Caroline, I think your differentiation between short and long-term happiness is really useful, and compatible with the distinction Theo mentions between achievement and flow. After thinking about those distinctions, I’d like to refine my definition of happiness – feeling productive and purposeful is a necessary but not sufficient component of happiness for me. Before law school, I enjoyed (in the long-term, after the fact sense) the work that I did for a non-profit because I felt like I was spending my time accomplishing something meaningful – but I wasn’t happy during my time there, because my day-to-day work wasn’t always interesting, office politics were a pain, and the cluelessness of some of my coworkers was really frustrating. On the other hand, when I’m doing “fun” things, things that most people associate with happiness, I’m still not a happy person if I’m not, in the long- term, working towards something positive – I have this nagging feeling that I’m doing something wrong, that I’m leaving something out. So I guess short- term happiness, for me, means at least feeling like I’m working towards long-term happiness.

Does it always has to be a trade-off between the two? Theo’s analysis suggests that the two types of happiness are complementary. Caroline, I would agree that you won’t always be “happy” during the summer – but I do think there are things that one can do to work simultaneously towards long and short-term happiness. This is not to say that one should only pursue things that will meet both types of happiness – happiness is not the only value out there.

Ella, I think the difference between being content and being happy is really one of degree - for me, to be content is to be happy (in the way that I conceive of the terms). Of course, there is something beyond mere contentment – I was feeling more than content when I married, for example. But I’m not striving to replicate that feeling every day – I agree that to achieve that level of happiness every day is impossible, and I also think it would be undesirable.

-- MelissaMitgang - 25 Feb 2009