Applied Research Quality Life (2008) 3:315–317 DOI 10.1007/s11482-009-9059-9

Philosophy, Psychology, and Public Policy Aspects of Well-Being All Wrapped in One Book Designed to Ruffle Your Feathers M. Joseph Sirgy

Received: 8 February 2009 / Accepted: 7 April 2009 / Published online: 18 April 2009 # Springer Science + Business Media B.V./ The International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies (ISQOLS) 2009

Abstract This is a book review of Daniel M. Haybron’s book titled The Pursuit of Unhappiness: The Elusive Psychology of Well-Being, published by Oxford University Press, 2008. Keywords Well-being . Quality of life . The good life . Happiness . Eudomania Daniel M. Haybron, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Saint Louis University (USA), has written a book that demands the attention of QOL researchers. The title of the book is The Pursuit of Unhappiness: The Elusive Psychology of Well-Being (published by Oxford University 2008). Haybron challenges many of the traditional assumptions about human nature and the good life. What he proposes in return may not sit well with many QOL researchers and public policy makers. Let me explain. The backdrop of the book is a story that Haybron keeps referring to on and off throughout the book. It is a story that details the recent surge of economic development in a traditional fishing community. It is about the well-being of the people in that community, and how their well-being was significantly compromised with greater economic development. The community changed from a traditional fishing village to a tourism community, thus becoming part of the global marketplace of the ever evolving modern economic system. Haybron argues that this scenario typifies many other communities world wide. The transformation of traditional, close-knit communities to modern communities that provide too many choices and amenities to their residents does not serve the cause of well-being. Such transformations bring about “unhappiness,” therefore the title of the book: The Pursuit of Unhappiness.

M. J. Sirgy (*) Pamplin College of Business, Department of Marketing, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0236, USA e-mail: [email protected]

316

M.J. Sirgy

However, to appreciate the central thesis of the book, one has to trace Haybron’s logic. And he does a good job articulating the logic that led him to this sad conclusion, which of course may have profound implications for public policy. Let’s trace that logic. Haybron makes a distinction between his view of happiness and the Aristotelian view (eudaimonia). He treats happiness as “pleasure” and “tranquility.” He calls his view of happiness as an “emotional state theory of happiness,” to be contrasted with hedonistic and life satisfaction approaches. His emotional state theory of happiness equates “well-being” with “self-fulfillment.” He claims that QOL researchers, motivated by Aristotle’s notion of eudaimonia, reject this view of well-being. For those of you who are not familiar with eudaimonia, the concept equates well-being with virtue. In other words, people who are virtuous in character (e.g., generous, hospitable, courageous, temperate, prudent, compassionate, and just) are people who experience high levels of well-being. Martin Seligman’s theory of “authentic happiness” builds on this notion of eudaimonia by arguing that “authentic happiness” involves three elements: the pleasant life, the engaged life, and the meaningful life.1 With respect to the third element, Seligman posits that a meaningful life is essentially based on virtuous behavior. People who are virtuous in character are likely to experience high levels of well-being. Haybron rejects the “virtue” aspects of well-being. Instead, he focuses on the “self-fulfillment” (or “emotional fulfillment”) aspect. His idea of well-being or emotional fulfillment involves three major elements: (1) attunement, (2) engagement, and (2) endorsement. A person who is “attuned” is a person who has peace of mind, experiences tranquility, and is in his or her element. A non-attuned person experiences anxiety instead of tranquility. An attuned person has a high level of confidence; a non-attuned person is highly insecure. An attuned person is “uncompressed” (a person who lives a “compressed” life is caught up in the “rat race” - he or she leads a harried life feeling emotionally deflated). Haybron’s notions of “engagement” and “endorsement” remind me of Seligman’s concepts of the engaged life (engagement) and the pleasant life (endorsement). The author discusses engagement in terms of exuberance, vitality, and flow (Csikszentmihalyi’s concept). Endorsement refers to joy and cheerfulness. Thus, self-fulfillment (or wellbeing) is an emotional state comprised of high levels of attunement, engagement, and endorsement. He points out that our modern conception of well-being is based on an assumption that people know what is best to enhance their well-being and that the greater the freedom and choice people have in planning their life course the better off they are. He vehemently challenges this assumption and argues otherwise based on a good understanding of dual process psychology, situationism, and evolutionary psychology. The emergent picture of human nature challenges the “enlightenment” image of humanity. Thus, public policies and programs that encourage an “individualistic” pursuit of happiness are misguided. Instead, policies and programs should be based on a “contextualist” notion: human welfare depends less on individual choice and more on living in a close-knit community. 1

For those who may not be familiar with Martin Seligman, he is considered to be the founder of the positive psychology movement in psychology. The focus of this movement is to motivate clinical psychologists to incorporate QOL aspects in the study and treatment of psychopathology.

Philosophy, Psychology, and Public Policy Aspects of Well-Being

317

This book is likely to ruffle some feathers. Why? Perhaps many of us (QOL researchers) have based much of our work on the assumption of “personal authority” and “aptitude” (that the best way to enhance well-being is to enhance people’s abilities to create their own destinies by providing them with resources that gives them greater control of their lives). Economists, psychologists, sociologists, political scientists, and applied social scientists (e.g., management scientists and public policy specialists) adhere to this traditional and “positive” view of humanity. This is essentially the mainstream view. It is based on the philosophy of humanism and humanistic psychology. Haybron ruffles our feathers because he argues otherwise. He challenges this very fundamental assumption about humanity and well-being. So what does this mean to us? Well, it means that we could and ought to be more aware of our concealed assumptions about our view of humanity and well-being. But what can we do even if we recognize this assumption? Well, we can empirically test the personal authority/aptitude assumption in a variety of settings. Thus, one can challenge Haybron’s main thesis. But nevertheless, I feel that this is a moot point. The world is becoming a global marketplace, whether we like it or not. This is the reality we are dealing with. So advocating regression by adopting a lifestyle based on primitive and self-sufficient communities is not an option. We have to accept the reality of the global marketplace and deal with it the best way we can. We, as QOL researchers, have a job to do. We have to surge ahead and develop concepts, models, theories, and measures that create a better understanding of well-being given this reality. And yes, perhaps our work can bring an ounce or two of well-being to future generations.