Perspectives in Psychiatric Care Vol. 42, No. 1, February, 2006 1

Blackwell Publishing IncMalden, USAPPCPerspectives in Psychiatric Care0031-5990© Blackwell Publishing 2006January–March 2006421

EDITORIAL

Editorial

The Science of Happiness

Aristotle observed 2,300 years ago that more than any-thing men and women seek happiness. The pursuit ofhappiness is as old as the human race but the existence ofrigorous, scientific research on who is happy and whatmakes them happy is relatively new. The decade of thebrain has opened the door to examining the biology ofjoy and happiness as well as that of depression and anxiety.Can research give us answers to age-old questions aboutestablishing and maintaining a high level of well-being?If so, what is the evidence that research has produced?And more importantly, how can we use the informationto better serve our clients?

Richard Davidson, known by colleagues as the king ofhappiness research, has been studying the link betweenprefrontal lobe activity and the sort of deep bliss thatpeople who meditate experience. According to Davidson(2001), happiness isn’t just a vague, ineffable feeling;it’s a physical state of the brain—one that you can inducedeliberately. As researchers have gained an understandingof the physical characteristics of a happy brain, they havecome to see that those traits have a powerful influenceon the rest of the body. Numerous studies (Kubzansky,Sparrow, Vokonas, & Kawachi, 2001) have discoveredthat happiness or related mental states like hopefulness,optimism, and contentment appear to reduce the risk orlimit the severity of cardiovascular disease, pulmonarydisease, diabetes, hypertension, colds, and upper respira-tory infections as well.

More than 1,000 scholarly articles were published inacademic journals between 2000 and 2002 on the relation-ship between religion and mental health (Wallis, 2005).Such studies indicate that religious people are less anxious,less depressed, and less suicidal and are better able tocope with a crisis. Religious faith seems to genuinely liftthe spirit, although it is tough to tell whether it is the Godpart or the community aspect that does the heavy lifting.Diener and Seligman’s research (2002) found strong tiesto family and friends produced the highest levels ofhappiness. That seems to be the most fundamental find-ing from the science of happiness. “Almost every personfeels happier when they’re with other people,” observesMihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1991, p. 32), a Hungarian-bornpsychologist who has spent 25 years examining connec-tions between satisfaction and daily activities. This suggests

that helping patients develop close interpersonal ties andsocial skills would be beneficial to raise the happinessquotient.

According to scientifically valid, large-scale studiesconducted by Csikszentmihalyi (1991), losing yourself ina favorite pursuit can increase your state of mentalhealth. He studied this experience called “flow,” a happystate of mind that happens when a person is completelyengaged in a creative activity, and found that it canproduce a high level of happiness. A flow state ensueswhen one is engaged in self-controlled, goal-related,meaningful actions. Data regarding flow were collectedon thousands of individuals, from mountain climbers tochess players. This thoroughly researched study is anintriguing look at the age-old problem of the pursuit ofhappiness and how, through conscious effort, we maymore easily attain it. Csikszentmihalyi’s research opensa door to a new way of thinking about living and aboutpsychology. It describes how different people createdmeaning in life with full intention and focus and therebyachieved satisfaction and an ongoing sense of fulfillment.

Martin Seligman (1990), known for his ground-breakingtheory of learned helplessness, found that the depth ofengagement (involvement with one’s family, work,romance, and hobbies) and meaning (using personalstrengths to serve some larger end) are much moreimportant for a happy, satisfied life than the pursuit ofpleasure. Seligman has been actively advocating for thefield of psychology to expand its myopic focus on treat-ing mental illness to include promoting mental health.“Psychology is not just the study of weakness and damage,it is also the study of strength and virtue. Treatment isnot just fixing what is broken, it is nurturing what is bestwithin ourselves” (Hirtz, 1999, p. 22), was the tone of hiskeynote speech at the 1998 APA conference. PositivePsychology, developed by Seligman in 1996, is an organizedmovement that draws on the work of many, includingAristotle and William James. It is different from earlierpositive-thinking theories because it is built on empiricalevidence gathered through rigorous research. PositivePsychology focuses on cultivating personality strengthsand honing an optimistic approach to life rather than oncataloging human frailty and disease. Seligman (1990)maintains that the way to find more happiness is to first

2 Perspectives in Psychiatric Care Vol. 42, No. 1, February, 2006

recognize our natural skills, what he calls “signaturestrengths.” As opposed to innate gifts, such as physicalbeauty or athletic abilities, the strengths are moral qualitiesvalued in almost all cultures and can be cultivated. Culti-vating qualities such as valor, originality, perseverance,authenticity, or intimacy can help an individual buffer themind against the inevitable things that will go wrong.

