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Happiness, by definition, is often the feeling of contentment\u00a0or\u00a0pleasure in doing something you like. However, the formal definition of happiness and what it truly is may differ. In one study,\u00a0the Harvard Department of Psychology tried to determine the role of morality in happiness. The participants were given an example of a hypothetical person named \u201cTom”, who rarely felt sad or lonely. This is because he felt\u00a0satisfied by\u00a0stealing from students and reselling the\u00a0items he stole to buy alcohol. Most of the subjects\u00a0agreed that Tom is satisfied, but not exactly happy. The way they attributed this was that one has to be good to be happy, and therefore\u00a0morality plays a role in happiness. This was surprising because\u00a0Tom was clearly happy with his decisions but was deemed unhappy by people who have never even known this hypothetical character. So what exactly makes us happy?<\/p>\n
In\u00a0another study conducted by Dr. Kringelbach and Dr. Berridge, they researched\u00a0and found\u00a0the exact neuroscience behind\u00a0happiness and pleasure. They started by comparing\u00a0the correlation between happiness and\u00a0hedonia (pleasure) and the correlation between happiness and\u00a0eudaimonia (a life well lived). Through this, they found that most people associated happiness\u00a0more strongly with hedonia, which explains\u00a0why Tom might feel happy about his actions. They then identified\u00a0the hedonic hotspots in the brain, which include centers that produce \u201cneurochemical modulators\u201d and enhance a liking reaction. This pleasure that is experienced would then be translated into a motivational process that would lead to wanting, as it would increase dopamine (the neurochemical for pleasure) in the brain. By enhancing this connection between what makes you happy and the chemicals in your brain, you involuntarily strengthen actions that create pleasure through constant usage. An important note from this study is that\u00a0\u201call pleasures seem to involve the same hedonic brain systems, even when linked to anticipation and memory.\u201d This would lead individuals\u00a0without certain \u201chigher-order pleasures (such as monetary, artistic, musical, altruistic and transcendent pleasures)\u201d to search for other ways to satisfy that biological need.<\/p>\n
So how can\u00a0we search for\u00a0or create happiness? Dan Gilbert explains in a TED talk that happiness can be synthesized. He brings up the concept of a psychological immune system- a way for you to feel better about the world you live in. This may come in the form of morality, such as when the students from the initial study thought that the hypothetical person, Tom, could only be happy by\u00a0being moral.\u00a0It could also be the way Tom finds happiness through immoral actions. Gilbert explains that\u00a0\u201cthe freedom of choice is an enemy to synthetic happiness.\u201d Having a\u00a0choice in what makes you happy creates a negative effect while being stuck with a choice makes you grow to like what you choose. Once the\u00a0decision becomes\u00a0a choice, the indecisiveness may\u00a0become detrimental to\u00a0your happiness. In order to be truly happy, you\u00a0must simply stick to a choice and be happy about it.<\/p>\n
If you have time, check out the TED talk below, as it is truly a great watch.<\/p>\n
~Albert Wang<\/p>\n
Sources:<\/p>\n
TED talk:\u00a0What makes you happy?<\/a><\/p>\n