Learning happiness

A slightly belated plug here for the New York Times article Happiness 101, about a positive-psychology class at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va.

Positive psychology is a relatively new discipline that puts a practical emphasis on the promotion of wellbeing.

The discipline takes us back to the Ancients’ conception of philosophy, which was not just an intellectual exploration of ideas but the practical and experiential pursuit of the “good life” — a life that brings genuine happiness and is meaningful.

Take for example the topic of one class mentioned in the NYT article: “The distinction between feeling good, which according to positive psychologists only creates a hunger for more pleasure — they call this syndrome the hedonic treadmill — and doing good, which can lead to lasting happiness.” This is pure Buddhism, where there’s a distinction between pleasure and happiness, and where pleasure is seen as being inseparably linked to compassion, or concern for others.

I’m heartened to see academics exploring wellbeing in this way.

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