It Isn’t Happiness

Happiness by today’s standards is an ever changing idea.  People have different ideas and opinion’s about happiness, but who is right?  The truth is that nobody knows.  There is no real formula for happiness, all we can do is what we think is right, and the rest will follow.

Emily Smith wrote an article claiming that happiness and meaning are not the same thing when it comes to living life.  The evidence behind her article comes from her citations of renowned psychologist Viktor Frankl.  In his life, he chose to choose a more meaningful life by comforting his parents in Nazi concentration camps rather than pursue a happy life with his wife and family in America(Smith).  Throughout the article she attempts to prove the point that life needs more than just happiness, “Gallup also reports that 60% all Americans today feel happy…4 out of 10 Americans have not discovered a satisfying life purpose” (Smith).  Having a satisfying life purpose doesn’t necessarily prove that someone would be happier.  She makes the claim that “Research” shows that a life purpose does provide more satisfaction in life but fails to provide any specific examples of research conducted on the topic.  Take an oncologist who only works with terminally ill patients as an example.  They have found that it is absolutely their purpose in life to help their patients deal with the diagnosis and oversee their treatments until they die.  While it is a truly noble purpose, they cannot possibly maintain happiness while witnessing the inevitable death of their patients month after month.  Someone could have a genuinely noble purpose in life but if it detracts from their happiness, they inevitably will not be happy.

Making decisions that will lead to personal happiness doesn’t mean their selfish.  In Emily Smith’s article she makes the argument that being a “taker” is associated with a happy life, meaning selfish decisions would make a person happier overall.  Her evidence comes from the Journal of Positive Psychology where the authors state, “Happiness without meaning characterizes a relatively shallow, self-absorbed or even selfish life” (Journal of Positive Psychology).  While it is apparent that being unhappy doesn’t mean one is leading a meaningful life, it doesn’t draw the absolute conclusion that being happy without meaning is ultimately selfish.  Someone could draw pleasure from the simplest gesture that couldn’t be characterized as selfish or selfless.  If someone is merely happy reading the morning paper with a cup of coffee, that person is hardly an image of selfish greed.  Therefore the claim that being happy without meaning condemns one to be selfish is harsh and hollow.

The truth is that how can people accurately decide that life needs more than happiness.  Millions of people everyday go through their lives leading selfish albeit happy lives.  These people don’t necessarily have feelings of discontent, and the evidence behind what would make them more happy is inconclusive.  The problem with dissecting and proving what makes people happy is incredibly complex due to the simple fact happiness means something different for everyone.  People who lead selfish lives and are happy about it, wouldn’t be more happy or fulfilled if they sacrificed their happiness for meaning.

Works Cited

Smith, Emily E. “There’s More to Life Than Being Happy.” The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 09 Jan. 2013. Web. 30 Mar. 2015.

 “The Journal of Positive Psychology Ad-Hoc Reviewers 2008.” The Journal of Positive Psychology 10.3 (2015): n. pag. Web.