In Authentic Happiness, a well-known introduction to "positive psychology," Martin Seligman sorts out aspects of our experience that all, in one way or another, contribute to the perception of happiness.
At a basic level, we find happiness in the pleasurable moment. The enjoyment of food, alcohol, recreational drugs, and sexual release fit into this category. So do the appreciation of beauty, intellectual stimulation, enjoyment of humor, and a cool breeze on a warm day. In addition, we experience the pleasure of a compliment, a hug, or feeling safe in our homes. Happiness that arises from sensual or mental enjoyment is not trivial, and can be enhanced by paying closer attention in the moment and savoring the good and beautiful after it passes its peak. The pursuit of happiness begins but does not end here, with the search for a "pleasant life."
Climbing higher on the path of happiness, however, we encounter a different quality of experience. The warm glow at this level has more to do with internal dynamics than with external circumstances. Happiness of a higher order grows from recognizing and exercising our deepest strengths. Seligman has developed a list of 24 character traits that are valued by virtually every culture around the world, representing a broad human consensus around the nature of virtue. He has also developed a self-assessment survey that reveals the relative degree to which those strengths or virtues manifest in each of us. Seligman describes the happiness that comes from exercising our virtues as the essence of a "good life."
We arrive, ultimately, at the pinnacle of human happiness when we apply our signature strengths to a higher purpose. We are most joyful when we transcend the confines of our own needs and wants in service to the greater good. This third, highest level of satisfaction is portrayed as a "meaningful life."
I have taken the online version of Seligman's survey several times. While the order changes slightly, the same handful of strengths rise to the top every time. I find it motivating to identify those traits that I value and aspire to embody as I grow. You may have taken the survey when we introduced it several months ago; if not, I suggest you give it a try now. (Click here and scroll the drop-down menu under "Questionnaires" to VIA Survey of Character Strengths.) While you are there, poke around the Authentic Happiness website. It has a lot of good stuff!
Perhaps the three levels of happiness still seem a bit abstract. I will add some flesh to the descriptive bones with an illustration of multifaceted happiness in action.
Marilyn retired last year from her long-term career and wanted to make the most of this new chapter in her life. She turned first to the long list of pleasures that were now more available than before. She stayed up late and slept in. She met friends for lunch without watching the clock and cutting conversation short. She traveled to see exotic places and visit far-flung loved ones without fitting within a set number of vacation days per year. She had more time for activity and enjoyed improving her health and fitness.
After awhile, however, Marilyn felt there might be something more, something she was missing from the years when she was working for pay. She had always enjoyed organizing and managing projects and people to achieve concrete goals. Since she retired, she had missed the satisfaction that comes with taking on a hard job, forming a team, and seeing it through. There was a void in the aspects of her life that called upon her strengths.
Shortly after identifying the desire for more challenge, Marilyn was asked to chair the fundraising committee for a local nonprofit. She accepted gladly. That project fulfilled her desire to practice her organizational and teamwork skills, but it still fell short of offering the satisfaction she looked for. When she looked harder, she realized that the mission of the nonprofit did not resonate deeply with her values. She accepted the invitation as a favor to a friend, but it did not meet her need to serve a higher purpose. She is phasing out that commitment and has found someone to take her place.
In the meantime, Marilyn has been looking for a better fit. She is not sure whether she wants to work for pay, start her own business, or volunteer for an organization about whose mission she is truly passionate. She knows, however, that she wants more over the long term than staying up late, sleeping in, working out, and traveling.
