KarunaNews Story

The Positive Psychology movement is acknowledging that the ways we think about happiness are mainly based on Western ideas and that this limits our understanding of what it means to live well and be well. Some new ideas are emerging that help open our aperture on well-being. It has traditionally been thought that a good life is made either by experiencing happiness or meaning; one of the emerging ideas is that a good life might also be one defined by psychological richness. This concept gets at a life of curiosity, adventure, novelty and variety, exploration and openness. Another new idea is that feelings of calm, balance and harmony may be equally enjoyable to feelings of excitement, enthusiasm and elation. The third new idea is that being connected to one’s cultural heritage is a strong pathway to well-being. All these insights remind is that there isn’t one well-defined pathway to a good and happy life, and that we can learn a lot if we’re open and curious enough to explore other paths.