The phrase “Money can’t buy happiness” needs to be retired, according to marketing expert Michael Norton. In its place, he suggested, “If you think money can’t buy happiness, you’re not spending it right.”
Guest column by Paula Kerger. Kerger will give Friday’s Morning Lecture in the Amphitheater at 10:45 a.m.
The topic of happiness seems to be on everyone’s mind these days. From the recent cover of Time magazine to the highest levels of government, across the country and around the world, this topic has become increasingly important. What does it mean to be happy? How does the happiness of individuals contribute to robust communities? How can we build public policy that supports the attainment of happiness? What may seem like an unusual focus, given these difficult economic times, actually is a very basic human need, and is at the root of the inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness outlined by our nation’s founders.
Vasudha Narayanan believes happiness is multidimensional. It can connect with joy or comfort. It can derive from wealth or power. It can grow from self-esteem or an acceptance of one’s place in reality.
Narayanan’s 2 p.m. Interfaith Lecture today in the Hall of Philosophy will discuss various Hindu perspectives on reaching a balance between the various paths to happiness.
A marriage can cause an increase in happiness equal to a quadrupling salary. Making a good friend is equal to tripling a salary. Belonging to a club can cause an increase in happiness equivalent to doubling a salary. And going on picnics three times a year is the same as receiving a 10 percent raise.
“By now, the strongest predictors of happiness by far are our social relationships,” said Robert Putnam, professor of public policy at Harvard University. “Money alone can buy you happiness, but not much.”
When Rabbi Rami Shapiro received the call to give a lecture on happiness in Judaism, the request took him by surprise. Those aren’t words he typically associates.
“Happiness just isn’t our prime concern,” said Shapiro, adjunct professor of religion and global studies at Middle Tennessee State University.
The prominent figures of Athenian society — Socrates, Aristotle, Plato — are widely considered to be the forerunners of American democracy. But according to Hunter Rawlings, classicist and president of the Association of the American Universities, these giants of history had little influence on Thomas Jefferson and the writing of the Declaration of Independence — and thus little influence on the democracy Americans enjoy today.
Rawlings’ 10:45 a.m. morning lecture in the Amphitheater was preceded by a performance by Bill Barker, a Thomas Jefferson interpreter dressed in full 18th-century regalia, complete with a tri-corner hat.
What do people need to do to become more aware and compassionate? Well, rolling out of bed and heading to the Main Gate Welcome Center for a meditation session would be a good start.
A true poem about love, Todd Davis believes, should not include the word “love.” Similarly, a poem that embodies happiness should not include the word “happiness.”
The question of what makes us happy, says Derek Bok, is just about as old as the human race — but we may not be much closer to understanding it now than we were in the Stone Age.
Dr. Bok and his wife, Dr. Sissela Bok, will speak with Roger Rosenblatt at 10:45 a.m. today in the Amphitheater. Last year, the Boks published books in tandem about the definition and pursuit of happiness.
Sissela, a philosopher, ethicist and senior visiting fellow at the Harvard Center for Population Studies, wrote Exploring Happiness: From Aristotle to Brain Science. Her book is an expansive and lucid overview of the many disciplines that study happiness, including philosophy, psychology, theology and economics, and also personal narratives.
The Chautauquan Daily 