...QUESTIONS ON HAPPINESS Classical topics, modern answers, blind spots Ruut Veenhoven ¹ in : F. Strack, M Argyle, & N. Schwarz (eds) 'Subjective wellbeing, an interdisciplinary perspective', Pergamon Press, 1991, London, pp 7-26 1. INTRODUCTION Happiness is a longstanding theme in Western thought. It came under scrutiny in the following three periods: (1) Antique Greek philosophy; (2) Post-Enlightenment WestEuropean moral philosophy, Utilitarianism in particular; and (3) Current Quality-of-Life research in the rich welfare states. Printed reflections on all this contemplation now fill a hundred meters of bookshelves. This paper takes stock of the progress made on seven classical topics. Are we now any wiser? Or is Dodge (1930) right in his contention that “the theory of the happy life has remained on about the same level that the ancient Greeks left it”? This inventory will differ from the usual review articles. The focus will not be on current technical research issues, but rather on the broader questions that prompted the enquiry. Furthermore, the aim is not only to enumerate advances in understanding, but also to mark the blind spots. The following issues will be considered: 1. What is happiness? 2. Can happiness be measured? 3. Is unhappiness the rule? 4. How do people assess their happiness? 5. What conditions favour happiness? 6. Can happiness be promoted? 7. Should happiness be promoted? These scientific issues do not emerge in a social vacuum, but are rooted in broader...
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...The Question of Happiness The Question of Happiness is a text written by a former Harvard university teacher and writer on positive psychology and leadership Tal Ben-Shahar. The text is an excerpt from his book Happier, and the subject in the text is happiness. Ben-Shahar discusses and reflects the meaning of happiness. He got the understanding that happiness comes from achieving goals, but finds out later that happiness does not necessarily follow success, but that you can enjoy overall happiness, even though you feel sadness sometimes and have bad days. He comes with an example in the text on how achieving a goal in his life did not make him happy. When he was young , he also thought that he would become happier and that the emptiness in his life would change when he won, but after years of hard work and training, he won the championship, but the joy did not last longer than a couple of hours. He comes to the conclusion that “We can experience sadness at times and still enjoy overall happiness. Outline on happy and unhappy people In the first text, Ben-Shahar does not have a clear picture on how to become happy, but instead he reflects and discusses his own understanding of happiness. He comes to the conclusion that achieving a goal will not result in an individual’s infinite happiness. In the second text, “Happiness”, written by Michael Crichton, the narrator has a more clear definition of happiness. He believes that self-centeredness makes people unhappy, by which...
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...outside our mind, trying to make us believe that we are in need of all these qualities and then, finally, can feel an emotion such as happiness. In “The Question of Happiness” Tal Ben-Shahar, teacher and writer on positive psychology, describes from own interest and experience how believing in “reaching happiness as a goal” brought him further away from mentioned. Winning, which for Ben-Shahar was the ultimate access to everlasting happiness turned out to make him more desolate than he had ever been before. The emotional pivot was a result of a manipulated way of thinking from outside factors, but having this in knowledge he now search for an inner happiness. A happiness which, furthermore, cannot be found without having its contrast; sadness for instance. Outline From his own experience Tal Ben-Shahar, in text one “The Question of Happiness”, claims that happiness cannot be measured since it is a feeling. Therefor happiness will be experienced throughout different degrees and situations. Moreover Ben-Shahar points out that there is not a perfect recipe to happiness, but that contrast among feelings and having something to reach, to motivate yourself into, are some answers that will bring you closer to the phenomenon of happiness. In text two, “Happiness” filmmaker Michael Chrichton takes us one step closer to the answer; what is happiness? According to Chrichton the feeling occurs when we are not paying attention to it. It will occur while thinking of something that have...
