The G200 Opening Ceremony - Plenary Session: Perceiving Happiness Presentations
April 7, 2016
The G200 Opening Ceremony - Plenary Session: Perceiving Happiness Presentations
Professional psychologists and authors open the G200 youth forum’s main discussion topic of perceiving happiness in the Opening ceremony, drawing on their own research and giving a taste of what’s to come in the Forum workshops.
Continuing on from last year's G200 forum, and into this year's 2016 event, is the discussion topic of "perceiving happiness". Academics, students and business leaders will attempt to answer the question: what is happiness? How can we define such a vague term, one that evokes so many different connotations, and not only apply it to the individual, but to society as a whole? Moreover, what can businesses and governments do to ensure the happiness of their employees and citizens? And finally, what can we as individuals do to ensure our own personal happiness? It is these thought-provoking questions that five academics and professionals from all different backgrounds and career sectors have begun to tackle today, during the Summit's opening ceremony, and will continue to tackle throughout the week.
Dr Veet Ruunhoven kicked off the debate, asking us to consider how we can provide "greater happiness" for a greater number of people. A professor at Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands, Dr Ruunhoven specialises in social psychology, and leads a course on the social conditions of human happiness at the University. He is equally undertaking a research programme as a professor at North-West University in South Africa, and acts as Director to the "World Database of Happiness" and editor of the "Journal of Happiness studies". All in all, he's an expert in this field.
To begin, he discusses how the idea of happiness for a large number of people is often rejected as unrealistic, and even impossible. The human condition, many argue, prevents us from ever being fully satisfied. Many claim that we can’t get any happier than we are now – as even with the comfortable, convenience lifestyles most developed countries provide, lots of people are still unhappy. Equally, should "happiness" as a concept, an emotion, even be planned and promoted by governments and businesses at all? Although many of these ideas are relevant and can be considered, Dr Ruunhoven sustains that happiness can be furthered by improving the liveability of societies and strengthening life abilities of individuals. Society cannot ensure the happiness of individuals, but it can help people make informed and wise decisions which will in turn encourage personal growth and long-term satisfaction.
The next speaker, Chris Skellett, then continues the conversation with the idea that a fulfilling life requires balance between pleasure and achievement. A self-employed clinical psychologist and author, Skellett argues that a person not only needs regular pleasure in the moment but also purposeful goals and something to strive for. Most people lean towards one or the other: pleasure in the now: laughing and having fun, or personal development and achievement, working towards your personal goals. At any extreme of this spectrum you will encounter problems: depressive stagnation or stress. This spectrum, he explains, can also be applied to society. Some cultures love to celebrate their own identity colourfully, live happily, playfully and connected through a mutual joy. Other cultures are more focused on collective goals and achievements as a society, working together in a shared sense of purposeful direction. Skellett describes how we should aim to find a balance of pleasure and ambition, not only in our personal lives, but collectively.
The idea of individual vs group happiness is then led seamlessly on by Miriam Akhtar, a positive psychologist and one of the UK’s leading practitioners of the science. Number one expert to contribute to the World Book of Happiness (presented to world leaders by the EU President), she has also published a bestselling self help book and set up wellbeing programmes across England for substance-abusing young people. All actions that have blessed her with the title of "happiness champion" in her hometown of Bristol. Akhtar shifts the conversation on from happiness as a social aim to happiness as a personal state. She believes we need to change the perception we have of happiness – as something to be acquired from the outside – to the way we see things. We often think to be happy we need to gain things – success we achieve, money we earn, the things we buy, relationships we form or knowledge we gain. Yet Akhtar suggests how, to be happy, we need to want what we already have rather than strive for something new. She introduces two psychological terms to us: Hedonia and Eudaimonia. We often think of Hedonia when we think of happiness: short term moments of joy. Yet it is limited; and a deeper level of satisfaction can be found through Eudaimonia: acting in accordance with your life values and what you believe to be the meaning of life. Long term satisfaction rather than short term joy. Akhtar then finishes her piece explaining how the individual can "make a habit" out of happiness and contribute positively to their own mental health. The 21st century epidemic of depression should be healed by natural remedies and methods rather than solely tackled by therapy and medication.
Next to further the discussion was Ms. Nkandu Beltz, a social change-maker, philanthropist, speaker and author who has worked in the not-for-profit sector for over 15 years. She urges young leaders to strive for a balanced perception of the world, and distinguish happiness as gratifying hedonism (pleasure) from long term virtues. In a world that has become extremely materialistic, often we forget the second category. She emphasises the need for change and impact for young people in communities; as in even the most developed countries such as Australia, suicide rates and depression are some of the highest in the world. Working together to form meaningful, positive relationships instead of focusing on personal pleasure is a step towards a happier and less lonely society.
The final speaker, Bridget Glenville-Cleave then took to the stage to further the discussion, considering different "types" of happiness. Now Director of "Workmad", Glenville graduated in psychology, has written three books on the subject, and founded several psychology organisations. Happiness, she explains, can be understood at three different levels: - the subjective level, the individual level, and the group level. Since the Positive Psychology movement was founded in the USA in 1998, the emphasis in the developed world has been on the first two; thus, what makes the individual person happy. And perhaps we should focus more on our own personal happiness. Glenville explains how research has shown that economic wealth does not greatly alter happiness levels. Increase in income, above a relatively low level, does not greatly affect well-being. Therefore the traditional method of judging a nation's happiness and progress on their economic status, for example through their GDP, is inefficient. As a result many governments are adopting the view that happiness emphasised as the way we think and feel about our lives is more relevant. Adapting public policy to this idea will render it more meaningful, and in turn, society will be a better place. However Glenville affirms that "happiness" led policy can only do so much for individuals and that it begins with our contribution: well-being must be bottom-up as well as top-down.
The session ended with a Q&A session with students who posed challenging and stimulating questions to the panelists. The happiness discussions will continue throughout the week with several speakers holding workshops for participants based on their specific research and expertise.
