PP 103

How can you lead a happier life? What is happiness? Why is it important? It’s sometimes thought happiness is found by getting everything you want, by satisfying all your desires for pleasure, wealth, and fame. But you might think that such lives only seem happy at a surface level. You might think that happiness is more about a deeper sense of inner fulfillment that can be achieved, in part, by living well or living a life of meaning and purpose. But what is it to live well, to flourish? Is this a purely subjective state of mind? The Buddha, Confucius, and Aristotle, and some today, think that there are “objective” elements to human flourishing. To flourish requires cultivating a virtuous character and avoiding vice, such as developing courage and compassion, and avoiding greed and rage. Villains seem to be pretty happy though, but often lonely. So, then, can you be happy by yourself? Contemporary studies suggest that happy lives require nurturing friendships and relationships. And, many economists and political philosophers think that the way we organize our lives together, our societies, laws, and institutions, can enable or hinder human flourishing; and that, some societies are more happy than others. How so? Another crucial concern is about achieving happiness, are there things you can do that will make you a happier person? Some studies say that you can. What are these? As well, we critically examine some current literature in the science of happiness from a philosophical vantage point, evaluating various underlying assumptions made in such studies. We explore these questions and issues from a variety of philosophical perspectives, including Indigenous, Indian, Buddhist, and Asian traditions. One of our aims is to critically reflect, evaluate, and assess the significance of theories of happiness within the context of our daily lives. Furthermore, we explore practices that are thought to help in achieving happiness, such as mindfulness, meditation, the yoga of laughter, (inter-) connectedness, and practicing gratitude, journaling, and music.