DIFFERENT ASPECTS THAT CONSTITUTES HAPPINESS

This is a sequel to my earlier article on positive psychology. Here I would like to elaborate upon the three aspects, pleasure, engagement and meaning which constitute lasting happiness. This was stated by Martin Seligman the American psychologist , I would sequentially be starting with pleasure, thru engagement and ultimately to meaning. Pleasure has an emotional aspect attached to it, a thought of a sense of feel-good linked to the positive emotion. Pleasure can be further categorized into  passive pleasure, and active pleasure.

Passive pleasure is one that a person enjoys without participating in the source that brings the pleasure. These are like sitting and watching the television, or cinema, enjoying good food or music or reading a good book or any other means of gratification of one's needs. In this form of pleasure, there is very little or no application of mental faculties, but the person only derives a sense of feel-good which is purely temporary from very short period like enjoying good food, to maybe a few hours like watching television or cinema or listening to music. On the other hand, active pleasure is one in which the person mentally participates in the act of doing it which is the source. Ṭhis could be like playing a musical instrument, writing book, directing a play or cinema or preparation of different cuisines etc. In each of these activities, the person enjoys it by participating in it’s creation . And this may even have a close implication in the person’s  vocation itself too , or purely active pleasure without making any earning out of it.

Engagement is the next level source that brings a greater degree and longer lasting happiness as compared to pleasure .

When a person loves to do what he is doing because he is able to deploy his mental faculties to the best of his abilities and strength , this gives the person a higher degree of happiness than pleasure alone because in this activity his inherent strengths get further reinforced . And so  brings to him a sense of personal achievement thereby elevating his level of esteem and can also lead to advancement in his career.

Thus pleasure plus engagement brings greater happiness than only pleasure. This also has a limitation and after a certain length of time when he has had high level of achievement with the use of his strongest abilities and there is nothing else beyond that for him at that stage . Till now, his all happiness has been related to himself i.e. personal goals ; his loved ones  or people closely related to his loved ones and up to the level of his social circle at the most.

Adding meaning is that last milestone which brings the long-lasting happiness which a person may cherish for. Because, when a person is looking for meaning in life he voluntarily looks for everything which is beyond his self , as he thinks that working for good of  the society or humanity at large is much higher and hence a  noble purpose in life . This stage is also called the " SELF ACTUALISATION " as stated by Abraham Maslow in his " Hierarchy of Needs " which is the highest among the different stages of human needs .As per him, very few people reach up to this stage. And this is the highest level in man's quest for needs that he can contemplate in life.