The Art and Science of Happiness - Solved assignment - Week 3

 

Photo credit - Freepik

Tasks for the week (Happiness vs. pleasure)

1. Read Chapter 3. “Training the Mind for Happiness.” - His Holiness the Lama, Dalai and Howard C. Cutler. The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living
2. Read Chapter 1. “Talking About Happiness.” - Ricard, Matthieu. Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life’s Most Important Skill
3. What is happiness?
4. How is happiness measured?
5. How does happiness differ from pleasure?
6. Do one pleasurable activity and one service-oriented activity and compare
7. Write reaction paper #1: a two-page paper about material from weeks 1–3
8. Write two questions about this week’s topic

Task 1 - Read Chapter 3. “Training the Mind for Happiness”

(Summary of Chapter 3. His Holiness the Lama, Dalai and Howard C. Cutler. The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living)

We don’t need more money, we don’t need greater success or fame, we don’t need the perfect body or even the perfect mate to achieve happiness. We have a mind, which is all the basic equipment we need to achieve complete happiness.

There are thousands of different thoughts or different minds. Some are very helpful, those we should take and nourish. Some are very negative, very harmful, those we should try to reduce.

The first step in seeking happiness is learning. Learning how the negative minds (negative emotions and behaviors) are harmful and how positive minds are helpful to us.

Then we gradually develop a firm determination to change, feeling, “Now the secret to my own happiness, my own good future, is within my hands. I must not miss that opportunity.”

If you desire happiness, you should seek the causes that give rise to happiness. If you don’t desire suffering, you should ensure that the causes that give rise to suffering no longer arise.

The Dalai Lama regards a compassionate, warm, kind hearted person as healthy.

Everyday as soon as you get up, you can develop a sincere positive motivation, thinking that, ‘I will utilize this day in a more positive way. I should not waste this very day.’ And then, at night before bed, check what you have done, asking yourself, ‘Did I utilize this day as planned?’ If it went accordingly, you should rejoice. If it went wrong, regret what you did and critique the day. So, through methods such as this, you can gradually strengthen the positive aspects of the mind.

Doctors Avi Karni and Leslie Underleader at the National Institute of Mental Health demonstrated that regular practice and repetition of tasks expanded the area of the brain involved in that task, and changed the neural connections that had originally been involved in the task.

Task 2 - Read Chapter 1. “Talking About Happiness.” - Ricard, Matthieu. Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life’s Most Important Skill 

(Summary of Chapter 1. Ricard, Matthieu. Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life’s Most Important Skill)

Philosophers define happiness differently. However, “perfect” happiness seems to have a common denominator: “the momentary disappearance of inner conflicts”, that is, feeling in harmony with the world around us and with ourselves.

For Matthieu Ricard, happiness is, in fact, a state of fullness that lasts through all the ups and downs of life.

In “Happiness“, the author uses the Buddhist term Sukha to refer to this state of well-being, resulting from a healthy and serene state of mind. In a state of Sukha, one is less vulnerable to good or bad circumstances in life.

Sources - Sounds True, Books that can change your life, Thor projects, Satsangati, Snaptale on Youtube

Task 3 -  What is happiness?

This is what I understood about Happiness from my readings identified for this week’s assignment - 

Chapter 3. His Holiness the Lama, Dalai and Howard C. Cutler. The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living

Happiness is nourishing helpful positive thoughts and reducing negative, harmful thoughts.

Chapter 1. “Talking About Happiness.” - Ricard, Matthieu. Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life’s Most Important Skill

For Matthieu Ricard, happiness is, in fact, a state of fullness that lasts through all the ups and downs of life

My view of Happiness is engaging oneself in attaining well-being in all areas viz. 

• Emotional well-being
• Physical well-being
• Sexual well-being
• Social well-being
• Environmental well-being
• Spiritual well-being
• Intellectual well-being
• Occupational well-being
• Financial well-being

Key elements of Happiness 

• Positive Emotions such as joy, love, gratitude, and satisfaction
• Life Satisfaction such as a broader evaluation of one's circumstances, relationships, and personal achievements
• Subjectivity - Happiness is inherently subjective, meaning that it is based on individual perceptions and interpretations
• Eudaimonic Well-Being - In addition to hedonic well-being, which emphasizes pleasure and the avoidance of pain, happiness is also associated with eudaimonic well-being that involves living a meaningful and purposeful life, pursuing personal growth, and realizing one's potential
• Individual Pursuit - The pursuit of happiness is often considered an individual journey. People seek happiness through various means, such as personal goals, meaningful activities, and the cultivation of positive habits

Task 4 - How is happiness measured?

