Daisy Grewal’s recent article – “A Happy Life May Not Be a Meaningful Life” – is a good reminder of the difference between happiness and meaningfulness.
Happy
According to recent research, happiness “was strongly correlated with seeing life as easy, pleasant, and free from difficult or troubling events.” While money alone may not be enough to create happiness, “having enough money to buy what one needs in life, as well as what one desires, were also positively correlated with greater levels of happiness.”
Meaningful
While happier people are more likely to view their lives as meaningful, the two measures are far from identical. Happiness is focused on achieving one’s desired way at a given time while meaningfulness “seems to have more to do with giving, effort, and sacrifice.”
So What?
Based solely on this article and the research from which it draws, happiness appears to be about the self and to be far more fleeting and situationally oriented than meaningfulness. Meaningfulness, on the other hand, seems to be more directed to others or to the self within community and more abiding in nature than happiness.
- What does your religion contribute to your understanding of these two terms?
- Would you rather live a happy life or a meaningful one?