Written by: Tracy Tredoux, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you realize why.”
This unattributed quote has been around for a long time and today there is even scientific evidence supporting the fact that those who pursue a life of purpose (eudaimonic happiness) enjoy overall better health than those who solely pursue the more transitory hedonic happiness.
Eudaimonic happiness versus hedonic happiness
Many people will have some understanding of the word hedonic. Fewer, however, understand the meaning of the word eudaimonic. Yet eudaimonic happiness has such a positive effect on overall health. The dualistic idea of happiness was first put forward by the Greek Philosopher, Aristotle (388-322 B.C.), who believed that people are most happy when working to achieve their natural potential, rather than indulging momentary pleasures. Simply put, hedonic happiness is achieved through the direct pursuit of pleasure, while eudaimonic happiness is achieved through experiences that have personal meaning and purpose. Hedonic happiness is living for one’s own gratification and involves stimulating the brain’s pleasure centres.
Dr. Steven Cole, a pioneer in social genomics, refers to the ‘hedonic treadmill,’ i.e., the happiness felt buying a new pair of shoes, going on a holiday, moving to a bigger house, buying a fancier car, eating a delicious meal, checking likes on social media, etc. This type of happiness always wears off, either quickly or after several months, with little residual benefit. It is not an everlasting, ‘evergreen’ form of happiness and when it does wear off, we are looking for something new to bring us another ‘hit.’ According to Dr. Cole, who headed a study examining how positive psychology affects human gene expression, ¹ People who have relatively high levels of hedonic well-being, have a gene expression profile that tends to show high inflammation and low antiviral and antibody gene expression.
Eudaimonic happiness comes from dedicating oneself to a cause or purpose greater than one’s own immediate gratification, and, according to the same study, those with high levels of eudaimonic well-being showed very favourable gene-expression profiles in their immune cells. They had low levels of inflammatory gene expression and strong expression of antiviral and antibody genes. Surprisingly, both groups seemed to have the same high levels of positive emotion. In other words, their genomes were responding very differently even though their emotional states were similarly positive. This study indicates that doing good and feeling good have different effects on the human genome despite generating similar levels of positive emotion. This study concludes that “Apparently, the human genome is much more sensitive to different ways of achieving happiness than our conscious minds.”
How do hedonic well-being and eudaimonic well-being impact overall health?
The pursuit of hedonic happiness can have positive aspects, particularly when coupled with eudaimonic well-being. However, since hedonic happiness has more to do with the enjoyment of experiences than finding meaning and purpose in those experiences, there are many reasons why the sole pursuit of this type of happiness can ultimately have a negative impact on a person’s overall mental and physical health and well-being. These include:
Hedonisitic happiness is fleeting and if your wellbeing relies on drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, taking drugs, partying a few times a week, eating out at restaurants, sexual relations, etc. these may all bring immense enjoyment at the moment but can lead to dissatisfaction and other serious problems in the long run.
Often hedonists lack long-term commitment due to the pursuit of their next purchase, relationship, party, etc. If you are not seeking purpose or meaning in your experiences, it is easy to abandon them for someone or something that seems more immediately attractive. In addition, the happiness acquired from the experiences is as transitory as the experiences themselves, and often, in between these experiences, a person is left feeling unfulfilled when a deeper meaning and purpose in their lives are lacking.
Pursuing hedonistic happiness is often linked to strong materialistic values which ultimately have negative consequences for individual well-being and sustainability. ²
Hedonic well-being relies more on extrinsic factors, often outside your control (you are in financial difficulty so cannot purchase a new house, car, clothes, afford to eat out, take a vacation, etc.). It is for this reason that relying on hedonic experiences as the sole source of happiness is often associated with stress, anxiety, and sometimes even depression. Eudaimonic happiness, on the other hand, is a more intrinsic approach, based upon self-realization, purpose, meaning, and gratitude.
One of the biggest pitfalls in pursuing hedonic happiness is a phenomenon known as hedonic adaptation. “This phenomenon describes how humans become insensitive to new stimuli, and quickly readjust to an emotional baseline. Therefore, the stimulus needed to create an emotion – like happiness or excitement – needs to be more intense than the last stimulus for someone to feel its effects.” ³ For example, a person who only flies economy class is likely to experience a lot more excitement and pleasure if given the opportunity to fly in first-class than the person who always flies first class. The first person experiences hedonic happiness flying for the first time in first-class whilst the second person, through hedonic adaptation has become accustomed to the luxuries on offer and expects these in order to maintain base-level satisfaction.
