Some people describe happiness as an overall feeling of contentment with your life, and your place in it. Others say it’s found only in fleeting moments. As for joy, while some describe it as a sustainable emotion, other people liken it to an intense flare that pops up at unexpected times.
There’s no one way to define happiness and joy, and that’s ok. It doesn’t truly matter how we define these feelings, as long as we are continuously seeking the positive in life.
And we are. Undergrads, business school candidates, and anyone with access to the internet can take courses in happiness, including Harvard Business School’s Leadership and Happiness, and a version of Yale’s most popular course ever, Psychology and the Good Life, available on Coursera as The Science of Wellbeing. There are numerous conferences centered around the idea of happiness. Recently I spoke at the World Happiness Summit as well as The Atlantic’s In Pursuit of Happiness event, both of which brought together experts in science, philosophy, art, business, and other disciplines, all with one goal: to build a happier life that is sustainable.
The pandemic helped prompt this renewed search for the experiences that lead to joy and happiness. As we were forced to retreat to our homes and cancel many obligations in the outside world, our “everyday” lives slowed down long enough to recognize what we have perhaps always known: that happiness is an inside job.
Over the past two years, I know I’ve thought about the things that I really value in life, things that matter to me. Maybe you’ve been doing that, too? The more people I speak with about this, the more I see that in our new life, we want to spend more time with friends, and incorporate new daily routines that serve us a bit better. Make time for family and the things that bring us joy.
