MIND-BODY-SPIRIT
Eudaimonia and Happiness
In classical philosophy, eudaimonia was a central concept for Soc- UDWHV 3ODWR DQG $ULVWRWOH 7KH\ VDZ LW QRW DV D ÀHHWLQJ HPRWLRQDO VWDWHEXWDVWKHXOWLPDWHJRDORIKXPDQOLIH WROLYHLQDOLJQPHQWZLWK one’s authentic self, and to exercise one’s full capacities with excel- lence and purpose. Somewhere along the way, likely in an imprecise translation from Greek to Latin in the 15th century, eudaimonia became simply “hap- SLQHVV´ 7KDW¶V WKH ZRUG -). XVHG LQ KLV UHSRUW %XW ZKDW KH attributed to the Greeks was far more nuanced than our modern con- ception of happiness. What Matters Most
BY BENJAMIN BREGMAN, MD
+DYH\RXHYHUFRPHDFURVVDZRUGWKDWFDSWXUHGDQGFU\VWDOOL]HGDQ idea that had been just out of reach? Throughout my career as a psy- FKLDWULVW,VWUXJJOHGWR¿QGDZRUGWKDWFRQWDLQHGWKHFRQFHSW,ZDV trying to convey to my patients in their search for a better life. No, it wasn’t happiness they were seeking; it was something more profound, something more meaningful, something that turned the pain and suf- fering of life into something sweet and precious. That word, stumbled upon in a cursory Google search turned out to be…. Eudaimonia (you-day-mone-ee- yah) — ɸɷɲɿʅʉʆʀɲ
So what does this older articulation of happiness mean? What are these ³YLWDO IRUFHV´ DQG KRZ GR ZH GH¿QH ³H[FHOOHQFH´ RU ¿QG ³VFRSH´ LQ RXU lives? How does this classical notion RIIXO¿OOPHQWFRPSDUHWRWKH:HVWHUQ pursuit of happiness that often chases stimulation or ease? At its heart, eudaimonia is less about feeling good and more about being whole . It’s not a momentary mood, EXW D OLIHORQJ SUDFWLFH WKH RQJRLQJ work of becoming who you truly are. The ³YLWDO IRUFHV´ are the deep- est and most animating parts of you. They’re your talents, your curiosities, your longings, your capacity to love, to FUHDWH WR SHUVLVW WR XQGHUVWDQG <RX could think of them as the inner sourc- es of energy and meaning that move through you when you’re doing some- thing that feels purposeful or deeply right, when you’re fully engaged, not just entertained or distracted. 0DQ\ RI XV H[SHULHQFHG WKLV har-
2Q$XJXVW MXVWWKUHHPRQWKV before his assassination, President John F. Kennedy published a report ti- tled Progress Report by the President RQ3K\VLFDO)LWQHVV ,QLWKHZURWH “ 7KH*UHHNVGH¿QHGKDSSLQHVVDV the exercise of vital forces along OLQHVRIH[FHOOHQFHLQDOLIHD̆ RUG - LQJWKHPVFRSH´ , ¿UVW FDPH DFURVV WKLV TXRWH DV D teenager, and it left a lasting impres- sion, both inspiring and confusing me for many years. At the time, my understanding of hap- SLQHVV ZDV VLPSOH WKH IHHOLQJ \RX JHW when you pet your dog, hug your part- ner, get a raise, pass a test, or watch a great movie. Happiness was subjective, pleasurable, and ÀHHWLQJ ,W ZDV WKH opposite of sadness, rooted in novelty,
pleasure, comfort, and an escape from life’s everyday discomforts. It was something we were told, as Americans, that we could pursue , but never truly possess. Like many psychiatrists, I once had the hubris to think that kind of happiness could be delivered through psychotherapy and dopaminer- gic or serotonergic medications. Just treat the depression, I thought, and happiness would reveal itself. %XW-).¶V*UHHNYHUVLRQRIKDSSLQHVVVHHPHGDOWRJHWKHUGL̆ HUHQW There were no “vital forces” in my clinical understanding of mood. No “lines of excellence.” No mention of “scope.” A Turning Point That changed about a year ago. While looking up the roots of oth- er Greek-derived words, like euthymia (“good mood”) and euryth- mia (“good rhythm”), I came across eudaimonia DJDLQ'RQ¶WDVNPH why I was looking those words up — it’s one of the perks of being a word nerd with a background in psychiatry. I had seen the word be- fore, most memorably as the name of a JDPHVWRUHLQ%HUNHOH\ , but never explored its meaning. Curious, I dug deeper. What I discovered blew my mind. Eudaimonia (sometimes spelled eudaemonia ) comes from the *UHHN
mony as children, through creative play, intense curiosity, or mo- PHQWVRITXLHWMR\<HWVRPHZKHUHDORQJWKHZD\ZH¶UHWDXJKWWRLJ - nore those impulses or abandon them for more practical concerns. %XWWKRVHYLWDOIRUFHVGRQ¶WGLVDSSHDU WKH\OLHGRUPDQWZDLWLQJWR be reclaimed. To exercise these forces means to use them, actively, intention- ally, and regularly. Just like muscles, they grow through movement, H̆ RUW DQG FKDOOHQJH (XGDLPRQLD LV QRW H̆ RUWOHVV ,W UHTXLUHV FXO - tivation, training, and exertion. It’s not just about doing what feels good, or what we’re naturally talented at; it’s about moving toward what brings meaning and depth to our lives. The journey itself be- comes the reward. Excellence , in this context, doesn’t mean perfection or competi- tion. It means striving toward your own highest expression of integri- ty and capability. It means doing things well, not to win, but because they matter to you; and because the act of doing them well brings your being into alignment. And importantly, the excellence of eudaimonia doesn’t exist in a YDFXXP2XUSHUVRQDOIXO¿OOPHQWLVPRVWFRPSOHWHZKHQLWLQWHUVHFWV with the needs of the world. The “lines of excellence” along which we express our gifts should not only elevate our own lives, but contribute to something beyond ourselves. In that way, eudaimonia becomes both a personal and ethical pursuit. 6FRSH refers to the range of your life, the arenas in which your vital forces are allowed to operate. That could be work, relationships, creativity, service, play, contemplation, or even healing. Without scope, even the strongest inner forces wither. A person might have
³HX´ — true or good ³GL´ — across
• • •
³PRQ´ — spirit 0RUH SRHWLFDOO\ LW WUDQVODWHV WR VRPHWKLQJ OLNH “being true to \RXUZKROHEHLQJ´
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PATHWAYS—Winter 25-26—11
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