The Science of Happiness, Continued

Going forward, I want to use my InPractice column to share more of the major principles of being and working happier with the full membership of the American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS). Perhaps the biggest hurdle to happiness is how we think about it. Many physicians do tend to feel like happiness is this destination. ‘I just have to get happier,’ or so we tell ourselves. 

But as Dr. Arthur C. Brooks, endowed professor at Harvard’s Kennedy and Business Schools, has reminded me, true happiness is directional—a direction and the steps you take. Teaching one of the most requested classes at Harvard, Dr. Brooks heads up the Leadership and Happiness Laboratory as well, and I’ve had the pleasure of speaking to him. He’s a wonderful person who has contributed to increasing my understanding of the science of happiness.  

If we take a look at our environment in the social media age, the consumer economy focuses our attention on money, power, pleasure, and prestige. There are several traps in defining happiness these ways. Dr. Brooks likes to talk about how one of the chief components of happiness is enjoyment. But what’s the difference between enjoyment and pleasure? Pleasure is something that is kind of hedonistic. It hits our limbic system, making us want more. Think of that French fry! You have one French fry; you want the next French fry (at least I do). 

Enjoyment is different. Science has shown that enjoyment hits a different part of the body. Chemically, enjoyment on functional MRI is not in the limbic system, but instead within the prefrontal cortex. And researchers have found that enjoyment comes from being with others and creating memories. Indeed, enjoyment is very different. 

Another big one, satisfaction, is defined as what you have, divided by what you need. At many points in our lives, we can’t help but to think about consumerism: I need to have more. I have to have more money, a longer vacation, etc. This feeling rises, peaks, and then in our mid-40s, people start to recognize that what they need and what they have can be decreased. They start simplifying. Based in gratitude, genuine satisfaction is looking at what you have, then being satisfied. 

The last component of happiness is interesting: meaning. With meaning, it’s often struggle, strife, and pain. Naturally, a lot of people have questions, asking ‘Why is this happening to me, versus in life, and what can I learn from this experience to grow?’