Historical Roots of Well-Being

Hedonism

Pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain (short-lived if unmoderated).

Divine Command Theory (Early Hebrews)

Happiness found by living in accordance with a Supreme Being’s rules

Greeks (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle)

Reason and logic as paths to truth and virtue.

Aristotle & Eudaimonia

True enduring joy and flourishing through a life of character and virtue (finding the "golden mean" between extremes).

Epicureans & Stoics

Simple pleasures/withdrawal vs. duty and acceptance of fate.

Christianity & Middle Ages

Focus on love/compassion, cardinal/theological virtues, and spiritual vs. carnal conflict.

Renaissance & Enlightenment

Humanism, individualism, science (empiricism and mechanism), and utilitarianism (Jeremy Bentham & John Stuart Mill - “Better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied”).

Romanticism & 20th Century

Focus on authentic emotional expression, childhood wonder, William James, psychoanalysis, humanistic psychology, and systems theory.