A while back, I posted “Exercising on the Hedonic Treadmill” (October 3, 2018). I wrote that the hedonic treadmill “is essentially our happiness setpoint. It is the theory that our happiness is relatively stable—that life changes (positive or negative) have only short-term effects on one’s happiness. In short, our pursuit of happiness is like walking or running on a treadmill.”
In preparation for an upcoming The Aging Well Podcast episode, I asked ChatGPT about happiness and learned that happiness can be categorized into two types: hedonic happiness and eudaimonic happiness. Hedonic Happiness is associated with the pursuit of pleasure, enjoyment, and the absence of pain or discomfort. It focuses on maximizing positive emotions and minimizing negative emotions and can involve seeking immediate gratification and engaging in activities that bring pleasure and satisfaction. Eudaimonic happiness is derived from a sense of purpose, meaning, and self-realization. It involves living in alignment with one’s values, pursuing personal growth, and engaging in activities that provide a sense of fulfillment and contribute to the greater good. It goes beyond immediate pleasure and seeks a deeper sense of well-being and flourishing.
I later had a conversation with my wife and son about the philosophy of Stoicism. I then took a dive into the depths of philosophy (the shallow depths) to demonstrate to my wife that she is not truly Stoic because her ancestry is English, and she doesn’t show emotion. Indeed, Stoicism is often oversimplified as the suppression or denial of emotions. Rather, Stoicism emphasizes the mastery of one’s emotions—not emotional detachment or suppression of all emotions. The goal of Stoicism is to develop emotional resilience and inner tranquility through the practice of rationality and virtue. While Stoics recognize that emotions are natural, they believe that our judgements and interpretations of life-events, as opposed to the events themselves, are what impact our well-being. The more I look at Stoicism the more I see elements of “well-centered fitness” (i.e., the pursuit of balance in the Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, and Social dimensions of wellness).
Regarding happiness, Stoicism is not a perfect fit with hedonic or eudaimonic happiness. Unlike hedonic happiness, Stoicism places less emphasis on the seeking of external pleasures. Rather, it emphasizes the cultivation of inner virtues and emotional resilience. Happiness is found in acceptance of the natural ebb and flow of life and is not dependent on external circumstances. While Stoicism shares an emphasis on personal growth and moral virtue with eudaimonic happiness, it has a greater emphasis on the acceptance of fate and the impermanence of external circumstances. According the ChatGPT, “it suggests that true happiness can be achieved by aligning one’s actions and thoughts with reason and virtue, rather than seeking external validation or striving for external achievements.”
I maintain that happiness is subjective and that the threshold of happiness is an asymptote. I believe my wife is favors Stoicism (albeit not for the reasons she thinks) as do I. As such, I feel I favor a eudaimonic happiness over a hedonic happiness. Moreover, I favor a Stoic approach to happiness.
A Stoic is less detached from emotion and more in control of their emotions. The Stoic is pursuing Purpose and “well-centered fitness.” Stoics have a growth mindset. As such, exercising on the Stoic treadmill differs from exercise on the hedonic treadmill in that is addresses the “principle of progressive overload” in pursuit of the asymptote of happiness. It seeks the challenge of living beyond one’s hedonic setpoint. It highlights the importance of cultivating grattitude (i.e., an attitude of gratitude), the practice of mindfulness, nurturing other-centered relationships, and the engagement of meaningful activities the contribute to long-term satisfaction and Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, and Social well-being.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!