The Art and Science of Happiness

Happiness is life’s most important question. It is the goal of all goals. The pursuit of happiness is an ageless human pursuit. It is something we all aspire to – as nations and as people. Every single person on this planet wants to be happy, there is no exception. The question is: what is happiness, exactly? Where can it be found? How can it be attained? And what are the benefits of being happy?

As a start, most people seem to have the happiness equation backwards – that happiness is the result of something we do, an end goal to be attained, that when we are able to achieve a desired goal (like getting a promotion, buying a new car, etc), we become happier. But such happiness has been shown to be short-lived.

Science tells us that happiness is the cause, not the outcome, of good things in life. It is the source of our wellbeing. Happy people live up to ten years longer than unhappy people. Unhappy people are much more likely to get physically sick; happiness is not just good mood, it’s preventive medicine. On the other hand, depression and anxiety have been shown to be toxic to both mind and body – linked to higher cancer risk, heart disease, pain disorders, stroke. So the question we need to ask is: why don’t more doctors prescribe happiness as a medicine?

In The How of Happiness, psychology researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky points out that 50% of our propensity for happiness is based on our genetic disposition or biological set-point. 10% is based on our life circumstances (such as the family we’re born into, the friends we have, getting the promotion, winning a lottery, finding a forever soul mate). 40% is “intentional activity”, or voluntary actions, that we can influence through our habits and behavior.

This research informs us that indeed happiness is both nature and nurture, which is summarized via this happiness equation: Happiness = S + C + V, where S is our biological set-point (responsible for up to 50% of our happiness); C is our life circumstances, life situations (10% of our happiness); V is our voluntary actions, habits and behaviors, choices that we make (40% of our happiness).

Which means we have a lot of influence over our own happiness. In fact we can all become 40% happier in our lives without changing our life circumstances one bit. Of course sometimes we do want to change our circumstances (like moving from an unsafe neighborhood, leaving a toxic relationship, etc). All of this points to a reflection on how to cultivate the causes and conditions for happiness (and kindness and joy) in our lives.

A good place to begin is in our mind. Marcus Aurelius, a Roman emperor and philosopher, famously said, “Look within: within is the fountain of all good.” He advised us to look within ourselves to find that “fountain of all good”, the source of our happiness.

Buddha preached that happiness is an inside job – that the pursuit of happiness starts from the inside, starts in our mind, and that a deeper fulfillment comes from recognising that we are part of the wholeness, unity consciousness, that we are inseparably one, and that the cause of suffering is due to not knowing our true nature, the true nature of reality. The solution is to raise our awareness and expand our consciousness.

All experiences are experiences of the mind. The mind is like a garden. We need to tend to the garden of our mind, where all kinds of mental seeds are planted, preserved and maintained. Seeds are sown from our past actions, experiences, and perceptions. Some seeds are planted during our lifetime, others innate. Some seeds are wholesome, others unwholesome. Happiness is planting more positive seeds and avoiding planting negative seeds. Just as regular house-cleaning and room decluttering is a good idea, so it is with mental house-cleaning and mind decluttering. Take time out for mindful self-examination and mental house-cleaning, to examine your past, take a look at some of the beliefs that have been running you, to clean out those beliefs that no longer serve you, to make room for those that do. To empty the cup that is the mind allows more space for serendipity, synchronicity, creativity and flow to emerge – a source of great joy and happiness.

Happiness can be found in the choices we make, the habits we create, and in the way we choose to live our lives. Research (from the Achieving Happiness in Singapore project) shows that happiness can be achieved when we invest in these ways of living:

• Allowing ourselves to experience positive moments and developing a sense of gratitude;

• Investing in a meaningful career or finding meaning and fulfillment in our work, and a sense of purpose;

• Developing meaningful relationships with family and friends;

• Contributing to the community and volunteering for a cause we believe in, providing a sense of purpose greater than ourselves;

• Having financial security; money won’t buy happiness, but it does help to have sufficient financial security to take care of life’s necessities while leaving enough for some leisurely activities, and of course with enough in reserve for a rainy day;

• Finding time for a hobby or activities which engage our mind and give us a sense of autonomy and mastery, and immerse us in a state of flow;

• Investing time and effort to maintain good physical and mental health.

