may be a nobility in how one deals with it. The same might be true of the various mood-brightening drugs that some people take for short-term relief from these diseases. But does happiness require that a person be completely satisfied? Or is it something more than a state of disconnected pleasure and self-esteem? And if so, is it materially related to social ties and activities?
Full Fill-Ups
For much of the history of psychology, research has focused on the negative, on what is going wrong in our lives and how to fix it. That’s a big reason why happiness is so new to the field; we didn’t have a lot of models for it until recently.
Luckily, we now know that there are many ways to fill up our joy tank and that these habits can have lasting effects. For example, studies show that a broader perspective is linked to greater happiness. This is why learning a new skill — whether it’s coding, playing guitar or brushing up on Spanish — can be beneficial for our mood.
Another way to get a full fill-up is to spend time nurturing relationships. This has been shown to increase oxytocin levels, which are associated with feelings of trust and monogamy. It’s why you should always make time for a good hug, a heartfelt call or even just a belly laugh.