According to Positive Psychology advocates, there is aneed to differentiate between psychopathology (mentalillness), no pathology (mental health), and strengthsabove and beyond no pathology (positive psychology).Mental health is oftentimes seen as a lack of pathology,which is a neutral position as opposed to a positive positiondenoting the addition of qualities that can serve as bufferswhen the person is compromised with a disorder, stress,or temporary maladjustment. For instance, a person whois physically fit and in shape is apt to withstand an emer-gency surgical procedure better than someone who is not,even though both may not have been previously sick.The fit person has something extra going for him or herto withstand the assault of surgery. Positive Psychologyasks different questions such as “how can we move in thepositive direction so that an individual is ‘fit’ rather thanjust not sick?” There is an interest in cure and preventionbut Positive Psychology adds the component of cultivationof strengths to make life even better.

Peterson and Seligman (2004) wrote a book similar tothe DSM, called

Character Strengths and Virtues, Handbookand Classification

. The book attempts to give a theoreticalaccount of its definitions based on empirical research. Theauthors have created a classification and measurementof universal strengths that empowers because it gives alanguage for qualities that may not be recognized andgiven feedback on. The book presents a credible structureof six key virtues that are made up of a total of 24 sub-components they call “strengths” that have been recog-nized across a span of 2,500 years and in many cultures.Peterson and Seligman tie this into youth developmentresearch, the history of philosophy, evolutionary psychol-ogy, and an analysis of the rise and fall and rise again ofthe concept of “character” in psychology.

So how can we, as advanced practice psychiatric nurses,benefit from the Science of Happiness, Flow, PositivePsychology, and the latest findings on human satisfaction

and fulfillment? Psychiatry and psychiatric nursing hasmostly concerned itself with the disorders of the mindand emotions. Although nursing has always been holisticin theory, the task of treating the mentally ill can be all-consuming. The idea of helping someone achieve a highlevel of happiness has not been a priority when achievingand maintaining stabilization is a full-time job. However,if people are less depressed and less anxious when they arehappy as some research has discovered, then it behoovesus to look at what activities make people feel fulfilled andmeaningfully happy. Mental health should be more thanthe absence of mental illness. It should be something thatnourishes the human mind and spirit. Positive Psychologyis a complex phenomenon and its framework can give ahome for qualities and characteristics in many disciplines,including nursing. We can learn from each other and inte-grate the recent research on happiness, natural strengths,and qualities into our advanced practice. Focusing onmental health and amplifying strengths could make asignificant difference in our outcomes with patients and ourown satisfaction with the work we do.

Mary Paquette, PhD, APRN, BC

mary@artwindows.com

References

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1991).

Flow: The psychology of optimal experi-ence

. San Francisco, CA: Harper Perennial.Davidson, R. (2001).

Visions of compassion: Western scientist andTibetan Buddhists examine human nature.

Oxford, UK: OxfordUniversity Press.

Diener, E., & Seligman, M. (2002). Very happy people.

PsychologicalScience

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, 80–83.Hirtz, R. (1999). Martin Seligman’s journey from learned helplessness

to learned happiness.

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Kubzansky, L.D., Sparrow, D., Vokonas, P., & Kawachi, I. (2001).Is the glass half empty or half full? A prospective study ofoptimism and coronary heart disease in the normative agingstudy.

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, 910–916.Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. (2004).

Character strengths and virtues,handbook and classification.

Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.Seligman, M. (1990).

Learned optimism: How to change your mind andyour life.

New York, NY: Vintage Books.Seligman, M. (2004).

Authentic happiness: Using the new positive psychologyto realize your potential for lasting fulfillment.

Old Tappen, NJ: Free Press.Wallis, C. (2005, January 17). The new science of happiness.

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