These Are the 10 Paths to Happiness
Do you want to be happy? Well, almost everybody does. And yet, so many of us struggle to find happiness. So, what actually works to bring happiness that lasts? Well, that’s a question that many brilliant people have tried to answer. From ancient philosophers to self-help gurus to modern scientists. Today, we’ll cover 10 potential paths to happiness. Keep in mind though, the best path for one person is not necessarily the best path for someone else. So, I recommend
Asking yourself throughout this video, which path to happiness do you think is the right one for you? Path one, the self-help ethos. While self-help books certainly don’t all agree with each other, many of them share a common philosophy. They tell us that happiness is attainable and that there’s a simple recipe for happiness that most people don’t follow. To take this path, you have to change. As they like to say, if you do what you’ve always done, you’ll
Get what you’ve always gotten. To transform your life, self-help books say that you should set audacious goals. Focus on what you want, not the bad things you don’t want. Take responsibility for your life, which involves taking action. Wake up early and exercise. Meditate daily to calm and focus your mind. Test your limits with cold plunges, hot coal walks, or extreme exercise. Repeat affirmations like, “I am powerful,” or, “I will not give up on my dreams.” Overcome each setback that
Life throws at you and keep striving until you eventually achieve your dreams. Self-help authors claim there’s a simple road to happiness. But a major problem that self-help faces is a lack of scientific rigor. Perhaps science provides us a better way to be happy. This leads us to path two, positive psychology. Researchers recruited 577 participants and divided them randomly into groups. The placebo group was simply asked to write about early memories. Other groups were asked to take specific actions. For example,
People in the gratitude visit group were given one week to write and then deliver a letter of gratitude to a person who had been especially kind to them but had never been properly thanked. Another group was asked to write three things that went well each day as well as what caused those things to go well for a total of one week. And yet another group was asked to write about a time when they were at their best and then reflect
On the personal strengths displayed in that story. The results, those who were asked to write about a time when they’re at their best were no happier than the control group. But those who did a gratitude visit or wrote about three things that went well each day sought positive happiness boosts beyond the control group for at least one month. This study suggests that science may be able to discover what we need to do to be happy. In theory, all we have to do
Is look at studies like this one and then adopt what works. So, what does becoming happier look like? According to studies in positive psychology, it simply involves incorporating practices like the following into your life. Engage in acts of kindness whenever you can. They don’t just make the receiver happier, they make the giver happier, too. Understand your character strengths and then commit to putting them into action. Practice gratitude every day. Sonia Leo Burski, a leading positive psychologist, describes the importance
Of gratitude this way. Gratitude is an antidote to negative emotions, a neutralizer of envy, hostility, worry, and irritation. It is savoring. It is not taking things for granted. It is presentoriented. But what if positive psychology is missing the point? Maybe sustained happiness comes about not by applying simple scientifically studied interventions but by adopting the right attitude. That’s where our next path comes in. Path three, stoicism. This is an ancient Greek philosophy that aims to teach us how to live a good life. From
The point of view of stoicism, everything in life is either controllable or not controllable. If it’s not controllable, worrying about it is useless. Doing so just creates unnecessary suffering. If on the other hand, it is controllable then you simply need to take actions to control it. As the famous stoic Epictitus said, “Suffering arises from trying to control what is uncontrollable or from neglecting what is within our power.” Epictitus who was born a slave and eventually after being freed faced exile
Was known to apply these ideas even in extreme circumstances. For instance, he said, “I must die. I must be imprisoned. I must suffer exile. But must I die groaning? Must I whine as well? Can anyone hinder me from going into exile with a smile?” The master threatens to chain me. What say you chain me? My leg you will chain? Yes, but not my will. Stoicism tells you to appreciate that everything is temporary. Focus only on what you can control and practice calm
In every storm. But there’s another philosophy originating in ancient times that provides an alternative perspective on the nature of suffering. This brings us to path four, Buddhism. According to some interpretations, Buddha made a shocking claim. He said that all suffering is created by our craving and our aversion. If we crave nothing, we don’t suffer from any lack. And if there’s nothing we’re averse to, then we don’t suffer from what happens to us. So if we neither suffer from what we lack
