Happiness hap·pi·ness | \ 'ha-pē-nés
Definition of happiness (Merriam-Webster):
1a. A state of well-being or contentment; joy
1b. A pleasurable or satisfying experience '
2. Felicity; aptness
3. Good fortune; prosperity
There are four ways people try to become happy:
Tal Ben-Shahar1 , a Harvard university professor who gained acclaim for his scientific research on positive psychology, identifies four happiness “archetypes.”
The Rat-Racer - The rat-racer works hard to achieve a goal he believes will make him happier in the future. To achieve this goal, he minimizes things that could bring him joy in the present.
The Hedonist - The hedonist attempts to acquire happiness by pursuing things that will bring him joy in the here and now, often ignoring or undermining things that would bring him happiness in the future.
The Nihilist - Believing it is unattainable, the nihilist does not pursue happiness in the present or the future.
The Happy Person - The happy person focuses on things that will bring him happiness in the present and the future. Using an approach that is a blend of the rat-racer and the hedonist, he keeps a broad perspective, weighing how his actions will affect both his current happiness and his future goals
(כא) רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר הַקַּפָּר אוֹמֵר, הַקִּנְאָה וְהַתַּאֲוָה וְהַכָּבוֹד, מוֹצִיאִין אֶת הָאָדָם מִן הָעוֹלָם:
(21) Rabbi Elazar Ha-kappar said: envy, [the pursuit of] desires (ta’ava), and honor remove a person from the world.
אָמַר רַבִּי יוּדָן בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי אַי ְּבוּ "אֵין אָדָם יוצֵא מִן הָעולָם וחֲצִי תַּאֲותו ֹ בְּידו ֹ, אֶלָּא אִן אִית לֵיהּ מְאָה בָּעֵי לְמֶעֱבַד יתְהון תַּרְתֵּין מָאון, ואִן אִית לֵיהּ תַּרְתֵּי מָאוון בָּעֵי לְמֶעֱבַד ַיתְהון אַרְבָּעָה מְאָה."
Midrash, Kohelet Rabbah, 1:13
No man leaves this world with half his desires (ta’avato) fulfilled: if he has a 100, he wants 200, if he has 200 he wants to make them into 400.
Rebbi Ḥizqiah, Rebbi Cohen in the name of Rav. It is forbidden to dwell in a city which has neither a medical man, nor a public bath, nor a court lashing and jailing. Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Abun said, also it is forbidden to dwell in a city which has no vegetable garden. Rebbi Ḥizqiah, Rebbi Cohen in the name of Rav: Every person will have to justify himself for everything his eye saw and which he did not eat. Rebbi Eleazar took note of this statement and saved coins from which he ate every kind once a year.
(א) שֶׁמָּא יֹאמַר אָדָם הוֹאִיל וְהַקִּנְאָה וְהַתַּאֲוָה וְהַכָּבוֹד וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּהֶם דֶּרֶךְ רָעָה הֵן וּמוֹצִיאִין אֶת הָאָדָם מִן הָעוֹלָם. אֶפְרשׁ מֵהֶן בְּיוֹתֵר וְאֶתְרַחֵק לַצַּד הָאַחֲרוֹן. עַד שֶׁלֹּא יֹאכַל בָּשָׂר וְלֹא יִשְׁתֶּה יַיִן וְלֹא יִשָּׂא אִשָּׁה וְלֹא יֵשֵׁב בְּדִירָה נָאָה וְלֹא יִלְבַּשׁ מַלְבּוּשׁ נָאֶה אֶלָּא הַשַּׂק וְהַצֶּמֶר הַקָּשֶׁה וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּהֶן כְּגוֹן כֹּהֲנֵי הָעוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים. גַּם זֶה דֶּרֶךְ רָעָה הִיא וְאָסוּר לֵילֵךְ בָּהּ. הַמְהַלֵּךְ בְּדֶרֶךְ זוֹ נִקְרָא חוֹטֵא.
(1) A person might say, "Since envy, desire, [the pursuit] of honor, and the like, are a wrong path and drive a person from the world, I shall separate from them to a very great degree and move away from them to the opposite extreme." For example, he will not eat meat, nor drink wine, nor live in a pleasant home, nor wear fine clothing, but, rather, [wear] sackcloth and coarse wool and the like - just as the pagan priests do.
This, too, is a bad path and it is forbidden to walk upon it. Whoever follows this path is called a sinner [
Shem M’Shmuel, Sukkot, 5672 (loose translation)
The term 'simcha' implies gradual, meditative happiness, while the term 'sasson' refers to spontaneous joy. The figurative 'Sasson' argued that joy needs to be jump-started by indulging in random, joyful experiences. Longer-term happiness would flow from there. On the other hand, 'Simcha' argued that happiness is a process that needs to be cultivated over time. In truth, there's an advantage and disadvantage to each approach, and both are necessary. An unexpected, sudden inspiration can trigger internal change and set a person on a path to sustained positivity. On the other hand, there's the risk of 'easycome, easy go.' Slow and gradual work on building positivity may be more sustainable, but it can lack excitement.
To deepen your understanding of the concepts you’ve learned, choose one of the following challenges to help you apply them. • Awareness: Count how many times in a day you find yourself wanting something that will “make you happier” - either in the here and now, or later in the future.
• Limit-setting: Think of a situation you’ll encounter this week where you’ll experience the human desire for more. (For example at dinner time or when you go grocery shopping.) Decide what the right or best thing to do would be, and commit to doing/having that much and no more.