PSYCH 1101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 31: Bad Life, Eudaimonia
10 Nov 2017
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Document Summary
How do we define happiness: early definition: the presence of pleasure and lack of pain. True happiness is deeper than the bodily experience of pleasure: eudaimonia refers to human flourishing. Refers to a deep satisfaction with life. How is happiness measured: happiness is a subjective experience, happiness has both an emotional and a cognitive component. To measure the emotional component, people are asked how happy they are currently. To measure the cognitive component, people are asked how satisfied they are with their lives. People who have a positive emotional component tend to have a positive cognitive component as well and vice versa: happiness appears to be a u-curve throughout a person"s life. Happiness reaches a low around age 50. Happiness is highest during youth and old age: genuine smiles can be used as an indicator of happiness. The action of the eyes indicated whether or not a smile is genuine.
