I hate the word 'happiness' and after reading this, you will too.

Everyone is pursuing happiness but few define it with the clarity it deserves.
How can you pursue a goal you can't define?

Unclear goals create unclear outcomes.
Chasing one definition of happiness while expecting a different definition of happiness is a sad reality for many.

Without a clear understanding of the various definitions of happiness, you won't understand what people allude to when they talk about it.

Imagine joining a debate but you can't define any terms.
It would be a waste of time.
That's why it's so hard to have a conversation about happiness.
It would be better if everyone stopped using it and started using the definitions directly.

How you define happiness may be the most important decision of your life.

Definitions inform actions.
Actions have consequences.
Your happiness is directly influenced by the definition of happiness you use.

A sign of maturity is to know what to take seriously and what to take lightly.
This is one of those serious topics.
This is not armchair philosophy.
This is philosophy that impacts every second of your life.
It can determine whether you've lived a good life or a bad one.

This post is a lean dictionary of the definitions of happiness.
It's meant to be bookmarked, referenced, and returned to.

Experience as a Movie

Think of your life as a series of movies.
There's the movie itself and there's you, watching the movie.
You spend your life watching a series of movies until you exit the theater.

The movie is what you experience in life.
This moment.
What are you experiencing?
For most definitions, this is where happiness appears.

How you watch the movie is how you process your experiences.
For spiritual definitions, this is where happiness appears.

Every definition of happiness is tied to the concept of experience.
That's why the term 'happiness' carries so much weight.
Because it concerns the fabric of life itself.

Pleasure

If you define happiness by the contents of experience, you are chasing pleasure.
These definitions are materialistic.
You are saying "If I want to be happy, I should watch a better movie."

Emotional Pleasure

Happiness can be defined as emotional pleasure.

Emotional pleasure is produced by the mind instead of the body.
Excitement, relief, awe, belonging, confidence, the pleasure of learning, the pleasure of a challenge.
These can all fall under being happy.

If experience were a movie, this would be the general mood of the movie you are watching.

If happiness is the goal, then sadness is an obstacle.

Physical Pleasure

Happiness can be defined as positive sensations or physical pleasure.

Sources include nourishing food, warmth of a hug, and a good night of sleep.
It also includes junk food, pornography, and social media.

This definition is simple to understand and hard to balance.
Too little physical pleasure and life will seem colorless.
Too much physical pleasure and addiction to comfort will arise.

The Issue

Chasing pleasure means rearranging the world to suit your tastes.
After X, Y, and Z, then I can be happy.
Anyone who has tried to pursue constant pleasure knows that it is unattainable.
It's easier to put on shoes than to carpet the whole world.

Constant pleasure, both physical and emotional, is also a damaging goal.

Growth comes from discomfort.
Discomfort is painful.
To chase pleasure is to limit growth.

Happiness as the Watcher

If happiness can be defined by the experience, it can also be defined by how you process the experience.

Attention

The more attention you give to a movie, the higher its perceived resolution.
Same with experience.
Increased focus equals increased resolution.

Focus enough on the experience and this is called mindfulness.
Focus more and you will enter flow.

Flow is a performance-induced state.
It shuts down mental chatter and directs all your attention on the task at hand.
It's a hard state to enter but when you do, everything feels effortless.

It is worth pursuing but basing your happiness on flow is unsustainable.
Compared to flow, mindfulness is more predictable and attainable.

Being mindful regardless of the current experience increases the definition through which you see life.

This is the definition of happiness that some Buddhists use.
Happiness is being present.
Happiness is being in the moment.
Happiness is in the now.

If you're going to watch the movie either way, wouldn't you rather experience it in high resolution?

A low-resolution life is a life spent asleep.
A high-resolution life is a life spent awake.
Wake up.

Non-Suffering

Happiness can be defined as the absence of suffering.

This is a classic Buddhist definition and frankly, my favorite.
Desire is the root of suffering.
Remove desire to remove suffering.

Regardless of the contents or resolution of the movie, you don't suffer.
The movie may be physically and emotionally painful, and it may be low resolution but it doesn't have to affect you.
It's just a movie.
You don't let it disturb you.

This definition is the most practical.
It doesn't require you to change anything with your life.
It only requires that you understand the nature of desire.

History of Experiences

What if rather than basing your happiness on the current movie, you based it on all the movies you've ever watched?

Life Satisfaction

Happiness can be defined as life satisfaction.

You decide whether or not you are happy with your life in aggregate.
You are satisfied with how your overall movie marathon turned out.
All in all, life is good.

You might be satisfied with your life because you achieved that goal, you have a loving family, you survived that health crisis, and so on.

A man with high life satisfaction while deficient in other definitions would be an overachiever that rarely feels mental or physical pleasure, is always distracted, and is never at peace.
This person may have exceptional health, wealth, and relationships but still be an internal wreck.

To conquer the world but not yourself.
To have everything and feel nothing.

It's easy to become this person and that's a shame.
If you're the type of person that would read something like this, you are doubly susceptible to this type of situation.

What this means for you

Understand the definitions of happiness and choose the definition you want to pursue.
When someone else uses the term happiness, find out what definition they are using before engaging with them.

Better yet, ditch the term happiness and use the definitions directly: emotional pleasure, physical pleasure, mindfulness/ flow, non-suffering, and life satisfaction.

Focus on action instead of arguing what is the 'right' definition of happiness.
Be greedy and strategically acquire an optimal amount of each definition.

Start with understanding non-suffering as it influences how you perceive all other definitions.
Addiction to pleasure and mindfulness are real and damaging.

That being said, just try your best.

You'll figure it out.