Is happiness enough for a good life? And are pleasure and happiness the same thing? What is so special with pursuing eudaimonia?

Eudaimonia means good (‘eu’) spirit (‘daimon’). This is the outcome of a life lived well. Talents, passions, skills, and time are applied to a meaningful purpose that brings us a feeling of fulfilment and joy. It is living according to one’s best version of oneself.

Eudaimonia (pronounced you-dai-moan-ya) is a Greek concept which has been explored by many philosophers. Modern psychologists still study its true meaning for the modern world. By saying that eudaimonia is mere happiness, we are missing its true essence which is more than that. In general, it is the ability to live a life of prosperity, to flourish and to discover personal fulfilment regardless of the circumstances we find ourselves in.

In her book The Life of the Mind, Hannah Arendt says that: “The ultimate end of human acts is eudaimonia, happiness in the sense of living well, which all men desire; all acts are but different means chosen to arrive at it.”

In his many works, Aristotle has provided numerous interpretations of eudaimonia, explaining it as something reflecting the pursuit of virtue, excellence and the bringing out of the best within oneself. According to him, eudaimonia is a rational activity aimed at the pursuit of what is worthwhile in life. But for him, aiming to be virtuous is the most important constituent factor for experiencing eudaimonia.

Socrates argues that life is not worth living if the soul is ruined by wrongdoing. He seems to think that virtue is both necessary and sufficient for eudaimonia.

“A person who is not virtuous cannot be happy, and a person with virtue cannot fail to be happy,” he says.

In fact, some feel that the word ‘happiness’ can be a vulgar idea, as not all desires are worth pursuing − even though some of them may yield pleasure, they would not produce wellness.

Eudemonic activities that can be practically adopted are:

• Seeking to pursue excellence in one’s life;

• Following one’s beliefs;

• Using one’s core competencies;

•  Learning or gaining insight into something.

Eudaimonia is gained through working on our inner journey, rather than pursuing external abundance. Having said that, external abundance can be more cherished and appreciated once we have the inner workings in place. And even when going through challenging times, once our inner strengths are cultivated, eudaimonia keeps us balanced and at peace within ourselves in spite of what could be going on out there.

Eudaimonia is gained through working on our inner journey rather than pursuing external abundance

Although there are some discrepancies among thinkers between the meanings of eudaimonia and happiness, according to modern psychology, there are six dimensions to achieving eudaimonia:

1. self-discovery;

2. perceived development of one’s best potentials;

3. a sense of purpose and meaning in life;

4. investment of significant effort in pursuit of excellence;

5. intense involvement in activities; and

6. enjoyment of activities as personally expressive.

A systematic review on eudaimonia found that, basically, most definitions include: authenticity, excellence, growth, and meaning. It is quite different from the hedonistic happiness which is achieved through an absence of distress, comfort, enjoyment, and pleasure.

When psychologists try to measure growth, as part of eudaimonia, they often look to what extent individuals are open to experiences or to what extent they are interested in learning. Openness to experience is needed not only in order to grow but also to experience pleasure, which is a facet of well-being.

Some indicators of development to our growth are:

• complexity and differentiation (e.g., how well we can manage diversity);

• organisation and integration (e.g., ability to connect various elements);

• flexibility; sensitivity (e.g., being aware of details and nuances);

• mobility and dynamics (e.g., curiosity, interest, openness to novel situations);

• internal control (e.g., ability to delay gratification);

• broadness (e.g., open-mindedness);

• and efficiency in utilising one’s potential and energy.

So, in a nutshell, to be in a state of eudemonia, we need to aim for autonomy (being an agent to one’s own life); competence (feeling confident in what we do); and relatedness (needing human connections that are close and secure).

With eudemonia, we lead a life well-lived, being the best person we can be and a flourished one.

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