Are
you happy? Admittedly, enjoyment and pleasure can be important
components of happiness. But there's more. Beyond gratification is a
level of happiness that psychologists describe as "eudaimonic
well-being." At this point, positive emotions arise when an
individual is working toward a meaningful goal. This person is
continuing to learn, taking on new challenges and living
purposefully.
Eudaimonic
happiness is as good for our bodies as it is for our outlook. Dr.
Carol Ryff, professor
of psychology at the University of Wisconsin, reports that women who
tested high for this quality weighed less, slept better and had fewer
stress hormones and markers for heart disease than those reporting
hedonic happiness. Dr.
Richard J. Davidson
reinforces this idea: "Eudaimonic well-being is much more robust
and satisfying than hedonic happiness, and it engages different parts
of the brain. The positive emotion accompanying thoughts that are
directed toward meaningful goals is one of the most enduring
components of well-being."
I
think this is what Helen
Keller meant when she
said, "Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true
happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through
fidelity to a worthy purpose."
This
is why I encourage anyone interested in becoming fit to join a
community, like the AARP Fat2 Fit online community. Contributing to
others involves us in a worthy purpose: supporting each other in
achieving fitness. This research assures us that our delight in
helping each other helps us as well.
Photo courtesy of Rayko
Swensson
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