Get wiser and happier!
Explore the Psychology and Philosophy of Happiness!
• Happiness or subjective well-being (SWB) can be of two types:
- First is the mental state of experiencing positive or pleasant emotions, ranging from contentment to pleasure. This present-moment happiness is called hedonia or hedonic well-being.
- Second is the feeling of life satisfaction and flourishing, that is the joy we get from having meaning and purpose in our lives, fulfilling our potential, and being a part of something bigger than ourselves. We call this eudaimonia or eudaimonic well-being.
• Well-being means a state of having good physical and mental health. It includes having a high life satisfaction, a sense of meaning or purpose in life, and the ability to cope with stress.
• Positive Psychology is the science of optimal human functioning. It studies what makes life worth living. It aims to uncover how people can flourish and live happier lives. We consider Martin Seligman as the Father of Modern Positive Psychology.
Some major topics of positive psychology are Character Strengths, Virtues, Empathy and Compassion, Self-Esteem, Flow, Gratitude, Hope and Optimism, Mindfulness, Relationships, and Resilience.
Remember that positive psychology is not the same as positive thinking.
Stoicism is a school of philosophy that originated in Greece in the early 3rd century BCE. It taught a framework for living well, emphasizing how to live a virtuous life, embrace both positive and negative emotions, and live in the present moment without fearing death.
Stoic happiness strategies remain as relevant today as they did in antiquity. Practicing Stoicism does not demand learning a new philosophical lexicon or meditating for hours on end. Instead, it offers an immediate, useful and practical way to find inner peace and improve one’s strengths of character.
Epicurean happiness is the philosophy that false beliefs, such as the gods would punish us for our misdeeds and death is fearful, can cause unnecessary pain.
