Home » Four Kinds of Happiness – Arthur C. Brooks

Four Kinds of Happiness – Arthur C. Brooks

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02 August 2021 15:54

We all know who the happiest people on earth are – the United Nations reports this to us every year. Over the past seven years Finland has always ranked first in the group of Nordic nations, which always rank first in terms of population happiness. And, since they have managed to “crack the code of happiness”, as my colleague Joe Pinsker recently wrote, many of us from other populations are tempted to copy the habits of the Nordics. Live like a Finn – taking short walks in the forest, or swimming in the ice – and everything will be for the best, right?

Not exactly. To compare the different opinions expressed by people regarding their own happiness, the World Happiness Report and the other international indices that measure the degree of personal satisfaction must take for granted the idea that in the different areas of the world happiness is defined more or less at the same level. the same way and that consequently the responses to the tests are comparable and measurable. If this idea does not hold, then it is assumed that the happiness indices are about as reliable as the music charts based on the declaration of the inhabitants of the various states regarding their love for national songs. That is to say, these rankings may be indicative of the enthusiasm for national musical styles, but they tell us very little about how one type of music is “objectively” better than the others, given the various differences in taste and traditions existing between the people and populations.

At first glance, there are some commonalities in the declarations of happiness made by people all over the world. A 2016 study involving 2,799 adults revealed that, in the twelve countries examined, the definition of happiness from a psychological point of view as “inner state, feeling or attitude” was preponderant over the others. In particular, people declared that for them being happy meant achieving “inner harmony”.

A difficult concept to grasp
Inner harmony might seem like a universal concept, but it can have very different meanings depending on the place. For example, two years ago, while I was in Denmark to shoot a documentary on the pursuit of happiness, I discovered that the Danes often describe inner harmony as fun, which corresponds to that feeling of a warm and welcoming atmosphere, combined with a pleasant conviviality.

At the same time, I have found that Americans tend to define inner harmony as satisfying their passions through their skills, usually in the workplace.

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It goes without saying, therefore, that psychological definitions fail to grasp precisely the concept of happiness. And from here on, the differences between the various states increase more and more. The same 2016 research, for example, showed that 49 percent of Americans explicitly focus on family relationships when defining happiness, while Southern Europeans and South Americans usually tend to think of it as an individual state: only 22 percent of Portuguese, 18 percent of Mexicans and 10 percent of Argentines mentioned families in defining their concept of happiness.

Even the words we use to talk about happiness have different connotations in different languages

Two Japanese experts, in a 2012 article in the International Journal of Wellbeing, highlighted an important cultural difference between the definition of happiness in Asian culture and the definition it gives in Western culture. In the West, according to what scholars have pointed out, happiness can be defined as “a state of euphoria similar to excitement and, at the same time, a sense of personal fulfillment”. At the same time in Asia “happiness consists in feeling a state of strong calm”.

In very large countries it can also be very complex to accurately compare data from different areas. For example, there are major differences between the definition of happiness for a North Indian and a South Indian. Research conducted in the United States shows that there are considerable character differences between the population of the various regions. For example, those who live in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast areas have a tendency to show greater attachment anxiety in relationships – “When are you calling me?” – while in Western states there is a tendency to show an inclination to avoid attachment. personal – “See you when we see you.”

Relevant differences
Even the words we use to talk about happiness have different connotations in different languages. In the Germanic ones, the term happiness has its root in words related to luck or a benevolent fate; the term happiness comes from step, a middle-English word meaning luck. On the other hand, as regards the neo-Latin languages, the root is to be found in Latin felicitas, which in ancient Rome was not simply to be linked to good luck, but also to growth, fertility and prosperity.

We can therefore conclude that the differences between cultures in the definition of happiness are quite significant, that it is impossible to say in absolute terms that one country is happier than another and that therefore a unified ranking of the happiest countries in the world makes little sense.

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Happiness can be defined and measured in many different ways. Perhaps, by some definition, Finland is truly the happiest country; but it certainly will not be if observed from another point of view. Happiness should be classified within countries rather than comparing them.

Four models
A rather practical method of approaching this type of work is to make a distinction between two ways in which happiness can be observed. The first way considers the inner or outer expression of happiness – which means comparing introspection and relationship with others. The second method focuses on interpersonal relationships or goals, that is, if you are oriented towards others or towards practical goals. We thus obtain four main models of well-being, based on research done around the world through surveys.

  • Happiness comes from having great relationships with the people we care about. It is a combination of external and relational focus; in this case friendships and family are the main sources of happiness. The United States is a good example of a country that fits this model.
  • Happiness comes from a high degree of awareness. This model is based on the combination of the inner focus and that based on interpersonal relationships and is the model that corresponds to people with a strongly spiritual, philosophical or religious nature, especially to those who give a high importance to community life. South India is the homeland of many people who follow this model.
  • Happiness consists in doing what you love, often with others. This line of thinking arises from the combination of a tendency to rely on external data and goals – that is, to engage in very rewarding work or leisure activities. This is the life model of people inclined to say: “My work is my life” or “I love playing golf or with friends”. You can find many people who identify with this model in the Nordic countries and central Europe.
  • Happiness simply comes from being well. In this model, on the other hand, there is a combination of inner focus and goals. It is the model of people who give absolute priority to experiences from which they can derive positive feelings, whether they are experiences made alone or together with other people. It’s a good way to check your level of well-being if, when you imagine yourself happy, you think about watching Netflix or sipping wine. This is the most common model in South America, the Mediterranean area and South Africa.
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Obviously, this classification is not exhaustive and there will be many people and countries who will not be able to clearly fall into one of these categories; any conception of happiness, in fact, could be derived from a mix of these models. However, it must be said that these definitions give us a starting point to understand the great variety of concepts of well-being that can be found in the world – and also those that each of us has in mind and heart.

Just as different definitions of happiness can be found in different places, so too do people. Coming to understand this diversity can help us to understand ourselves – for example to understand if we are the black sheep of the family, the one that does not find its place, and to understand why and what to do about it, if it is necessary to move and change places, unite. to a new community, or simply find ways to get along with the surrounding reality.

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As I write the last lines of this article, I am in Barcelona to spend the summer. For the past thirty years I have haunted this city like a ghost, for weeks and months. Barcelona is not in first place in any index of cities where people live better or happier (Spain itself, in the latest United Nations report, is twenty-seventh). So why do I love her so much?

Barcelona, ​​capital of Catalonia, is a hybrid city: totally Spanish for the extreme importance given to leisure and friendships, decidedly more Northern European in terms of working habits – and between these two souls, very little space is left to sleep, which is a bit of a problem. It is an entrepreneurial city, where you work hard, but where there is room for fun and friendliness. It is also where I got married many years ago, and where most of the people I love reside. Therefore, it represents my personal hybrid concept of happiness: a place where I can immerse myself fully and fully enjoy my research and teaching work and at the same time where I can fully experience relationships with the important people in my life. Barcelona for me is the happiest place in the world.

You too have your own Barcelona somewhere: go and find it.

(Translation by Mariachiara Benini)

This article was published on the site of the US monthly The Atlantic.

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