Modern psychologists believe happiness is a habit that can be cultivated. (Express Photo)
Unfortunately human beings tend to believe they will be happy once they have everything they want, but generally what they want won’t make them happier. Hint: it’s not more stuff. We’re most charged when we’re immersed in doing the things we set out to do.
Written by Leher Kala
April 2, 2023 07:55 IST
A UN publication released a report on the world’s most and least happiest nations. The release coincided with the International Day of Happiness, March 20. Of the 146 countries on the list, India ranked a dismal 125 (improving marginally from 134 in 2022). The happiness quotient was measured by asking a nationally representative sample of people how satisfied they feel with their overall quality of life. It is alarming that data suggests Indians are way sadder than people in war-torn Ukraine, strife-ridden Iraq and a collapsing Pakistan.
It’s not surprising that Scandinavian countries repeatedly fare best in such surveys. Their citizens don’t spend half their lives in traffic or breathing poisonous air. Women don’t have to worry about getting groped on public transport. Each generation has wiped away layers of patriarchy, creating a largely gender-equal society that adds inestimably to a sense of well-being. Meanwhile, India is still grappling with dowry deaths and female infanticide. Does this mean we would all be happier if we moved to Denmark? It’s unlikely. Geography doesn’t solve personal problems. People tend to take their state of mind with them. Happiness studies indicate some broad truths — yes, people in countries where basic needs and healthcare are covered have less reason to complain — but happiness is subjective, and individual. In fact, by itself, happiness is a vague and meaningless term, impossible to measure.
For example, one may feel temporarily elated by the sight of a brownie and descend into gloom right after eating it. We experience several highs and lows daily — a dopamine hit from exercise, extreme irritation at work or frustration when we pick up a newspaper and read about injustices in this world. It’s all too human to be thrilled and miserable simultaneously. So, making big decisions based on emotions is far from ideal. Notably, nowhere in the world does the desire for “happiness” determine career ambition. We move for opportunity, willingly sacrificing the comfort of our home town for higher monetary compensation in the city. It may be harder but maturity means philosophically accepting the pros and cons of our choices; if things are tolerably good and improving, that’s enough.
The world is fixated on happiness because, thanks to social media, it has become the ultimate status symbol. The game of one-upmanship has changed. It’s no longer enough to be richer than one’s peers; one has to be happier than them too. Because, what’s the point of financial success if a rarefied few are gazing down at you from a higher spiritual plane? So everyone is trying to smile (the most genuinely of all) on their Instagram feed, anxiously staking claim to the best-lived life. All this purposeful striving towards elusive bliss doesn’t change the fact that life’s storms await us all: your parents are going to die, your body will give way and, at some point, relationship or money worries will create serious stress. At a critical juncture, when we’re struggling to keep our heads above water, what keeps us centred are our vocations and core beliefs. To paraphrase Aristotle, rational activity in pursuit of knowledge will (hopefully) lead to clarity, a by-product of which is, yes, happiness.
Modern psychologists believe happiness is a habit that can be cultivated. Put in a little, regular effort into fitness, health and staying in touch with friends, and small changes begin to happen, incrementally at first, which compound over time. Unfortunately human beings tend to believe they will be happy once they have everything they want, but generally what they want won’t make them happier. Hint: it’s not more stuff. We’re most charged when we’re immersed in doing the things we set out to do. The state of full absorption, when time loses meaning and we feel ourselves alter from dissatisfied to satisfied — a job well done — is a great way to experience fulfilment.
The writer is director, Hutkay Films
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