Authentic Happiness
Happiness is a very broad topic because it's meaning can vary from each individual. Comparing authentic happiness to false happiness is difficult to discuss and research if the terms are not put into a generality. The way in which happiness and life satisfaction can be measured, improved and achieved will be discussed in the following
Ed Diener- Defining/Measuring Happiness
Ed Diener, aka Dr. Happiness, is a psychologist who has been conducting scientific research on happiness for the past 25 years. He has developed ways in which happiness can be empirically measured, this can be referred to as Subjective Well-Being, SWB. Social Well-Being has three major components "positive affect (pleasurable feelings), negative affect (painful feelings), and life satisfaction, which is composed of 1) imperfect assessment of balance of positive and negative affect in one’s life, and 2) assessment of how well one’s life measures up to aspirations and goals"(pursuitofhappiness). In a paper that Diener wrote he mentioned that "Bradburn hypothesized that happiness is really a global judgment people make by comparing their negative affect with their positive affect"(internal.psychology) this is called the Affect Balance Scale (ABS). Results for the positive affects come from asking a series of questions over a period of a couple weeks. Question that might be asked are "for example, [are you] proud because someone complimented [you] on something [you] [have] done and pleased about having accomplished something"(internal.psychology). Questions to determine negative affects could be "for example, if the respondents have felt upset, because someone criticized them"(interal.psychology). These questions are given scores and the end score is a representation of the individual's overall happiness.
Take the general happiness questionnaire !
http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/Tests/GeneralTest_t.aspx?id=250
Determining the level of happiness that characters possess in the Brave New World would not be able to be assessed accurately. This is because soma pills prevent characters from having any negative affect and therefore effecting the balance of negative and positive affect in the characters lives. Accoriding to Diener "experiencing negative emotions (rather than trying to get rid of them) actually has a significant impact on lasting happiness"(pursuitofhappiness). Characters never experience negative emotions and therefore can never fully appreciate what happiness is, if they do not know what it isn't. Characters are in a neutral mood that is sedated by soma pills and conditioned to believe that it is a definition of happiness.
Ed Diener, aka Dr. Happiness, is a psychologist who has been conducting scientific research on happiness for the past 25 years. He has developed ways in which happiness can be empirically measured, this can be referred to as Subjective Well-Being, SWB. Social Well-Being has three major components "positive affect (pleasurable feelings), negative affect (painful feelings), and life satisfaction, which is composed of 1) imperfect assessment of balance of positive and negative affect in one’s life, and 2) assessment of how well one’s life measures up to aspirations and goals"(pursuitofhappiness). In a paper that Diener wrote he mentioned that "Bradburn hypothesized that happiness is really a global judgment people make by comparing their negative affect with their positive affect"(internal.psychology) this is called the Affect Balance Scale (ABS). Results for the positive affects come from asking a series of questions over a period of a couple weeks. Question that might be asked are "for example, [are you] proud because someone complimented [you] on something [you] [have] done and pleased about having accomplished something"(internal.psychology). Questions to determine negative affects could be "for example, if the respondents have felt upset, because someone criticized them"(interal.psychology). These questions are given scores and the end score is a representation of the individual's overall happiness.
Take the general happiness questionnaire !
http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/Tests/GeneralTest_t.aspx?id=250
Determining the level of happiness that characters possess in the Brave New World would not be able to be assessed accurately. This is because soma pills prevent characters from having any negative affect and therefore effecting the balance of negative and positive affect in the characters lives. Accoriding to Diener "experiencing negative emotions (rather than trying to get rid of them) actually has a significant impact on lasting happiness"(pursuitofhappiness). Characters never experience negative emotions and therefore can never fully appreciate what happiness is, if they do not know what it isn't. Characters are in a neutral mood that is sedated by soma pills and conditioned to believe that it is a definition of happiness.