Sources - World database of happiness, Positive psychology, Pursuit of happiness

Some common approaches to measuring happiness

• Subjective Well-Being (SWB) - This is an individual's self-reported assessment of their own well-being and life satisfaction. This encompasses three components viz. Life Satisfaction, Positive Affect, Negative Affect
• Life Satisfaction (SWLS) - Individuals rate their overall satisfaction with life
• Positive Affect and Negative Affect (PANAS) - Assessing the frequency and intensity of positive and negative emotions experienced by individuals
• Day Reconstruction Method (DRM) - Participants recall and describe their activities and emotional experiences throughout a specific day
• Social Indicators - Measurements of social well-being, such as social connections, support systems, and community engagement, are considered in assessing happiness
• Quality of Life Indicators - Assessing proxy happiness using factors such as income, employment, health, education, and environmental quality
• Brain Imaging - Some studies use neuroimaging techniques, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), to examine brain activity associated with positive emotions

Task 5 - How does happiness differ from pleasure?

Happiness and pleasure represent different dimensions of positive emotional experiences. While pleasure can contribute to immediate enjoyment and satisfaction, happiness is often considered a more profound and enduring state of well-being. Both are valuable aspects of the human experience.

Happiness	Pleasure
Happiness is a eudaimonic activity, pursuing a greater good and self improvement	Pleasure is a hedonic activity. It is centered around the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain
More enduring and sustained emotional state	Associated with more immediate and short-term experiences
Covers meaningful relationships, personal accomplishments, and a sense of purpose	Encompasses activities that bring immediate gratification, such as eating enjoyable food, engaging in pleasurable activities, or experiencing sensory delights
Deeper sense of meaning and fulfillment	Lacks depth and meaning associated with sustained happiness
Has a lasting impact on overall life satisfaction and well-being	Provides immediate enjoyment, but the impact may be short-lived
Involves appraisal and reflection on one's life circumstances	Pleasurable experiences are often more sensory or instinctive in nature
Connected to positive social relationships, a sense of belonging, and meaningful connections with others	Social interactions may enhance pleasure, but they are not as integral to the experience as they are with happiness
Some examples - activities that align with personal values, pursuing meaningful goals, contributing to the well-being of others etc.	Some examples - indulging in delicious food, engaging in entertainment and leisure activities, seeking physical pleasure, pursuit of external validation/ approval etc.

Task 6 - Do one service-oriented activity and one pleasurable activity and compare

Service oriented activity (Eudaemonic) - Creating this study material for others

Pleasurable activity (Hedonice) - Buying a self designed T-shirt

Service oriented activity	Pleasurable activity
Creating study material for others	Designing a T-shirt for my use
The primary purpose was to provide valuable study material on the art and science of happiness, contributing to the well-being and personal development of your near and dear ones	Designing a T-shirt for myself with a happiness theme was a pleasurable and enjoyable activity. It provided me personal satisfaction and a creative outlet
This activity has the potential for long-term impact, as individuals can refer to and benefit from it over an extended period, fostering ongoing personal growth	Offered me a quick and tangible outcome that brought personal joy
This activity aligns with positive psychology principles	This activity was more centered on personal expression and enjoyment. But also represented my interest in the art and science of happiness
Those who study this material will save lot of their time because I am giving them ready to use templates and my own example of how I completed the assignment	While the T-shirt is primarily for personal use, it has the potential to inspire others who see it, indirectly promoting the art and science of happiness

Comparison

Purpose and Audience - Both activities serve different purposes and target different audiences. The study material is directed towards providing a service to others, while the T-shirt is a personal expression that may indirectly inspire others

Time Frame and Impact - The study material has the potential for direct long-term impact, contributing to ongoing well-being. The T-shirt, while providing immediate personal gratification, may have a more limited and indirect impact on others

Motivation - Both are driven by intrinsic motivation to help others

Alignment with Positive Psychology - Both are in alignment of positive psychology. One contributes to the well-being of others and the other indirectly inspires others, positivity.

