Psychology and Philosophy of Happiness and Virtue

Happy Life vs. Good Life

Happy life = pleasure & comfort; good life = meaning & virtue.

Happiness Formula

H = S + C + V (Set point + Conditions + Voluntary activities).

Adaptation Principle / "Hedonic Treadmill"

We return to a baseline of happiness after changes.

Biological Set-Point

Each person has a stable happiness baseline partly determined by genetics.

Progress Principle

Joy often comes from making progress, not just reaching goals.

Affective Forecasting

Predicting how we'll feel in the future; we usually guess wrong.

Impact Bias

Overestimating the emotional effect of future events.

Natural vs. Synthetic Happiness

Natural = what we get from what we wanted; synthetic = what we create when we don't get it.

Divisions of the Mind

Mind vs. body; left vs. right brain; new vs. old brain; controlled vs. automatic systems.

Marshmallow Test

Study of delayed gratification; kids who waited tended to have better life outcomes.

Flow & Positive Psychology

Flow = full immersion in an activity; positive psychology = study of human flourishing.

Jonathan Haidt's Metaphor of the Mind

The mind is like an elephant (emotion) guided by a rider (reason).

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi & "Flow"

Deep focus when challenge and skill are balanced.

Martin Seligman & Pleasures vs. Gratifications

Pleasures are short-term; gratifications are meaningful and enduring.

Positive Psychology

Scientific study of strengths, happiness, and fulfillment.

Hedonic vs. Eudaimonic Well-being

Hedonic = pleasure-based; eudaimonic = virtue and meaning-based.

Benjamin Franklin's "Day-Planner"

Structured self-improvement system focused on daily virtues.

Well-Designed Life

A life built intentionally around values and experimentation.

Gravity Problems

Unchangeable facts or limits; can't be "solved," must be accepted.

Reframing

Changing perspective to find new possibilities.

The Five Mindsets

Curiosity, bias to action, reframing, awareness, and radical collaboration.

Socratic Method

Asking probing questions to uncover truth.

Allegory of the Cave

Moving from illusion (shadows) to enlightenment (truth).

Allegory of the Charioteer

Reason (charioteer) must guide spirit and appetite (horses).

Nicomachean Ethics

Aristotle's work on virtue and the good life.

Eudaimonia

Human flourishing; living in accordance with virtue.

The Function Argument

The good life fulfills the human function: rational activity in line with virtue.

Instrumental vs. Intrinsic Goods

Instrumental = means to an end; intrinsic = good in itself.

Virtue

Habitual excellence; a mean between extremes.

The Golden Mean

Virtue lies between deficiency and excess.

Sophia vs. Phronesis

Sophia: theoretical wisdom; Phronesis: practical wisdom.

Friendship (Utility, Pleasure, Virtue)

Lowest to highest forms; virtue-based friendship is best.

Correct & Deviant Forms of Government

Correct: monarchy, aristocracy, polity; Deviant: tyranny, oligarchy, democracy.

Analects

Sayings and teachings of Confucius.

Propriety (Li)

Ritual, manners, and proper conduct maintaining harmony.

The Golden Rule

"Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself."

Michael Puett's Rituals

Everyday rituals train moral character and empathy.

Epicurus: Tranquility

Happiness = peace of mind and absence of pain.

Types of Desires

Natural & Necessary: food, friendship. Natural but Not Necessary: luxury foods. Vain & Empty: wealth, fame.

Overcoming Fear

Understand nature; gods don't intervene, death is nothing to fear.

Lucretius: On the Nature of Things

Epicurean poem explaining atomism and dismissing superstition.

Buddha (ca. 500 BCE)

Taught the Middle Way and Four Noble Truths to end suffering.

Four Noble Truths

(1) Life is suffering, (2) cause is craving, (3) ending craving ends suffering, (4) follow Eightfold Path.

King Solomon / Ecclesiastes

Life is fleeting; wisdom and balance lead to peace.

Epictetus

Stoic philosopher: control what you can, accept what you can't.

Red Pill / Blue Pill

Choice between harsh truth (red) and comfortable illusion (blue).

Manosphere; Chads and Stacys

Online subculture on gender dynamics; often criticized for misogyny.