Happiness is a pursuit as old as human history. It is a feeling that nearly everyone wishes to attain throughout life, shaping decisions and inspiring dreams. However, what happiness truly is, how it is achieved, and whether it can be sustained have been debated for centuries. In this article, we will explore happiness through both philosophical and psychological perspectives.
Since Ancient Greece, philosophers have regarded happiness as the ultimate goal of life. According to Socrates, the highest aim in life is happiness, and the way to achieve it is through knowledge. True knowledge leads to right actions, and right actions lead to happiness. His student, Aristippus, had a different perspective—he equated happiness with pleasure. In his view, every kind of pleasure, regardless of its source, is a form of happiness.
Aristotle, on the other hand, offered a more balanced approach. His concept of eudaimonia describes a deep and lasting state of well-being achieved not just through pleasure, but through a virtuous life. This idea forms the foundation of today’s concept of “subjective well-being.”
In modern psychology, happiness is often defined as subjective well-being. According to Myers and Diener (1995), subjective well-being includes life satisfaction, the frequency of positive emotions, and the rarity of negative emotions. In other words, the more satisfied a person is with their life, the more often they experience positive emotions and the less often they feel negative ones, the happier they are considered to be.
Another important point is that happiness is individually defined. For some, success is a source of happiness; for others, a peaceful moment or a simple day spent with loved ones is enough. This suggests that happiness does not have a universal definition—it is a personal and unique experience.
Although today happiness is often associated with material gains, research shows that this relationship is not as strong as commonly believed. While economic status influences happiness up to a certain level, beyond that point, increasing income does not proportionally increase happiness. At that stage, factors such as psychological resilience, meaningful goals, social relationships, and self-compassion become more significant.
Conclusion
Happiness is a difficult emotion to define, yet it is one that everyone desires to feel deep down. Philosophy and psychology show us that happiness is not a one-dimensional concept, but rather a multi-layered structure. Sometimes it aligns with knowledge, other times with pleasure or meaning. Each person redefines what happiness means throughout their own journey. Perhaps the secret to happiness lies not in treating it as a destination, but in seeing it as the journey itself.
References
Myers, G. D., & Diener, E. (1995). Who is Happy? Psychological Science, 6(1), 10–19.
Büyükdüvenci, S. (1993). The Concept of Happiness in Aristotle. Felsefe Dünyası, 9, 41–45.
Kangal, A. (2013). A Conceptual Evaluation of Happiness and Some Findings for Turkish Households. Electronic Journal of Social Sciences, 12(44), 214–233.