What is happiness?

Unsplash / Tim Mossholder

At the deepest levels, what motivates people? What are they looking for from their lives?

A 2022 paper by Shigehiro Oishi and Erin Westgate in Psychological Review argues that some people want a happy life, some want a meaningful life, while others want an interesting (or psychologically rich) life. This table details how the authors define those terms.

Of course, there is some overlap among these three states – people who have “happy” lives also frequently have “meaningful” lives, but those overlaps are not total and the feelings are distinct.

We can boost our perceptions of a psychologically rich life in ways big and small – anything from going to an escape room to living in a foreign country. However you achieve it, actions that change your perspective tend to lead toward a more psychologically rich life. People leading psychologically rich lives tend to be more curious and, in school, tend to be more focused on learning rather than grades.

Dr. Westgate discussed the research in more detail on Twitter, and Psychology Today asks whether single people may be more likely to choose a psychologically rich life than those who are married – the answer is unclear, but perhaps this kind of life appeals to people who are at least “single at heart.”