Which road leads to a fuller, more satisfying life — the road through pleasure, engagement or meaning?
Philosophers have grappled with this question since Ancient Roman times, but recently researchers wanted to explore the question for a more practical reason — perhaps a more definitive answer could clinically help people who experience unhappiness.
The results of one study may have muddied the picture instead of clearing it up. Researchers concluded that all of these paths can lead to life satisfaction and no one single path necessarily holds greater weight than the others.
How can this be? How can hedonism hold equal promise compared to a life full of meaning or engagement? Perhaps we don’t want to believe it. Life with meaning or engagement is certainly a life worth living. Purpose drives us. It drives us to act positively, both towards ourselves and others. But what if just pursuing pleasure for pleasure sake (assuming the behavior’s ethical) can generate just as much satisfaction for some? Does that negate the other two?
No. It means life runs through many roads. The key is finding yours.
Source: Orientations to Happiness and Life Satisfaction: The Full Life Versus the Empty Life by Christopher Peterson, Nansook Park and Martin E.P. Seligman
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