Eudaimonic vs Hedonic Happiness | Living a Life of Meaning
When it comes to happiness, there are two distinct paths to explore. Eudaimonic vs hedonic happiness ! While both aim to bring joy and satisfaction, they differ in their approaches and outcomes. In this article, we’ll delve into the deep side of these two facet of happiness as it empowers us to make choices that align with our values & greatly enhances our personal growth.
What is Eudaimonic Well being | Eudaimonic Happiness
The Greek word eudemonia combines the words eu, meaning good, and daemon, meaning lesser god, guiding spirit, or tutelary deity. So, Eudaimonic activities basically are outwardly focused. It involves cultivating one’s strengths, engaging in activities that align with our values, and contributing to something greater than ourselves. It’s about personal growth, self-actualization, and a sense of fulfillment that transcends momentary pleasure.
What is Hedonic Well being | Hedonic Happiness
Hedonism comes from the Greek word hedone, which means pleasure . Hedonic wellbeing, by contrast is inwardly focused . Hedonic happiness is all about immediate gratification. It revolves around maximizing positive experiences, indulging in material possessions, and pursuing fleeting moments of joy. Think of it as the “carpe diem” mentality, where the focus is on the present moment and personal desires.
Eudaimonic vs Hedonic Happiness | Understanding the difference
Focus | Eudaimonic vs Hedonic Happiness
Eudaimonic Happiness: Focuses on meaning and self-actualization.
Hedonic Happiness: Focuses on maximizing pleasure, enjoyment, and immediate gratification.
Source of Fulfillment
Eudaimonic Happiness: Derived from living a life aligned with personal values, pursuing one’s passions, and contributing to something greater than oneself.
Hedonic Happiness: Derived from pleasurable experiences, indulging in sensory delights, and satisfying desires.
Time Orientation
Eudaimonic Happiness: Emphasizes long-term well-being and the pursuit of lasting fulfillment and satisfaction.
Hedonic Happiness: Emphasizes immediate gratification and the pursuit of momentary pleasures.
Depth of Well-being
Eudaimonic Happiness: Associated with deeper levels of well-being and life satisfaction
Hedonic Happiness: Provides more fleeting and superficial experiences of happiness.
Personal Development
Eudaimonic Happiness: Focuses on personal growth, self-reflection, and self-actualization, promoting overall psychological resilience and inner growth.
Hedonic Happiness: Primarily centered on enjoyment, with less emphasis on personal development and self-discovery.
Approach to Relationships
Eudaimonic Happiness: Values meaningful connections, empathy, and acts of kindness, fostering deeper and more fulfilling relationships.
Hedonic Happiness: May prioritize relationships for the sake of personal pleasure and enjoyment, focusing less on deeper connections and emotional intimacy.
Is Eudaimonic Happiness the Best Kind of Happiness?
Both eudaimonic and hedonic happiness contribute to overall life satisfaction, but eudaimonic seems to provide a far more sustained effect. That’s because hedonic forms tend to provide only fleeting bursts of wellbeing, and the more hedonic activities you engage in, the more their positive effect on mood becomes muted. This partly explains why lottery winners generally aren’t significantly happier than people who have never won. After the initial excitement of winning life-changing wealth, their happiness mostly returns to baseline unless they utilize their newfound wealth to engage in eudaimonic pursuits. Such as nurturing a hobby, starting an exercise program, or learning a language, for example.
Again, all this isn’t to say that hedonic happiness is worthless. For a quick, mood-boosting pick-me-up, partying with friends or playing hours of mindless video games is fantastic. On the other hand, basing one’s wellbeing purely around hedonic happiness requires repeated, and often more stimulating, triggers. This is one aspect of what researchers term the “hedonic treadmill,” the observed tendency of humans to return to a fairly stable level of happiness despite experiencing positive or negative events.
Another fascinating physiological difference between eudaimonic and hedonic happiness may arise in the immune system. In a 2013 study ( refer the study here https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.1305419110 ) published to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, subjects who characterized their lives as having “a sense of direction and meaning” had lower expression of genes tied to inflammation and higher expression of antibody and antiviral genes compared to subjects who described their happiness as more founded in hedonic pursuits.
Brain correlation of Eudaimonic vs Hedonic Happiness
Interestingly, cues of hedonic and eudaimonic happiness seem to stimulate different parts of the brain. In a 2019 study, researchers found that subjects in an fMRI brain scanner cued with hedonic events “showed enhanced activity in frontal medial/middle regions and anterior cingulate cortex.” On the other hand eudaimonic events prompted “increased activity in the right precentral gyrus.
“Hedonic and eudaimonic happiness activate similar neural correlates. However, both kinds of happiness are also associated with distinctive brain areas serving distinctive functions,” the researchers wrote.
Final Takeaway | Eudaimonic vs Hedonic Happiness
While we know it when we feel it, happiness is challenging to define. Happiness is a positive emotional state, but each individual’s experience of that positive emotional state is subjective. By embracing a life of meaning and purpose while also enjoying life’s pleasures mindfully, we can create a balanced and fulfilling existence. By integrating both approaches of Eudaimonic and Hedonic, we create proficiently a harmonious blend of enjoyment and purpose.
Read also : Know Your Somatotype | Understanding Your Body Type https://thebrightdelights.com/know-your-somatotype-understanding-your-body-type/