the meanings of ‘happiness’ and what they mean for policymaking

The Meanings of ‘Happiness’ and What They Mean for

Policymaking

Dan Weijers20 October 2011

Well-Being

• What makes someone's life go better/best for them?

The prudentially good life

The life that is good for the one living it

Well-being

Happiness ≠ well-being?

• Some accounts just use happiness– Some don’t use it at all

• Key Questions: – What are the ultimate bearers of

prudential value for us?– What directly makes our lives go better

for us?

Policy-making ↑ Well-being

(WB)Fairness

Sustainability

Equality

Subjective WB Objective WB

Overall Domain-Specific

Mental state/

hedonism

Life Satisfaction

theories

Objective List/

Flourishing

Quality of Life Indicators

Traditional Economic Indicators

Health/ healthcareFreedom

TrustSafety

Environ-ment

EducationEquality

Production

IncomeEmploy-

ment

Justice

Wealth• Survey• Pager• Day

reco-nstruction

• Survey• “All things

considered, how satisfied are you with your life?”

• Survey• Rate

agreement “I have good friends”

HAPPINESS

Happiness

Brain scan

Behav-ioural

Mental State Theories

• Folk: get pleasure now!• Philosophers: maximise pleasure over your entire

life• Key: All that matters is how you feel (your mental

states)

Well-being Happiness +ve net balance of good over bad mental states

Especially hedonism

What about Truth & Freedom?• Compare two lives

– Same experiences– Different reality

• Double agent partner• Sponsored children all died

• Whose life is better?

• What should we do about a happy slave?

Measuring Mental State Happiness

• Survey Questions– “How happy are you these days?”

• Pager method– “What are you doing now and how are

you feeling?”• Day reconstruction method

– Note down activities and mood from previous day

Life Satisfaction Theories

• Based on desire/preference-satisfaction• Informed: adequately informed desires only• Ideal: desires that fit some objective criteria only • Key: All that matters is getting what you want

Well-beingHappinessHaving most or more of your desires satisfied

Sometimes

Is the Satisfaction of Our Desires Good for us?

• Actual and informed desires are often for things that are, on balance, bad for us!

• Ideal desires require some kind of objective standard

• We choose to desire things because we think that their satisfaction will provide us with some value or meaning

• D-S accounts put the value in the satisfaction, not the ultimate reason for having the desire

Measuring Life Satisfaction Happiness

• Survey Questions:– “All things considered, how satisfied are you

with your life as a whole?”– “Compared to what it could have been, how

satisfied are you with your life?”

Flourishing Theories

• Developing excellencies in one or all of your species’ fundamental traits

• Only some versions include or require happiness/enjoyment of life

• Aristotle: Flourishing is the soul expressing virtue– Virtues are ‘golden means’

• E.g. cowardice – courage - rashness• Key: All that matters is being the best

you can be (given that you’re a human)

Well-being Flourishing Developing & expressing natural capacities

Flourishing = Objective List• But, which traits do you prioritise?

– Is excellence in reasoning or long-distance running better for us?

• Unnatural things can be good for us too!– E.g. Pacemakers, wings etc.

• We end up with a list of things that are good for us

Objective List = ‘Objective’ List

• A list of the ultimate goods• Most objective list theories lack justification

for their irreducible goods • E.g. Ross’ account:

– Knowledge, Pleasure, Virtue and the proper apportionment of pleasure to virtue

• Can’t we explain knowledge with pleasure or desire-satisfaction?

• Why is it ultimately better for me that my pleasure comes from virtue?

Who Are We to Write the Objective List?

• Is there any objective truth to what constitutes the prudential good life?

Measuring Objective List/Flourishing Well-Being

• Survey Questions:– “Rate the extent to which you agree with the

following statements”• I maintain many good friendships• My life is meaningful• I am a virtuous person• I am rarely deceived• I am very knowledgeable• I am free to act as I please (when not harming others)• I live in a pristine environment


(WB)Fairness

Sustainability

Equality



Mental state/

hedonism

Life Satisfaction

theories

Objective List/

Flourishing




TrustSafety

Environ-ment

EducationEquality

Production

IncomeEmploy-

ment

Justice


reco-nstruction



• Survey• Rate


HAPPINESS

Happiness

Brain scan

Behav-ioural

SWB Survey Problems• Appraisal biases

– Test-specific– Greater context

• Aspirational biases

Conceptual Problem

• It’s so subjective!

• Is there an objective basis for happiness?

• Brain scans• Behavioural

analysis (e.g. smiles)

Case: Income vs. Happiness• Measures of income:

– Used by economists & politicians– Key indicator of ‘national progress’

• Income is an indicator of ability to satisfy preferences

• More income is good because it makes you more free and more happy

Does $$ Make Us Happy?

Materialism Doesn’t Pay

Very High

Why Not Measure Happiness & Freedom?

• But which measures to use?• Which measures capture the most of

the prudential good life?• Is it more important to be happy or

satisfied?• In a capitalist democracy, we might

have to put these things to a vote or let the market decide…


(WB)Fairness

Sustainability

Equality



Mental state/

hedonism

Life Satisfaction

theories

Objective List/

Flourishing




TrustSafety

Environ-ment

EducationEquality

Production

IncomeEmploy-

ment

Justice


reco-nstruction



• Survey• Rate


HAPPINESS

Happiness

Brain scan

Behav-ioural

the meanings of ‘happiness’ and what they mean for policymaking

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