Gratitude and happiness are inexorably linked. Research shows that consistently grateful people are happier, more energetic, more hopeful, more helpful, more empathic, more spiritual, more forgiving, and less materialistic. They’re also less likely to be depressed, anxious, lonely, envious, neurotic, or sick. Other gratitude studies have shown that those with chronic illnesses experience clinical improvement when practicing regular gratitude. Expressing gratitude promotes savoring of positive life experiences, bolsters self-worth and self-esteem, helps cope with stress and trauma, encourages caring acts and ethical behavior, helps build social bonds, strengthen existing relationships, nurture new relationships, and even diminishes or deters negative feelings such as anger, bitterness, and greed. Being grateful is a key to happiness.

Health and happiness go hand in hand; one doesn’t exist without the other. The happiest people live almost 10 years longer than the most unhappy ones. So a real strategy for living longer is getting happier. So what can someone do to increase their happiness, right now? Blue Zones founder Dan Buettner tells us to make a new happy friend — that’s one of the best things we can do. Your happiness will go up 15 percent. Even better, become a happy friend to someone else – both of you will be happier. And volunteer, even if you think you don’t have the time. People who find meaningful ways to give back are happier. Also, do your best to always sleep 8 hours a night. People who sleep 6 hours a night are 30 percent less happy than people who sleep more.

Happiness is a frame of mind, in the way we frame life situations and the lens we choose to see the world. Do we see difficult situations as problems, or are they opportunities for learning and growth? Are we optimistic and hopeful, or pessimistic and dire about the future? Indeed life can be difficult; sometimes in life we are given lemons. Can we make lemonades out of lemons that is life?

In his Stanford commencement speech, Steve Jobs famously said, “Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love.” For Jobs, the key to happiness is loving what you do, and doing what you love. It’s finding your passion, and building a meaningful relationship with your work. Passion is the thing that keeps us going – and gives us resilience – especially when times are hard and we encounter obstacles and setbacks in our life endeavors.

Aristotle, a student of Plato, taught that happiness (eudaemonia) is “an activity of soul in conformity with excellence or virtue”, virtues such as wisdom, courage, love for humanity, justice, temperance and transcendence, that a good life is one where you develop your strengths, realize your potential, and become what it is in your nature to become. According to Aristotle, happiness comes from the pursuit of excellence and living a virtuous life. As such, living a virtuous life is to live a happy life.

Developmental psychologist Abraham Maslow (known for his work on the Hierarchy of Human Needs) shined a light on the essence of human development: as human beings, each of us is a seeker on this journey of life seeking the fulfillment of our basic human needs of security (safety, self-esteem and connection) and our higher needs of personal growth (exploration, love and purpose). It is by realizing our full potential through the fulfillment of the highest human needs: exploration (in the vast ocean of life), love (by finding our passion), purpose (through discovering meaning, the why of our existence) and transcendence (our interconnectedness with all of humanity) that we can obtain true happiness and optimal wellbeing.

Lastly, I want to share this memorable quote from Dr. Wayne Dyer, a modern-day spiritual teacher who beautifully linked happiness with purpose: “Your life purpose is to serve and to give the best of yourself to the whole world, because you see, when you seek happiness for yourself, it will always elude you, if you seek happiness for others, you will find it for yourself.”

In conclusion, the good news is that our happiness is not defined by our genes (although it is certainly informed by it). It has much to do with what happens inside of us, in our mind: the level of awareness and frame of mind in how we see ourselves and the world – and in the voluntary choices we make and actions we take: are we pursuing worthy goals and meaningful activities that exercise our passion and brings fulfillment of our greatest needs as human beings – that allow us to explore the vast ocean that is life, to love and to be loved, and to live with purpose and passion.

So to answer the question of where happiness comes from: happiness comes from within, and happiness also comes from without – having the right relationship with yourself and within yourself, with your work, with others, with something greater than yourself, and with life.

With so much hinging on being happy, wait no longer; embark on your happiness journey today!