Obviously, the pursuit of happiness is America’s prime directive. It’s there in our foundational documents alongside life and liberty. What could be wrong with that? Well . . . researchers have found a link between the constant search for happiness and increased anxiety. The World Health Organization studied the international prevalence of anxiety and the US came out on top. We’re number one, with 31% of Americans suffering from anxiety compared to Colombia at number two, with 25.3%. Think about it: Colombian society has experienced political violence and armed conflict for the last fifty-nine years. A six-month nationwide ceasefire was scheduled to go into effect there on August 3, 2023. (Fingers crossed!) And we’re more anxious than los Colombianos.
I started researching this topic a while ago and got stuck. The literature on happiness leads to writings on cultural optimism which leads to scientific studies of individual positivity, mindfulness, and self-awareness practices, which leads to journalistic critiques of selfishness, New Age narcissism, and spiritual materialism . . . . You get the picture.
All of these threads are connected—that’s what had me stymied. To follow only one thread—and write about that—would miss the web of interconnection. It’s the connections, the interlocks, that are most interesting and in need of explanation. Some might say we’re “not seeing the forest for the trees.” I say we should look underground where the trees’ roots intertwine and understand: that is the forest.
Happiness research is an intellectual tangle with a central tension at its core: the meaning of happiness is unclear. Rather than tackle epistemological uncertainty, analysts pivot to arguments over means. How does one achieve happiness?
Research supports two alternative perspectives on the pursuit of happiness: one is individualistic and the other is holistic. Each paradigm has its critics.
One individualistic perspective focuses on the benefits of a positive mental attitude for health and longevity. On its Healthy Lifestyle webpage, the Mayo Clinic staff identifies the health-enhancing effects of positive thinking:
Researchers continue to explore the effects of positive thinking and optimism on health. Health benefits that positive thinking may provide include:
Increased life span
Lower rates of depression
Lower levels of distress and pain
Greater resistance to illnesses
Better psychological and physical well-being
[ . . . ]
Better coping skills during hardships and times of stress
It's unclear why people who engage in positive thinking experience these health benefits. One theory is that having a positive outlook enables you to cope better with stressful situations, which reduces the harmful health effects of stress on your body.
It's also thought that positive and optimistic people tend to live healthier lifestyles — they get more physical activity, follow a healthier diet, and don't smoke or drink alcohol in excess.
Research shows that negative self-talk, or rumination, correlates with low self-esteem. Strategies that help individuals redirect their habits of mind into neutral or positive directions can result in greater self-acceptance and a less negative worldview. The catch is that changing one’s mental habits requires consistent practice and (usually) professional guidance to stay on track. In short, changing one’s mental attitude is easier said than done.
On the other hand, the American inclination towards individualism can lead to self-centeredness and ideological stridency. Constant efforts to maintain a positive mental state can also boomerang—tip a person over into anxiety or depression because they feel compelled to “accentuate the positive.”
Psychologist Barbara Held thinks the pendulum has swung too far in the direction of dogmatic positivity:
[T]he power of positive thinking is touted now more than ever as the way to be happy, healthy, wealthy, and wise. The problem is this demand for good cheer brings with it a one-two punch for those of us who cannot cope in that way: First you feel bad about whatever’s getting you down, then you feel guilty or defective if you can’t smile and look on the bright side. And I’m not even sure there always is a bright side to look on.
I believe that there is no one right way to cope with all the pain of living. As an academic psychologist, I know that people have different temperaments, and if we are prevented from coping in our own way, be it “positive” or “negative,” we function less well. As a psychotherapist, I know that sometimes a lot of what people need when faced with adversity is permission to feel crummy for a while, to realize that feeling bad is not automatically the same as being mentally ill. Some of my one-session “cures” have come from reminding people that life can be difficult, and it’s okay if we’re not happy all the time.
Pretending to a happiness that one does not feel or believe in is a dual-facing mask. A person’s energy goes into maintaining her presentation of self for an audience and in covering up deeper disturbances at the core of her being.
The second perspective on the pursuit of happiness is holistic. This view sees happiness resulting from a person’s self-awareness and embeddedness in a community. An important path to happiness is the development of a character trait psychologists call self-transcendence,
Self-transcendence is, at its core, about transcending (or rising above) the self and relating to that which is greater than the self. In simpler terms, it is the realization that you are one small part of a greater whole, and acting accordingly. [Emphasis in original.]
Understanding self-transcendence has become more pressing, as it is the capacity needed for tackling huge (or “wicked”) problems such as climate change. Environmental activists like Greta Thunberg call for significant attitude and lifestyle changes; these demands challenge notions of economic rational action (what economists call homo economicus and psychologists call self-directedness). Radical shifts are needed because the existential problem posed by the climate crisis—and its solution—lies at the level of the species, not the individual.
Dr. Robert Cloninger, a professor of psychology and genetics, presents research supporting the view that happiness is achieved by transcending egotism and the careless disregard for our planet.
For our well-being and that of humanity as a whole, we need to and can cultivate our capacity for self-transcendence by a variety of methods for promoting well-being.. These include mindfulness and contemplative exercises that broaden our perspective to an outlook of unity. Instead of the usual outlook of separateness that leads to fear, excessive desire, and false pride, we can approach life with a self-transcendent outlook of unity that leads to love, hope, and humility functioning to serve others, not only ourselves.
Seeking happiness in inner peace and contributing to collective well-being is, of course, not new. This is a message of many religious teachings, for example, those of the Society of Friends (Quakers), the engaged Buddhism of Thich Nhat Hanh, and the Catholic social justice movements (yes, this really is a thing).
Peace activist and Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh, has called for a new way of seeing and acting; it requires understanding the relationship between suffering and happiness:
The Vietnam War was a bad thing and being in exile [from Vietnam] for thirty years was a bad thing, but because of that, I have been able to share the practice of mindfulness in the West. . . .
We have to use the suffering—our fear, our despair, our anxiety—to create happiness, awakening, and insight. The practice is to make good use of suffering in order to create happiness. . . . We have to find a way to face our suffering and transform it into happiness and compassion, just as we use the place where we fall to help us stand up. (pp. 59, 61).
The Declaration of Independence proclaims the pursuit of happiness as America’s birthright. That simple, hopeful statement belies its complexity and depth. At least now we have a starting point for thoughtful exploration.
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Notes:
C. Robert Cloninger, What makes people healthy, happy, and fulfilled in the face of current world challenges?
Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen and the art of saving the planet.
Barbara Held, Combating the tyranny of the positive attitude.
Maura Kelly, Trickle-Down Distress: How America's Broken Meritocracy Drives Our National Anxiety Epidemic.
Mayo Clinic Staff, Reduce stress by eliminating negative self-talk This article includes practical examples and a list of references to the underlying scientific research.
David Robson, Why it’s time to stop pursuing happiness.
Great article! happiness to me is waking up every day! What a gift!