What role should education play in creating happiness? A keynote presentation given by Patrick Blessinger at the 2013 Felicitology Conference in Khabarovsk, Russia

1. Keynote address:
What role should education play in creating happiness?
Patrick Blessinger, Executive Director
International Higher Education Teaching and Learning Association

2.  A fundamental drive in humans.
 The search for happiness (in addition to other
qualities like meaning, wisdom, and virtue) is
embedded in our cultures, our myths, our
folk tales, our legends, our religious
doctrines, and in our histories.
 Yet, at the same time, happiness seems to be
elusive and indefinable in a concrete way.
 Those like Aristotle and Epicurus viewed
human happiness as the highest goal.

3.  Aristotle believed happiness to the ultimate
end and main purpose of life.
 In the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle says that
happiness is not solely an emotional state but
rather a life well lived.
 According to Aristotle, happiness depends on
the exercise of reason and on living a good life
through the cultivation of virtue
(e.g., courage, generosity, justice, friendship, ci
tizenship).
 Virtue is achieved by maintaining a balance
between excess and deficiency.

4.  Epicurus believed that pleasure is the greatest
good and that the best way attain pleasure is
to 1) live modestly, 2) understand how the
world works, and 3) understand the limits of
our own desires.
 He believed that attaining these conditions
will lead to a state of tranquility and a state of
absence of pain.
 He believed these two states constitutes
happiness in its highest form.

5.  Schopenhauer believed that the main
driving force in humans is the will to live.
 Nietzsche believed that the main driving
force in humans is the will to power.
 Freud believed that the main driving force
in humans is the will to pleasure.
 James believed the pursuit of happiness was
the underlying drive for all that people do.
 Frankl believed that the main driving force
in humans is the will to meaning.

6.  Olga Kovbasyuk
and Patrick
Blessinger explore
why meaning
making is
important in
education:
Meaning-Centered
Education:
International
Perspectives and
Explorations in
Higher Education
(in
press, Routledge, 2
013).

7.  Philosophers and theologians tend to view happiness in
terms of living a virtuous life rather than an emotional
state.
 Psychologists, economists, and social scientists tend to
view happiness as a mental state (e.g, satisfaction)
of well-being characterized by positive emotions.
 For instance, positive psychology, uses the scientific
method to answer questions about the meaning of
happiness and how to attain it.
 For instance, happiness economists believe that
subjective measures (self-reported) of public happiness
should be used in addition to traditional economic
measures (objective) when evaluating public policy.

8.  Heredity, culture, and luck also play a role in
how people experience happiness and to
what degree.
 Although a lot of research and papers have
been written on the general topic of
happiness, relatively little academic research
has been done on happiness in education.
 World Database of Happiness - register of
scientific research on subjective appreciation
of life . http://www1.eur.nl/fsw/happiness/

9.  In recent history, increasing focus is being
placed on happiness as one of the most
sought after human qualities, both on a
global level, a national level, a community
level, a group level, and an individual level.
 For instance, beginning in 1972, the nation of
Bhutan replaced Gross National Product with
Gross National Happiness as their main
measure of progress.

10.  What are the relevant lenses through which we should
view such a happiness philosophy:
◦ epistemologically (how we know, empirically-sensing
vs. rationally-intuiting),
◦ ontologically (what is reality, objectively and
subjectively),
◦ phenomenologically (how we experience
reality, individually and relationally),
◦ axiologically (how we value, intrinsically and
extrinsically)
 How can the phenomenon of happiness be understood
in relation to the core learning domains
(e.g., affective, behavioral, cognitive) to develop happy
learners?

11.  Philosophy vs Theory vs Practice
 Science vs Art
 Behavioral vs Cognitive Psychology
 A process oriented paradigm
◦ Focus is on observable processes: teacher personality, teacher
behavior, teacher-student interactions, and teaching methods.
 A product oriented paradigm
◦ Focus is on quantifiable outcomes: teacher effects, teacher
productivity, and student learning outcomes and achievement.
 A context oriented paradigm
◦ Focus is on understanding the context of the educational setting:
language, culture, meaning making, personally meaningful
experiences, and humanistic understanding of teaching and
learning.

12.  Diener Suh, and Oishi (1997, P. 25) define happiness
as a state of well-being where a person
“,,.experiences life satisfaction and frequent joy, and
only infrequently experiences unpleasant emotions
such as sadness or anger.”
 It helps provide the energy needed to live fully and it
helps us better deal with adversities in life.
 James (1902) discussed many ways people experience
happiness - believed that the pursuit of happiness
was the underlying drive for all that people do.
 What is a useful theory(s) of happiness as it relates to
teaching and learning that helps frame our
understanding of happiness in educational contexts?

13.  Most modern empirical research on happiness is
based on self-assessment surveys where
individuals state their level of happiness in life.
 For example:
◦ The Satisfaction with Life Index is a global cognitive
assessment of life satisfaction. It is an attempt to show
the average self-reported happiness in different nations.
◦ Happy Life Years, a concept by Ruut
Veenhoven, combines self-reported happiness with life
expectancy.
◦ The Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS) is a four-item
scale, measuring global subjective happiness.

