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With few exceptions, everyone wants to be happy.
Pursuing happiness in the wrong ways can decidely result in unhappiness.
The pursuit of happiness is a matter pondered in every age, in every time, in many different ways.
Pursuing happiness in ways that lead to misery–becoming obsessed,
driving oneself in frustration and self-reprobation, failing to slow down and appreciate what there is—is a recipe for anti-happiness.
Grant Hilary Brenner MD, DFAPA
ExperiMentations
PSYCHIATRY
3 Pillars of a Happy Life
A deep dive into happiness research finds three domains that matter most.
Posted February 19, 2023
Reviewed by Hara Estroff Marano
KEY POINTS
With few exceptions, everyone wants to be happy.
Pursuing happiness in the wrong ways can decidely result in unhappiness.
How to define happiness varies from person to person, but results in satisfaction in key areas of life.
Three big categories help frame the specific ingredients of happiness: health, hope, and harmony.
The pursuit of happiness is a matter pondered in every age, in every time, in many different ways.
reprobation (n.)
c. 1400, reprobacioun, "rejection," from Church Latin reprobationem (nominative reprobatio) "rejection, reprobation," noun of action from past-participle stem of reprobare "disapprove, reject, condemn" (see reprobate (adj.)).
In theology, "the state of being consigned to eternal punishment" (1530s). From 1580s as "condemnation as worthless or spurious;" the broad sense of "condemnation, censure, act of vehemently disapproving" is from 1727. Other nouns that have been used in English include reprobacy (1590s), reprobance (c. 1600), reprobature (1680s, legal).
Entries linking to reprobation
early 15c., "rejected as worthless," from Late Latin reprobatus, past participle of reprobare "disapprove, reject, condemn," from Latin re- "back, again," here perhaps indicating "opposite of, reversal of previous condition" (see re-) + probare "prove to be worthy" (see probate (n.)). The meaning "abandoned in character, morally depraved, unprincipled" is by 1650s.
Researchers have poured boundless energy figuring out what happiness is and how to get it, quoting Aristotle still, even after over two millennia:
“Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim, and the end of human existence.” Was he right?
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[ rèprəbéiʃən
Pursuing happiness in ways that lead to misery–becoming obsessed, driving oneself in frustration and self-reprobation, failing to slow down and appreciate what there is—is a recipe for anti-happiness.
Likewise, there are many false idols one can end up worshiping in the pursuit of happiness—money, power, fame, success—aspects of which may be relevant for satisfaction but which, in excess or monomaniacal preoccupation, lead to ruin.
Is happiness about what you do or what it means? Is it a state of mind, a function of health, a question of how we choose to see it?
Each question leads to more.
Greater clarity would be useful to frame such questions, given the high degree of individual variability.
A recent systematic review of the literature on happiness by Singh and colleagues in the International Journal of Public Health (2023) takes a close look at research on happiness across many cultures, pulling findings together into an integrated model.
Using the standard PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses), they identified nearly 2,500 peer-reviewed research papers on happiness. Applying rigorous quality standards, a final set of 155 studies were selected for deep analysis and inclusion1.
They sorted the findings into three categories: those relating to health, including mental, emotional, and/or physical health; those relating to hope, including life goal, personal development, and economic or material circumstances; and those related to harmony, pertaining to social, family, cultural, spiritual and religious, and environmental factors.
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The paper reviews all of the findings in detail, looking at the data for each of the numerous aspects of happiness identified, to arrive at a final framework.
Integrated Model of the Determinants of Happiness
Singh et al., 2023/Open Source
Singh et al., 2023/Open Source
Finding Your Own Groove
The model is really useful, although at first blush it may be a lot to take in. Each individual factor is perhaps a no-brainer. "Health is important for happiness? Yeah, I know." But if we sit with the Integrated Model of the Determinants of Happiness (IMDH) a bit and meditate, applying some wisdom, it becomes clear that health, hope, and harmony form an ecosystem, a living system that is part of our day-to-day experience. It offers not a quick fix, but better a slow fix than no fix.
Hope, for example, covers various elements of purpose, goals, intention, and personal growth. If we apply personal growth toward health, we can start with self-assessment and review each factor to see how we are doing. There are a lot of people who are nailing it when it comes to physical health but avoiding mental health considerations; people who are doing great on the job but suffering in personal relationships. It's helpful to have an integrated model as a roadmap to work out a personal itinerary, in community with those close to us.
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An additional consideration is the way we go about self-governance. Do we set impossible standards, all but ensuring failure—or do we set ourselves up to make progress over time? I can tell myself I will start exercising four days a week for 90 minutes a session and fail at that within a short time, or do it for a few weeks and then mysteriously forget to go after a few guilt-ridden days–or I can give myself a longer time frame with achievable steps along the way, assessing as I go and updating my planning responsively.
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Developing self-compassion along the way is critical for being able to learn effectively (Laudel & Narciss, 2023), taking in more difficult feedback along with supportive, self-esteem- and efficacy-boosting rewards, to create a thriving personal happiness ecosystem.
Making intangible changes related to psychological illness and well-being is a bit more complicated, but in many respects it's simply helpful to figure out and establish consistent (but not perfectionistic) routines, aiming for them while being resilient to ups and downs along the way. For serious clinical concerns, physical, emotional, or combined, professional help is often necessary. The IMDH is notable as well for being cross-cultural. It's useful to include a global perspective for an inclusive, broadly applicable model. Future research can look at how to apply this model for individuals seeking to live their best life.