Revisiting Happiness

Amtrak 134

CHO -> NYP

October 2, 2025

I have done my share of learning about happiness over the past few years. I've learned that you are better off not pursuing happiness explicitly -- that you are better off pursuing those activities that bring you happiness. I have also learned that while happiness is fine, joy is the more important concept.

The following post from Mark Manson motivated to revisit the topic of happiness. He uses a term I have not run across previously -- eudaimonic happiness. (I guess that proves I haven't reached the end of the internet in my research on happiness.). I could be wrong, but eudaimonic happiness sure sounds a lot like joy.

I'm on Amtrak from Charlottesville to Washington and then onto New York. Good Lord, I have so many emotions, feelings and thoughts running through me right now. Some fond memories, many regrets, lots of sadness. Pisser.

From Mark Manson:

In 1776, Thomas Jefferson promised the right to pursue happiness. What most people don’t realize is that he didn’t mean pizza, sex, and binging Stranger Things until 4AM.

Most people think happiness means smiling all the time, feeling good, never struggling. But if that were the case, clowns and drug addicts would be the happiest people alive.

When Jefferson wrote “the pursuit of happiness,” he wasn’t talking about pleasure.

Back then, happiness meant something different. It meant flourishing. It meant purpose, meaning, living out your values. It meant living well, even though life punches you in the gut.

Jefferson didn’t invent this idea. It came from Aristotle, who said there are actually two kinds of happiness:

1. Hedonic happiness

(Pleasure, comfort, distraction.)

2. Eudaimonic happiness (see below)

(Fulfillment. Purpose. Knowing your time here actually mattered.)

Hedonic happiness is cheap. It fades the second the buzz wears off.

But eudaimonic happiness endures. Yeah, it’s harder. It demands sacrifice. But it’s the only kind of happiness that leaves you whole.

Yet most people spend their entire lives chasing hedonic happiness—and wondering why they feel so hollow.

If your happiness disappears the moment the pleasure does, it was never happiness. It was just anesthesia.

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Below — From Psychology Today

What Is Eudaimonic Happiness?

How and why positive psychologists are learning from Aristotle.

January 2, 2019

In their quest to understand what makes people happy, positive psychologists have begun to look back at the ancient writings of the Greek philosopher Aristotle.

Aristotle proposed the concept of eudaimonia (pronounced as u-day-monia) in the 4th century B.C. in his Nicomachean Ethics. The term eudaimonia is etymologically based in the Greek words eu (good) and daimon(spirit). It describes the notion that living in accordance with one’s daimon, which we take to mean character and virtue, leads to a good life.

Put another way, Aristotle understood human beings to be creatures constantly driven toward what is more perfect. In Book I of the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle clarifies his perfectionism concept: "Every craft and every line of inquiry and likewise every action and decision, seems to seek some good; that is why some people were right to describe the good as what everything seeks."

Aristotle introduces the notion that individuals, always striving toward perfection, have potential yet to be realized. Just as an acorn has within it the potential to be an oak tree—and only an oak tree, not any type of tree, or a bird or a daffodil—a fertilized human egg has the potential to be a person, not anything else. And inherent in each person is a unique set of potentials.

In the Aristotelian view, we are driven to pursue our potential, to be the best versions of ourselves that we can be. For you, that might be to be an artist, a musician, a scholar, a craftsman, an athlete, or an explorer.

The eudaimonic life is to be had whenever we are in pursuit of fulfilling our potential. That way, we find more meaning and purpose in life.

But to realize our potential, we need what Aristotle called "real goods." By real goods, he meant those things necessary for the development of our potential, such as shelter, clothing, food, and friends, but also arts, music, literature, and culture. In the modern world, there are certain things that we need to be able to do in the pursuit of fulfilling our individual potential, and, in this sense, real goods are defined by their necessity to us as individuals.

The obvious example is that we need money, and so it becomes a real good. But there is also what Aristotle referred to as the "golden mean," which is the right amount of the good: too little and we are in deficit of what we need to pursue our potential, as in times of famine when people’s potential is literally thwarted; too much and what was a real good becomes an "apparent good"—something we don’t need.

Apparent goods are the things we simply don’t need. They may give us pleasure, but we don’t actually need them. The important thing is not to confuse them with real goods, which can lead us to think we do need them.

Modern-day positive psychologists are now taking these ideas based on ancient Greek philosophy very seriously in their quest to understand what seems most important for a good life.

The eudaimonic view is a different way of thinking about happiness than the view we are bombarded with in our daily lives by advertisements that seek to define modern life and sell us apparent goods as if they were real goods. Seen this way, modern life makes it hard to find happiness because we end up striving for, and investing our energies in the quest for, apparent goods. In short, we seek pleasure and joy at the expense of meaning and purpose.

What does it actually mean in practice to follow Aristotle’s philosophy? We need to learn the difference between real goods and apparent goods, to seek the "golden mean" in our lives, and in so doing, to turn our attention to what really matters—becoming the best version of ourselves that we can be.

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According to Google:

Happiness is a temporary, external emotion triggered by pleasant circumstances, while joy is a deeper, internal, and more enduring state of being characterized by profound contentment and a sense of well-being that can exist even in difficult circumstances. Happiness can be fleeting and situation-dependent, whereas joy is often a choice or practice, offering resilience and fulfillment over the long term.

Happiness

Fleeting & Situational: Happiness is a momentary feeling that comes and goes, often tied to specific events or external circumstances.

External Focus: It depends on external factors, such as accomplishments, good fortune, or pleasant experiences.

Reactive: Happiness is a reaction to good things happening, making it short-lived.

Joy

Internal & Enduring: Joy is a profound and lasting emotion that arises from within.

Transcendent: It allows for a sense of contentment and fulfillment that can persist through challenges and adversity.

A Choice & Practice: Joy can be cultivated by making deliberate choices that align with one's values and by focusing on what brings positive energy.

Key Differences at a Glance

Source: Happiness comes from outside circumstances; joy comes from inside.

Duration: Happiness is brief and temporary; joy is a more enduring state.

Depth: Happiness is lighter and focuses on immediate pleasure; joy is deeper and more about lasting fulfillment.

Resilience: Joy fosters greater resilience in the face of life's challenges, whereas happiness is more vulnerable to change.

How They Work Together

While different, happiness and joy both contribute to a sense of overall well-being.

By understanding their distinction, one can better appreciate moments of happiness and work towards the deeper, more sustainable feeling of joy for greater life satisfaction and resilience