Psychologist Martin Seligman suggests that happiness includes the pleasant life, the engaged life, and the meaningful life. The latter involves serving something larger than oneself. This aspect of happiness is marvelously illustrated by an elderly couple who established a retirement home for abused animals. For 22 years, the husband and wife team have served as “happy slaves” to meet the basic needs of dozens of horses, dogs, pigs, and goats. The couple laughs at the irony of their working 14-hour days so their animals can retire.
Darrin McMahon traces the history of happiness. In ancient times, happiness was thought to be something dispensed by the gods. The Greeks suggested that humans might play a role in their own happiness. For example, Aristotle maintained that happiness came in living a virtuous life. The early Christians believed happiness came only in the hereafter. The nineteenth-century American ideal of “the pursuit of happiness” assumes that we have the personal capacity to shape our lives and the world in the way we prefer.
A recent poll by the Pew Research Center found that most Americans describe themselves as “pretty” or “very” happy. Research on the predictors of happiness suggests that money increases happiness only for the very poor. Once basic needs are met, more money makes little difference. However, researcher Ed Diener notes that Americans' expectations continue to rise, and cultural comparisons find that the United States ranks only 15th in subjective well-being. He calls for regular monitoring of a national well-being index.
Diener reports that, without exception, the happiest people have supportive family and friends. In addition, the pursuit of important values and goals fosters long-term happiness. Enjoying the activities needed to reach a goal is more important than attaining the goal itself. Diener notes that the pursuit of happiness may itself be long-term happiness. Clearly, happiness is a journey, not a destination.