Happier

Posted on March 2, 2008

Happiness is one of those core emotions that I think just can’t be defined further.  You know it when you feel it, and that’s it. Having said that, I agree with Tal Ben-Shahar Ph.D., that it really should be considered the “ultimate currency”, and the final measure of success.

Many may disagree, but I think the primary aim of psychotherapy, or psychiatry should be the promotion of happiness in our clients and patients. This doesn’t necessarily mean immediate happiness. Many times the road to future happiness is painful to travel at times. No one enjoys finding out unpleasant things about themselves for example, and going about changing them can be even worse. But in the long run, that work pays dividends in the future. (There are also many other benefits to psychotherapy.)

So, psychotherapy can be one route to happiness.  Another for people to consider is the “self-help” route, generally finding a book or author who prescribes a particular method to follow.  One disadvantage here is that people are almost always blind to their own failings, and to find those things out one often needs an outside observer who’s observations can be trusted and not defended against out of hand. Conversely, self-help approaches can encourage a certain self-confidence and self-reliance (if they work and are appropriate to the person and situation). Some therapists attempt to combine the two approaches with assigned readings, etc..

I have previously mentioned The Power of Now, by Eckhard Tolle.  Today I want to mention a completely different approach, that taken by the followers of positive psychology, as espoused by Dr. Ben-Shahar in his book: Happier.  In Happier, we find a structured, programmed approach to happiness.  He lays out a general idea: That being happy means combining short-term pleasure, with long-term meaning.  And then sets forth exercises to follow to help guide oneself on the path of achieving that.  I think many people will find the book a rewarding read, and its ideas worth considering.

For those who are interested in the book, I have agreed to give a little presentation and lead a discussion about it on  Friday evening 3/7/08, at Imagine Atrium in Jersey City, NJ.  If you are able to read the book ahead of time, that would be great. If you can buy it from them that would be even better. As a small independent bookstore, they would appreciate your business.

‘Tags’happiness’positive psychology’

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