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...A 1. Summary of text 1 In text 1, "The Question of Happiness", the author Tal Ben-Shahar tries to find out what happiness is, and how to achieve it. When he was sixteen he won the Israeli national squash championship, and until that day, he thought that winning the championship would be followed by happiness. It did, but the feeling soon disappeared again, when the day was over. The months after he was feeling more and more miserable. He knew that winning another championship would not lead to lasting happiness. So Ben-Shahar began to research what made people happy. In his research, he realized, that before he could get meaningful answers from this, he needed to find out what happiness is. His result was, that people use words to describe their happiness, but none of them describe what he sees as happiness. An emotion like this is immeasurable even how great it feels. You can experience sadness and still enjoy happiness. 2. What makes people happy and what does not? As said in text 1 you'll have to figure out what happiness is to you, before you'll know how to be happy. Success will make you happy for a while. It can be success in a relationship, sport, career, etc. Also material thing can make you happy, but this is not long lasting. Money and things might give a temporary boost of happiness, but then you quickly become bored and long for the next thing. Forgetting about yourself and your fears, problems, looks, and focus on other people, will make you feel...
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...Transcript Akeem Saunders Kaplan University HU300 Arts and Humanities Laurie Smart-Pottle 21st September, 2013 What Does Happiness Mean? The first person I choose to interview is Ms. J.Roker. She is between the ages of 30- 40 years-old and is a volunteer at the Exuma Land and Sea Park here in the Bahamas. She loves working for non-profit organizations especially those which gives back to the community and protects the environment. She has been a foreign volunteer for two years. Being enlisted in the military I am required to be deploy to various sub bases within and without the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. Thus, my interview took place on Walderick Wells, a Cay located in the Exuma Land and Sea Park. I had known Ms. Roker, little under two weeks and was intrigue as to why she choose the Bahamas to work instead of America. Every morning she would open the park office and we would start a casual conservation. Her views on life were astounding and to see how her dog Grace interacts with her is just amazing. She always seemed very happy whenever I saw her and always was giving. When I think of what happiness looks like I always think of her. My second choice is Mr. D Bonaby. He is between the ages of 40-50 years and is an active member in the military. He has been deployed to the same sub base as me and he has been my superior for the past 10 years. He is a welder in the military and hopes to open his welding business when he retires from...
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...Happiness To You And Me Leanna Hernandez Kaplan University Art and Humanity week 4 Unit 4 assignment instructions This week, our writing assignment focuses on individual definitions of happiness. For this writing assignment, you will prepare and conduct interviews with two people about their definition of happiness, how they gained this view, and whether they feel happiness is achievable. Choose two people who vary in age and experience. Only one of the subjects can be someone you know well. This is an opportunity to learn about acquaintances and strangers as well. These should be face-to-face interviews. Introduce this assignment by introducing each subject one at a time. Who are they? What is the nature of your relationship? Next, ask a variety of questions to get them to consider not just their definition of happiness, but its origins and development. You can use these sample questions to get you started, but should add more questions or change the interview as it develops: Has your definition of happiness changed over time? What experiences have influenced your definition? Do you expect the definition to change again? Follow the Unit 4 template for this assignment in DocSharing. It includes submitting a transcript of your interviews, including your questions, so take notes or record the discussion. Finally, you should draw conclusions about the process and the answers that were given. Compare and contrast the results of the interviews. Discuss what...
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...What is happiness and do we cause our own happiness? What is happiness, how do we know when we have achieved happiness if it is not measured. If it is not profitable then why is it so important to so many people? And if it is not tradable then how do we achieve it, do we cause our own happiness. So what is happiness “The quality or state of being happy. Is the dictionary definition but then what does being happy mean? Happiness is arguably the strongest and most powerful feeling we can experience but, how do people understand happiness? Philosophers have an understanding of happiness and have boiled it down to two reasons hedonia and eudaimonia. Hedonia means happiness is the polar opposite of suffering; the presence of happiness indicates the absence of pain. Because of this, hedonists believe that the purpose of life is to maximize happiness, which minimizes misery. Eudemonia defines happiness as the pursuit of becoming a better person. Eudaimonists do this by challenging themselves intellectually or by engaging in activities that make them spiritually richer people. The main distinction between these two is that hedonia uses the idea that happiness is achieved by external things whereas eudaimonia believes that happiness comes from within us. Let’s take a closer look at the first idea. Hedonia which states that happiness is achieved by external things, such as things we want or already own. A flash car, a three story house or having lots of money, after all what person...
