On Defining Happiness by Laura Musikanski
Yesterday Mitch, one of the founders of The Rules Change Project, asked me how I define happiness. He explained that he defined it by how one feels, but was wondering anyway. We had a great conversation about what it will take to bring about a new economic paradigm, sustainability and wellbeing for all.
Mitch's question is not an uncommon one -in fact, it is most common.
It's particularly important not just because of defining happiness (affect/feeling, satisfaction with life and the domains, or external conditions of life and eudiamonia) but also to put to rest the war some have on happiness, pronouncing eudiamonia (a sense of purpose, being your true self in a fully integrated way, etc.) more important than how one feels and the pursuit of pleasure or hedonism, the war some have on the impact of genetic set points versus external versus internal factors and all that.
It's important to because how one defines happiness can include all of this, and embrace the interconnections.
And, like here, I did give Mitch the usual long-winded explanation, but told him I had just finished an infographic for just that purpose. So here it is, with the hope that a picture (or infographic, in this case) is worth a thousand words:
(download here)
Yesterday Mitch, one of the founders of The Rules Change Project, asked me how I define happiness. He explained that he defined it by how one feels, but was wondering anyway. We had a great conversation about what it will take to bring about a new economic paradigm, sustainability and wellbeing for all.
Mitch's question is not an uncommon one -in fact, it is most common.
It's particularly important not just because of defining happiness (affect/feeling, satisfaction with life and the domains, or external conditions of life and eudiamonia) but also to put to rest the war some have on happiness, pronouncing eudiamonia (a sense of purpose, being your true self in a fully integrated way, etc.) more important than how one feels and the pursuit of pleasure or hedonism, the war some have on the impact of genetic set points versus external versus internal factors and all that.
It's important to because how one defines happiness can include all of this, and embrace the interconnections.
And, like here, I did give Mitch the usual long-winded explanation, but told him I had just finished an infographic for just that purpose. So here it is, with the hope that a picture (or infographic, in this case) is worth a thousand words:
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