Most of us, consciously or not, choose the pursuit of happiness over the pursuit of meaning. But what if the path to ‘happiness’ is creating a ‘meaningful’ life. In recent years, psychologists have been looking more closely at how we seek happiness and the results are surprising. Some studies have found that the pursuit of happiness can negatively affect our emotional wellbeing.
Don’t try too hard to be happy
In a study by behavioural scientists, participants listened to a piece of emotionally charged piece of music by Igor Stravinsky. Some were asked to try to feel happy while listening, while others were simply asked to listen. Significantly, those who tried to feel happy ended up unhappier after the experiment than those who listened without trying to boost their mood.
By contrast, the pursuit of meaning appears to lead to a deeper, more lasting form of well-being. The ancient Greeks recognised two forms of wellbeing – hedonia or ‘happiness’, and eudaimonia – ‘meaningfulness’. While happiness was defined by seeking pleasure, they believed that the meaningful life was more important. Great thinkers and philosophers ranging from Aristotle to Camus have thought similarly ever since.
However, for many people, searching for meaning seems like too much like hard work. In a survey of 2 million people by the organisation PayScale, clergy, teachers and surgeons found most satisfaction in what they did. Even though they worked the most difficult jobs, their contribution to society gave their lives meaning.
Other research has found that those who rate high on happiness and low on meaning tend to avoid difficulty or struggle and were more self-oriented, while those who rated high on meaning spent more time helping others.
The ‘meaning’ of life
That said, achieving both happiness and meaningfulness is possible. A study of nearly 3,000 people, at the University of Ottawa found that 20% reported being happy and leading meaningful lives.
Those that lead meaningful lives seem to share three common features: purpose – the degree to which they were motivated by life goals; comprehension – the ability to make sense of life experiences, and mattering – the belief that their existence was significant.
Viktor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor and author of Man’s Search for Meaning, says:
‘But happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue. One must have a reason to ‘be happy.’’
So perhaps our goal should be meaningfulness. Instead of doing things based on how happy they will make us, we should focus on those things that make our lives more worthwhile.
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