The Happiness Hypothesis

My post on disillusion has been on my mind the past few days. (For one thing, shouldn't it be "disillusionment"?) Disillusion seems to be all too natural as we grow older, yet its opposite, which we might call illusion, seems to be equally natural to youth. The point of my post, to the extent that there was one, is that both are equally in our perceptions, the world remaining exactly what it is regardless of our outlook. Illusion being more conducive to happiness, its all in all better to be at least a little "illusioned". Many studies have borne out the idea that optimists are happier people than pessimists, so while optimism may equal illusion at least a great deal of the time, we should strive to be a bit deluded about our lives and the state of the world.

Coaching Towards Happiness is an organization which purports to do exactly what its name says. In its current newsletter, we find a fascinating discussion of a new book, The Happiness Hypothesis by Dr. Jon Haidt. (Summary of the book here.) A review of the book (here) contains the following passage, which jumped out at me:

According to the teachings of Buddha and some of the Stoic philosophers, our pursuit of happiness is part of the problem. From their perspective, happiness requires acceptance and a disassociation from things in the external world. On this particular point, the findings of modern research diverge from the ancient teaching. Although an emphasis on inner tranquility can be helpful as an antidote to the turbulent world around us, Haidt observes that “Buddha and Epictetus may have taken things too far. Some things are worth striving for, and happiness comes in part from outside of yourself, if you know where to look.” Jon proceeds to tell us exactly where to look, as well as where it is useless to look. He discusses a number of intriguing concepts relating to the enhancement of our personal lives (many of which have been introduced in past issues of this newsletter) such as flow, inconspicuous consumption, gratification, the progress principle, the hedonic treadmill, posttraumatic growth, and the happiness formula. Here he gives his take on the things that we can do to increase the happiness in our lives, and points out that externals do matter.

Now, while one holds the Buddha and Epictetus in the highest regard, Haidt's idea seems to me sound. The disillusionment so characteristic of the former two can lead one into despair. As someone remarked about Marcus Aurelius, whose teachings are similar, his whole philosophy seems so sad, with little to offer us beyond renunciation. For those of us who believe that this life is the only one, renunciation of the only pleasures and happiness that we will ever have seems like a renunciation of life itself. One hopes that Haidt's book offers replacements for renunciation, as it seems to. I plan to read it.

Something else that came to mind in thinking on this topic was Wordsworth's Ode. Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood. The first stanza reads:

THERE was a time when meadow, grove, and stream,
The earth, and every common sight,
To me did seem
Apparell'd in celestial light,
The glory and the freshness of a dream.
It is not now as it hath been of yore;—
Turn wheresoe'er I may,
By night or day,
The things which I have seen I now can see no more.

The poem is a study in ever-increasing disillusionment, and how we can emerge from it. One can do no better than quote another section.

Then sing, ye birds, sing, sing a joyous song!
And let the young lambs bound
As to the tabor's sound!
We in thought will join your throng,
Ye that pipe and ye that play,
Ye that through your hearts to-day
Feel the gladness of the May!
What though the radiance which was once so bright
Be now for ever taken from my sight,
Though nothing can bring back the hour
Of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower;
We will grieve not, rather find
Strength in what remains behind;
In the primal sympathy
Which having been must ever be;
In the soothing thoughts that spring
Out of human suffering;
In the faith that looks through death,
In years that bring the philosophic mind.