Nor what happens to us, then we don’t suffer at all. Therefore, freedom from suffering comes from freeing oursel from craving and aversion. But how is it possible to do this? Well, by learning to control our attention through the practice of meditation. Buddha said we can use meditation to cultivate our attention and then uses attention to gain insight or as it’s sometimes put concentration first, deep insight next, freedom at the end. The Buddha describes the process of mastering our attention
Like this. As the Fletcher wittleles and makes straight his arrows, so the master directs his straying thoughts. But could it be that Buddha made things more esoteric than they needed to be? Maybe happiness is simple. Which brings us to the next path. Path five, common sense. Perhaps James Madison was right when he quipped, “Philosophy is just common sense with big words.” So, what do you need to do to be happy? Just do the obvious things. Sleep 8 hours, eat
Healthy food, exercise regularly, spend time outdoors, find a job you like, and earn enough money to get by. Make friends, go on dates till you fall in love, and get a dog or a cat. Maybe we’re over complicating everything. Maybe happiness is simple. Or it could be that society figured out what happiness is only to begin to forget it. Maybe modern common sense isn’t what we need. This brings us to path six, the traditional path. Is it possible that
Modern ideas have made happiness harder, not easier? Maybe the traditional path is traditional because it actually works. What then is the happy life? It’s working hard and earning an honest living, getting married, raising children, and watching them grow. being part of a community, practicing your family’s religion or spiritual practices, and living a stable, simple, balanced life that your grandparents and even your great-grandparents would be proud of. Edund Burke warned, “The great error of our nature is not knowing where
To stop. Not to be satisfied with any reasonable acquirement, but to lose all we have gained by an insatiable pursuit after more.” The key question here is whether the traditional life is right for you. This leads us to the next path, seven. introspection. Maybe the path to happiness is unique to the individual. So to be happy, we first must understand ourselves. Use therapy, journaling, perhaps even psychedelics to explore your own mind, understand your trauma, and unlock your values. Doing so
Will finally enable you to live authentically. Carl Young noted, “Your visions will become clear only when you can look into your own heart, who looks outside dreams, who looks inside awakes.” Perhaps self-nowledge is the road to well-being. Or maybe the path is the same for everyone. Maybe we just need to pursue happiness directly. This leads us to our next path. Path eight, hedonism. Hedenism reminds us that we just have one life to live. This is our
Only opportunity. So why not squeeze out every drop of pleasure? Forget about high-minded ideals. Just get as much joy as you can as fast as you can. Bobby McFaren sings, “Don’t worry, be happy. Just do what makes you feel good.” Whether that’s dancing, traveling, having sex, or fine cuisine. Ignore the people who try to bog you down with obligations or who bring down your mood. Just have fun now while you still can. Maybe happiness is a paradox. Attain not
By trying to seek it for yourself, but by trying to seek it for others. This leads us to our next path. Path nine, altruism. Serving others may be the best way to give life true meaning, which is the kind of happiness that really counts. Nelson Henderson suggested, “The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit. Give money to those who need it. Volunteer. Choose a career that has an
Impact. Be there for your friends and family whenever they need help. Make meaning by making impact.” But some think that the algorism path goes too far. Maybe the solution is not to focus exclusively on others, but to see ourselves as part of a larger whole. This leads us to the 10th and final path. Path 10, community and relationships. What if happiness is a team sport? Miam Cabba argues everything worthwhile is done with others. Maybe the only way humans can be truly deeply
Happy is through our social connections. Happiness then comes from investing in friendship, getting to know your neighbors, bonding with your family, becoming part of a community, and doing projects with others. We’ve covered a lot. So now, thinking back, which path to happiness do you think is most likely to work for you? Is it the self-help ethos, positive psychology, stoicism, Buddhism, common sense, the traditional path, introspection, hedonism, altruism, or community and relationships. Let me know in the comments what you think.
I’ve also curated for you a set of links to help you explore these different paths. You can find them in the description box below. If you enjoyed this video, I’d love it if you’d subscribe. You can also learn more about each of these paths in our in-depth article at clearerthinking.org.