Ed Diener- What Money Can't Buy
"Materialism is toxic for happiness"(socialpsychology) says Ed Diener. Diener has found that external circumstances, such as wealth, do not play a role in one's happiness. In a study Deiner conducted in 2004 he found that "over the past 50 years, income has climbed steadily in the United States, with the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita tripling, and yet life satisfaction has been virtually flat. Since World War II there has been a dramatic divergence between real income (after taxes and inflation) and life satisfaction in the United States, and a similar pattern can be seen in the data from other nations, such as Japan"(persuitofhappiness). A survey was also conducted among American's that showed since 1957 incomes have doubled but "surveyors from National Opinion Research Centre" who answered "'very happy' has declined from 35 to 29 percent"(internal.psychology). In comparison, what Diener has found does impact overall happiness is social relationships. In a cross-national study on happiness in teenagers Diener concluded that “the most salient characteristics shared by the 10% of students with the highest levels of happiness and the fewest signs of depression were their strong ties to friends and family and commitment to spending time with them"(pursuitofhappiness).
When comparing these findings with Brave New World it becomes clear that the happiness that characters believe they are experiencing is not real. This is because they are stripped of any sort of personal human relationship or connection but on the other hand, have ample money and materialistic goods. By looking at the results of the studies Diener has drawn conclusions from, the materialistic world that the characters live in will not influence their happiness.
"Materialism is toxic for happiness"(socialpsychology) says Ed Diener. Diener has found that external circumstances, such as wealth, do not play a role in one's happiness. In a study Deiner conducted in 2004 he found that "over the past 50 years, income has climbed steadily in the United States, with the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita tripling, and yet life satisfaction has been virtually flat. Since World War II there has been a dramatic divergence between real income (after taxes and inflation) and life satisfaction in the United States, and a similar pattern can be seen in the data from other nations, such as Japan"(persuitofhappiness). A survey was also conducted among American's that showed since 1957 incomes have doubled but "surveyors from National Opinion Research Centre" who answered "'very happy' has declined from 35 to 29 percent"(internal.psychology). In comparison, what Diener has found does impact overall happiness is social relationships. In a cross-national study on happiness in teenagers Diener concluded that “the most salient characteristics shared by the 10% of students with the highest levels of happiness and the fewest signs of depression were their strong ties to friends and family and commitment to spending time with them"(pursuitofhappiness).
When comparing these findings with Brave New World it becomes clear that the happiness that characters believe they are experiencing is not real. This is because they are stripped of any sort of personal human relationship or connection but on the other hand, have ample money and materialistic goods. By looking at the results of the studies Diener has drawn conclusions from, the materialistic world that the characters live in will not influence their happiness.
Positive Psychology
Positive psychology is when "depressive symptoms are potentially explained by lack of well-being: lack of positive emotion, engagement, and meaning in life"(authentichappiness). Researches such as Dr. Tayyab Rashid say that the continuous absence of positive emotion, character strengths and meaning can create an empty life. According to positive psychology happiness comes from three aspects of life, the pleasant life, the engaged life and the meaningful life.
The Pleasant Life
Positive psychology is when "depressive symptoms are potentially explained by lack of well-being: lack of positive emotion, engagement, and meaning in life"(authentichappiness). Researches such as Dr. Tayyab Rashid say that the continuous absence of positive emotion, character strengths and meaning can create an empty life. According to positive psychology happiness comes from three aspects of life, the pleasant life, the engaged life and the meaningful life.
The Pleasant Life
- Happiness can be achieved through the pleasant life by "having a lot of positive emotion about
the present, past, and future and learning the skills to amplify the intensity and duration of these emotions"(ppc.sas.upenn.edu).
- These emotions include satisfaction, contentment, fulfillment, pride, serenity and developing gratitude and forgiveness. The more positive emotion "is often lower depression and anxiety"(ppc.sas.upenn.edu)
- Participating in activities that are of a talent to the individual
- pursues engagement, involvement and absorption in work, intimate relations, and leisure- lack of engagement may cause depression
- Achieving a state of "flow"
- using one’s signature strengths and talents to belong to and serve something that one believes is bigger than the self
- lack of meaning can actually be a cause of depression