Components of Happiness

A Quick Note

This is an attempt to re-formulate the 3 Basic Ingredients of Human Flourishing post in a more defined and focused manner.

What is “Human Flourishing”?

Although there is no simple, uncontroversial answer to this question, I’ll provide an outline of human flourishing and its 3 foundational elements in this post.

For individuals, human flourishing can be defined as a state of optimal functioning and experience 1.

Positive psychology research suggests that there are three separate yet intersecting routes that lead to optimal well-being: (1) pleasure, (2) self-actualization, and (3) flow 2.

1. Pleasure (Positive Emotions)

Chocolate Cake

This route to optimal well-being suggests that people should maximize pleasure while minimizing pain. In everyday conversation, people refer to this notion of optimal well-being as “happiness” 2.

In order to maximize pleasure, people can attempt to attain goals which they expect will provide positive emotions. For example, to feel contentment, a person may decide to eat a delicious piece of chocolate cake. Then, to feel joyous, they might watch their favorite comedy.

Essentially, this route to optimal well-being is about feeling good - as much as possible.

2. Self-Actualization (Positive Meaning)

Michael Phelps

This route to optimal well-being suggests that people can reach their true potential by self-actualizing, or developing and using their unique strengths in pursuit of a goal that is congruent with deeply held values 2.

This means that optimal well-being is not just about satisfying chocolate cravings.

Let’s look at Michael Phelps. I think it’s a safe bet to say that he deeply values Achievement and that he possesses the strength of Persistence. Michael Phelps can be considered an individual who is self-actualized because he used and developed his strength of Persistence in order to achieve a goal (winning several gold medals) that was congruent with his value of Achievement.

Essentially, this route to optimal well-being is about the process of living a meaningful life.

3. Flow (Positive Actions)

Kele Okerele
Flow is a psychological state in which people are fully engaged in an intrinsically enjoyable and challenging activity 3. Most hobbies (for example, playing an instrument, sports, video games) fall under the category of activities that lead to flow.

Beyond hobbies, people might leverage flow most effectively by using it as a bridge between the other two components of human flourishing (pleasure and self-actualization) 4. This could be done by selectively engaging in flow producing activities that lead toward the attainment of a value congruent goal.

Summary

People flourish when they are in a state of optimal well-being, which is composed of pleasure (positive emotions), self-actualization (positive meaning), and flow (positive actions).

I hope this post gave you a clearer understanding of optimal well-being. Obviously, there is much more to human flourishing and the processes that lead to it than I’ve written.

As usual, feel free drop a comment if you have any questions or suggestions.

P.S. I’ll be putting up some more actionable and detail oriented posts soon. Stay tuned. :)

References

  1. Ryan, R., & Deci, E. (2001). On happiness and human potentials: A review of research on hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 141-166. ←
  2. Seligman, M., Parks, A., & Steen, T. (2004). A balanced psychology and a full life. The science of well-being (pp. 275-283). New York, NY, US: Oxford University Press. ←
  3. Csikszentmihalyi, M.: 1990, Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. New York: HarperCollins. ←
  4. Peterson, C., Park, N., & Seligman, M. (2005). Orientations to happiness and life satisfaction: The full life versus the empty life. Journal of Happiness Studies, 6(1), 25-41. ←