Task 7 - Write reaction paper #1: a two-page paper about material from weeks 1–3

Week 1: ​​Introduction: defining happiness

Assignments/ tasks	Outcome	The interesting part
Know my current level of well-being	My score is 5.9/10	I created my own scoring method after studying 9 types of well-being
Course expectations	Personal growth Professional development	The idea of creating a ready-to-use study material for my near and dear ones
Preferred focus area	The idea of meaning/ purpose in Happiness Understanding success and happiness	I studied and used Martin Seligman’s PERMA model to identify this
Prior Knowledge/ familiarity	I am mostly at level 3 - Competent (Happiness Navigator)	I mapped the Dreyfus model of skill acquisition with levels of Happiness
‘Who Am I’ exercise	This allowed me to look at my whole life and reflect on different parts (Identity Reflection, Values and Beliefs, Life Experiences) including setting up short/ long term goals	I had to create my own questionnaire since this was not available on the course website
Why am I taking up this course?	Structured course Opportunity to create study material for others	Used the six thinking hats technique to identify why I am doing this course
Definitions of Happiness	I could find out many definitions. Yet to decide which one I liked	It was exciting to see how different entities look at ‘happiness’ - Religions, Cultures, Philosophers and Psychologists

Week 2: Overview of positive psychology

Assignments/ tasks	Outcome	The interesting part
What Is Positive Psychology? (Chapter 1. Peterson, Christopher. A Primer in Positive Psychology)	Learnt its history, it’s definition (It is a scientific study of what goes right in life) and its three pillars	Learnt about pop-psychology Did an exercise about what legacy I will leave behind
Positive psychology vs traditional psychology	Learnt the focus areas of both	I guess each evolved because of the need of the hour
Benefits and drawbacks of the Positive Psychology approach	Learnt both the positive and negatives of positive psychology	It was good to know that it not only covers psychology but also philosophy, sociology, and neuroscience
Therapy in Positive Psychology	Learnt a few techniques used by the therapists	I guess it goes more like a career coach’s sessions, using some model viz GROW model etc. In positive psychology therapy sessions, I think they could be using the PERMA model
Writing a gratitude letter	Wrote one for my ex-boss	I haven’t heard from him but I loved going down memory lane some 35 years back
Do The Oxford Happiness Questionnaire	Average score 4.3/6 (Rather happy; pretty happy)	Nothing specific to add here

Week 3: Happiness vs. pleasure 

Assignments/ tasks	Outcome	The interesting part
Training the Mind for Happiness (Chapter 3. His Holiness the Lama, Dalai and Howard C. Cutler. The Art of Happiness)	This is what I learnt - Our mind is all the basic equipment we need to achieve complete happiness. Everyday as soon as you get up, you can develop a sincere positive motivation, thinking that, ‘I will utilize this day in a more positive way.’ And then, at night before bed, check what you have done.	Regular practice and repetition of tasks expanded the area of the brain involved in that task.
Talking About Happiness (Chapter 1. Ricard, Matthieu. Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life’s Most Important Skill)	The author uses the Buddhist term Sukha to refer to this state of well-being, resulting from a healthy and serene state of mind
What is happiness?	Happiness is nourishing helpful positive thoughts and reducing negative, harmful thoughts	Many definitions but not something that I got stuck upon
How is happiness measured?	Learnt about a few techniques
How does happiness differ from pleasure?	Different dimensions of positive emotional experiences	Happiness = Eudaemonia Pleasure = Hedonia
Do one pleasurable activity and one service-oriented activity and compare	Creating study material and designing a T-shirt	It was a creative experience thinking about designing a T-shirt on this topic

Task 8 - Two questions about this week’s topic

All the time I hear that helping others is happiness. What about the risks involved in helping others? If I feed the stray dogs on the street, my neighbours threaten me with legal cases, if I try saving children from the child labour mafia, the goons will kill me there and then. What is the use of this happiness if I no longer exist?

If I plan to help others, will I not be taking away my family time? Gandhi may have served the poor of the whole nation but he failed as a father. What is right?