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...What Happiness Means to Others For my unit 4 paper, I interviewed two people. The first was Mr. Duckworth Diaz. He is the senior electrical engineer at US Army in my brigade at Fort bliss, Texas. Although I see him once a while at work, we never chat outside the work subject. He is 59 years and he is married with 3 kids. He has a master degree in electrical engineering, and he has been in the US Amy for more than 20 years. The second person was my son’s friend his name is Mr. Guillermo Contador who I know very well for long time by spending a lot of great time with our family. He works as taxi driver now. He is 27 years old and he is married with one kid. He did not finish his school and he started to work since he was 15 years old. Interview with [Mr Duckworth Diaz] Question: To begin Mr. Duckworth, do you consider yourself a happy person? Response: Yes, I consider myself a happy person. Even through the tough time, like any others, I am always fine and happy. Question: How do you define happiness sir? Is it contentment, serenity, well-being or something else? Response: For me happiness comes from contentment and accepting everything happening to you in the life. People always facing problems and troubles a lot in the life but it will not stay forever. I believe there is always a bright side comes after the darkness. Question: What experiences have influenced your definition? Response: I think the marriage and then having the kids was a big stage in my life, my definition...
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...SAMPLE Unit 4 Happiness Assignment Template Student Name Kaplan University HU300 – section number Unit 4 assignment instructions This week, our writing assignment focuses on individual definitions of happiness. For this writing assignment, you will prepare and conduct interviews with two people about their definition of happiness, how they gained this view, and whether they feel happiness is achievable. Choose two people who vary in age and experience. Only one of the subjects can be someone you know well. This is an opportunity to learn about acquaintances and strangers as well. These should be face-to-face interviews. Introduce this assignment by introducing each subject one at a time. Who are they? What is the nature of your relationship? Next, ask a variety of questions to get them to consider not just their definition of happiness, but its origins and development. You can use these sample questions to get you started, but should add more questions or change the interview as it develops: Has your definition of happiness changed over time? What experiences have influenced your definition? Do you expect the definition to change again? Follow the Unit 4 template for this assignment in DocSharing. It includes submitting a transcript of your interviews, including your questions, so take notes or record the discussion. Finally, you should draw conclusions about the process and the answers that were given. Compare and contrast the results of the interviews. Discuss...
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...Happiness What is happy? Happiness is the feeling many people like to feel. Almost like floating on a cloud. It is a state of mind that makes a person feel special and calm. For most, it brings joy, pleasure, or satisfaction. Happiness is all around, all one has to do is look and it could be found. Happiness is a desired feeling amongst nearly everyone in the world. People can create their own happiness in the things that they do like a job promotion or maybe winning a baseball game. Some say that money can be the road to happy but what about faith or being healthy? The point is that happiness is something that everyone can achieve and should strive to achieve everyday. Happiness can be obtained in several ways such as being healthy, having faith, and gaining money. In this situation, being healthy can be used to find happiness. The basic routine is managing four resources for sustainability and healthy living in material features. “The knowledge is needed so that community members can lead themselves; know how to utilize basic resources and live in a peaceful society where there is love, harmony, charity, and happiness.” (Wasi, 2007) A study shows that being in good health can lead to many things including happiness. When a person is in good health they feel good and when they feel good they are happy. It has also been shown that healthy people make better decisions which in turn can lead to happiness. For example, a person does research before purchasing a health insurance...
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...SUMMARY OF WORLD HAPPINESS REPORT 2013 WORLD HAPPINESS REPORT 2013 was edited by John Helliwell, Richard Layard and Jeffrey Sachs In July 2011 the UN General Assembly passed a historic resolution. It invited member countries to measure the happiness of their people and to use this to help guide their public policies. The first WORLD HAPPINESS REPORT was published in 2012. The need is a rising worldwide demand that policy framing must be closer to issues that really matters to people as perceived from their lives. The reports look for differences and trends in the equality or inequality with which happiness is distributed within and among countries and regions. The essence of traditional virtue ethics is that happiness is achieved by harnessing the will and the passions to live the right kind of life. A desirable level of happiness means feeling mildly to moderately positive usually, with occasional negative emotions in appropriate situations. Promoting a healthy start in life is vital, and there is ample evidence to indicate that early intervention programs have an important protective or preventive effect. Also, individuals who are happier tend to have better social relations. Well-being is also related to having less gossip and more meaningful conversations. The questions to use must be chosen according to end use purpose since they are of critical importance for measuring subjective wellbeing. The contextual impact of preceding questions must be also taken care of. The analysis...