14.  Researchers have identified several factors
that help produce lasting and significant
happiness:
◦ marriage,
◦ perceived health,
◦ religious practice,
◦ volunteerism,
◦ employment,
◦ quality of government, and
◦ social relationships.
(Bruno and Stutzer, 2005; Diener and Biswas-Deiner, 2008; Ferris, 2002;
Inglehart, Foa, Peterson and Welzel, 2008; Judge and Watanabe, 1993;
Layard, 2005; Nettles, 2005; Thoits and Hewitt, 2001).

15.  Since education plays a central role in the
socialization of people, it seems appropriate
therefore that educational institutions should
also play a critical role in the effort to
increase happiness.
 So, what specifically can and should
educational institutions do to create the
necessary conditions whereby happiness is
cultivated?

16.  Assumption: in addition to their traditional
roles of knowledge producer (e.g., teaching
and research aim) and developing students
into productive members of society
(e.g., vocational aim), they also play a crucial
role in helping students develop personally
meaningful lives and sustainable happiness.
 Education therefore has multiple aims.

17.  There are many different perspectives on the
concept of happiness
(e.g., psychological, philosophical, sociologic
al, religious, poetic, artistic).
 By looking at a broad set of evidence, from
survey data to narratives to philosophical
inquiry to scientific data, we can perhaps gain
a more comprehensive view and deeper
insight into the complex phenomenon of
happiness.

18.  Most thinking on happiness prior to the 20th
Century was done by philosophical and moral
inquiry and beliefs as well as by the examination
others’ personal experiences and narratives.
 However, in the modern era, with the
advancement of social science and medical
research methods, we can also rely on empirical
research to aid our understanding of happiness.
 And most of this empirical research on happiness
is based on self-assessment surveys where
individuals state their level of happiness in life
(Bok, D., 2010).

19.  To the extent that education prepares
students to be well-functioning members of
the work force, the employment factor is a
relevant factor.
 To the extent that education prepares
students to live and participate in the political
system, the quality of government factor is a
relevant factor.
 Education is a social institution and thus the
social relationships factor is a relevant
factor, especially the teacher-student
relationship.

20.  Since education consumes such a large part
of our individual lives and such a large part of
government resources, then educational
institutions at all levels are the obvious
choice to take on this responsibility of
cultivating knowledge, attitudes and
behaviors that lead to greater happiness
(Bok, D., 2010).

21.  As a source of happiness, it is not the job itself
that is most important but rather the social
relationships and sense of belonging to a group
and the development of self-esteem
(Rain, Lane, and Steiner, 1991).
 This suggests that the main focus of education
should not be purely vocational but rather in
nurturing interests, skills, and knowledge across
an array of topics/activities that are personally
meaningful and individualized to each student.
 In other words, the ultimate of goal education
should be to prepare students for life in all its
complexities, not just training for a specific job.

22.  Within this factor, the most important element is
living with large degrees of economic, social, and
political freedoms.
 So, the protection of personal liberties, rule of
law, and responsiveness of government to the
needs of its citizens are important in helping to
create a happy society (Inglehart, Foa, Peterson
and Welzel, 2008).
 Education can be used as an authentic and
experiential means to integrate real life problems
and situations into the curricula and help create a
more personalized learning environment that is
personally meaningful to the students.

23.  Because we are social creatures and we live
within social structures, social relationships
define most of what we do and how we think.
 Schools can embed social learning activities
into the curricula (e.g., group-based
learning, public speaking, service learning) as
well as extra-curricular activities.
 What is important is to create authentic and
personally meaningful learning activities so
that students are more likely to be self-
motivated to engage in the activities.

24.  Education can do a great deal to enrich
students’ lives and help create a more happy
society.
 So, the key should be to make learning more
authentic, more experiential, more
contextual, more humane, and more
personally meaningful to students.
 To these ends, if designed properly and
administered properly, education can play a
vital role and serve as a valuable means to
increase student happiness and academic
motivation.

25.  Bok, D. (2010). The Politics of Happiness. Princeton University Press: Princeton.
 Bok, S. (2010). Exploring Happiness: From Aristotle to Brain Science. Yale
University Press: New Haven.
 Bruno, F. and Stutzer, A. (2005). Happiness Research: State and Prospects. Review
of Social Economy.
 Diener, E. and Biswas-Deiner, R. (2008). Happiness, Unlocking the Mysteries of
Psychological Wealth.
 Ferris, A. (2002). Religion and the Quality of Life. Journal of Happiness Studies.
 Inglehart, R. F., Foa, R., Peterson, C. and Welzel, C. (2008).
Development, Freedom, and Rising Happiness: A Global Perspective 1981-2007.
Perspective on Psychological Science. Vol. 3, July 2008, 264-85.
 James, W. (1890). Principles of Psychology. New York: Holt.
 Judge, T. and Watanabe, S. (1993). Another Look at the Job Satisfaction-Life
Satisfaction Relationship. Journal of Applied Psychology.
 Layard, R. (2005). Happiness: Lessons from a New Science.
 Nettles, D. (2005). Happiness: The Science Behind Your Smile.
 Thoits, P. and Hewitt, L. (2001). Volunteer Work and Well-Being. Journal of Health
and Social Behavior.