With eudaimonic happiness being more about discovering your purpose in life, studies show that the advantages of having a eudaimonic life include the extended length of life, reduced risk of multiple disease outcomes, reduced dysregulation of physiological systems, and greater likelihood of practicing preventive health behaviours. ⁴
Tips for Pursuing Eudaimonic Happiness
Mindful Eating – Mindful eating involves taking pleasure in the process of cooking and eating, rather than just viewing mealtimes as a chore that must be completed. Learn to enjoy preparing meals from scratch and getting to understand how different flavours and cooking techniques complement each other. Learn about the nutritional value of the ingredients you use and about how you can improve your health and happiness with good meal planning.
When it comes to eating, make sure your focus is on the food. Aim to chew each bite at least 30 times. This not only allows you to savour the food, but it also helps your digestive system by breaking the food down into more manageable pieces, helping to prevent numerous gut-related issues. Try to notice and identify as many characteristics of your food as possible, using as many senses as you can. How many flavours can you identify as you chew? How many aromas can you smell? What does the texture feel like on your tongue? How many colours can you identify on your plate?
Establish Routines – We already talked about hedonic adaptation and how immediate pleasure deteriorates with repetition. In the case of eudaimonic happiness, the opposite is true. The more we practice eudaimonic activities and make them part of our daily routine, the more rewarding they become. Think of the pleasure of becoming proficient at a musical instrument, learning a language, or taking a course of study. As your skills improve, the pleasure you derive from pursuing these methodical activities may increase as well.
Innerstanding – ‘Innerstanding’ refers to pursuing various activities, such as meditation, yoga, gratitude, or tai chi, that focus the attention inwards and help you to learn about yourself. Research shows that these sorts of practices reduce stress and anxiety while improving positive thoughts and overall wellbeing.
Foster Connections and Community – As a species, we have evolved to thrive in communities and to feel fearful when isolated. Having meaningful connections with others is one of the best ways to promote eudaimonic happiness. For more introverted people, this might seem like a challenge, but there is no need to throw yourself into large groups of people. The focus is on quality, rather than quantity. Engaging in some sort of charitable activity, such as befriending or tree-planting, can help establish quality connections while providing the sense of wellbeing that goes with doing something kind for another person. Having a particular hobby and joining a group that shares your interest helps one feel connected and instills a sense of belonging, an important factor in seeking to find happiness.
Find Your Purpose – Finding purpose and meaning are essential for eudaimonic happiness. Your purpose can be anything at all that gives you drive and direction and it doesn’t have to remain constant throughout your life. People without purpose often feel like they are adrift in their lives and do not derive a lot of satisfaction from the things they do. Can you write down your purpose at this point in your life, in a single sentence? If not, maybe try writing a few paragraphs about what you want to achieve and distil this down to a single sentence that sums up where you are and where you are going.
Conclusion
Whether one follows the path of hedonic or eudaimonic happiness, both lead to the same destination – happiness. However, while there are studies indicating some overlap in the benefits derived from, for example, buying a new pair of shoes and meditating, it’s the fact that eudaimonic happiness (the ‘gift that keeps giving’), continues to instill positive feelings over time, that it results in a form of happiness that is more sustained. Happiness derived from purpose, community, and connection also makes us more resilient. Considering the challenges presented worldwide over the last two years, and the fact that we remain in uncertain times, it is more important than ever to discover a form of happiness that strengthens us, unites us, and helps us stay positive as we navigate a healthier and more resilient way forward.
Tracy Tredoux, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Tracy Tredoux is a fully qualified Nutritional Therapist and Zest4Life coach, who consults in London, UK. Tracy believed her life career would be in law, becoming a partner in a top South African law firm at 28 and subsequently qualifying as a solicitor in the UK. However, Tracy's husband's health deteriorated soon after they married and over the years he was diagnosed with numerous chronic health conditions. Fuelled by a desire to support her husband, Tracy sought to study the interaction between nutrition and the body on a cellular, biochemical level. Tracy studied for 4 years at the Institute for Optimum Nutrition, UK, to become a registered Nutritional Therapist. When Tracy is not consulting with clients on a 1 to 1 basis, she is writing health articles for health magazines and websites, providing the research for educational webinars, giving health presentations, running online group programmes, and is currently co-authoring a recipe book with a medical doctor and a well-known TV chef. In addition, Tracy is continuing her studies to become a fully qualified Functional Medicine practitioner.
References
“A Functional Genomic Perspective on Human Well-Being.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, July 29, 2013.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Mar; 19(6): 3673. Published online 22022 Mar 19. Doi: 10.3390/ijerph19063673 PMCID: PMC8951562
Bowling N. Adaptation-level theory. Encycllopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research. 2014:28-29. Doi:10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_25
Leonardo Becchetti, Maria Jua Bachelet & Fabio Pisani (2020) Eudaimonic happiness as a leading health indicator: cross-country European evidence, Applied Economics, 52:43, 4726-4744, DOI: 10.1080/00036846.2020.1740161