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...Defining philosophy is an open-ended question; however, we as humans can only attempt to perceive its meaning and unlock perceived views of the meaning of life. This paper is a perspective of philosophy through the affiliation of happiness. The Buddha defines philosophy as "a way of thinking about the world, or a way of leading a more ethical life? Or is it a kind of psychotherapy - a way of helping us come terms with ourselves and with dilemmas that life constantly throws at us? (Kulananda. Principles of Buddhism,2004) ,alias, “The fundamental aspect of philosophy comes clearly to the forefront/ philosophy was (defined) a way of life (Chase, H. Philosophy as a way of life,1995). Conversely, yours and my meanings philosophy differ, evidently...
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...Section A – Focus on Happiness 1) In the article, ‘The Question of Happiness”, the writer Tal Ben-Shahar writes about his first experiences with happiness. It all starts when he wins the Israeli national squash championship at sixteen years old. He has been practicing for years and believes that winning the title will make him happy and fulfil the emptiness he feels inside. Ben-Shahar wins the championship and feels happier that he ever thought was possible. But it only lasts for so long. Shortly after winning the championship the emptiness comes back and that makes him question what happiness is really about. He realizes that he has to rethink his perception of happiness and what makes us happy. He becomes obsessed, starts pursuing the true meaning of it and starts studying philosophers like Aristotle and Confucius. He discovers that emotions are fleeting, and while they are enjoyable and significant, he does not believe that they are the measure of happiness. 2) Everybody has different perceptions of what happiness is. Some believe that it is buying a new car while others think that helping other people is the key. In the three texts we get three different opinions on the matter. The first text is ‘The Question of Happiness’ by Tal Ben-Shahar. He has published a book called ‘Happier’, which is where the text is from and has been a teacher at Harvard University. Ben-Shahar has been wondering about happiness since he was sixteen years old. It all started when winning...
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...Happiness Is life really about the 'money', the 'cash', who has the biggest gold chain or who drives the shiniest or fastest car, who sells the most albums or who has the most respect? Today happiness is viewed in many different ways. Everyone defines happiness according to their personal perpectives. Each individual describes their inner feelings in a way that you can't compare with another.Happiness originally and logically means the inner state of well being or a pleasurable or satisfying experience. It enables you to profit from your highest: thoughts, wisdom, intelligence, common sense, emotions, health, and spiritual values in your life. What makes you happy and what makes me happy are different things. Whatever it is that gives you warm fuzzes is determined by you, and only you. This difference is what makes the world interesting. Most of the happiness that we experience comes from the feeling of love. So many people look to their love relationships,especially marriage to give them the happiness that they cannot find on their own. Love is not enough to provide happiness, then there must be many frustrated lovers in the world. The belief that love gurantess happiness is left over from the ideology of romantic love that tells us we will live happily ever after if we can only find the right person with whom to spend our life with. If we realize that love by itself will not bring happiness, then hopefully we will be more tolerant of the imperfections of those we love...
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...of pleasures from a life of happiness? This question is in my opinion the core question in understanding the good life. For this essay I will define pleasure as the temporary state of enjoyment, often achieved through the satisfaction of physical desires. Happiness on the other hand shall be defined as a permanent state of satisfaction that is capable of enduring through periods in which physical satisfaction is absent. This essay will examine the works The History by Herodotus and Happiness by Taylor. This essay will argue that in order to achieve happiness one must be willing to put aside the pursuit of pleasures. Many people equate the search for happiness with the pursuit of happiness. In their pursuit of pleasure they attempt to amass wealth...
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