I’ve been reflecting recently on ‘what constitutes happiness?’ I consider myself lucky that generally I’m a fairly happy person – but most of the time that equates to ‘contentment’. There are times of ‘joy’, occasional ‘ecstasy’ (unrelated to the drug!), ‘satisfaction’, ‘pleasure’ (Sainsburys triple chocolate muffins recommended), ‘delight’, ‘amusement’, ‘excitement’, ‘gratitude’. Most of these are a response to a particular situation or experience: watching my baby granddaughter interact with the world, sunlight on the glowing leaves of a shrub in my garden, reading a particularly well-phrased sentence in a novel, and sensual pleasures of all kinds. Recently I enjoyed a meal out with a group of good friends: the food was good, the decor stylish, and the service excellent, but what made it a great evening was the company of people I like, respect and trust.
The new field of positive psychology is concerned with exploring what leads to a sense of wellbeing, and how to measure it. There are various measures of happiness used in research studies that compare, for example, average levels of happiness across different countries. Certain factors come out as being common in people who describe themselves as happy:
- good relationships with family and friends
- meaning in life
- spending time on goals related to your central values
Recently, some criticisms have emerged, particularly of claims relating to the relatively low importance of wealth on happiness. Certainly, worrying about how you are going to pay your bills reduces happiness, and there are going to be many people working in the public sector with concerns about job security. The central theme of the findings from research in this area though, is that if one has ‘enough’, then ‘more’ does not lead to significantly greater happiness.
I’m reminded of Maslow’s description of a ‘hierarchy of needs’:
- At the most fundamental level – physiological needs such as food, shelter
- Security/safety – law, protection etc.
- Social relatedness – belonging, friendship, love
- Esteem needs – feeling value in oneself, and valued by others
- Self-actualisation – being all that one is capable of
Loss of any of these seriously dents our happiness, but feeling OK in the first four areas frees us up to really pursue goals that resonate with our sense of values.
If we’re feeling unhappy, it can be useful to look at how satisfied we are in each of Maslow’s levels to identify which area to prioritise for action. And taking action about areas of dissatisfaction is a valuable strategy to reduce anxiety and depression.