The study of happiness and how to live a vibrant, meaningful life is not new.
Over 2000 years ago, Aristotle first pondered the question of “eudaimonia” (thriving or happiness) and linked happiness with the pursuit of excellence. Excellence sprang from a life based on virtues.
The end of the 20th century saw a return to this age-old question, “What can make me happy?” In the popular press, from the New York Times Best Seller, The Happiness Project, to National Geographic’s The Atlas of Happiness, “happiness” became the new buzzword. Studies examining the dynamics of “happiness” and the benefits of living a life with meaning and purpose proliferated. New theories of happiness were developed. New assessment tools and behavioral therapies were introduced into psychological practice (including the development of a new branch of psychology), and an abundance of self-help books were written and gobbled up by the public.
The Message of Inside Out 2: Emotions and Happiness
Film is an age-old tool for telling stories. The stories they tell can help or hurt us depending on the content and can tell us a lot about the times in which we live.
Enter the recent blockbuster Inside Out 2.
Inside Out 2 portrays emotions as characters competing for dominance inside the head of Riley, now a budding teenager. (Moviegoers first met Riley as an 11-year-old in the 2015 movie Inside Out.) Reviewers are praising the film for its portrayal of dealing with negative emotions in a healthy way. One summary describes the plot this way:
“Riley’s existing emotions — portrayed by characters named Joy, Sadness, Jealousy, Anger and Fear — are suddenly challenged by four brand new emotions: Embarrassment, Ennui, Envy and Anxiety. It isn’t long before Anxiety takes over and casts out all of Riley’s old emotions. Together, they must find a way to restore Riley’s sense of self before Anxiety permanently changes the core of who she is.” —Ashley Austrew
Notice that Joy is the only positive emotion portrayed.
In an article in Psychology Today, Dr. Ryan M. Niemiec, Psy.D. agrees that the movie’s strength is the message: allow space for upsetting emotions but do not let them take over. However, he also points out that humans experience a full range of positive emotions. Along with Joy, there are “excitement, love, gratitude, interest, desire, (healthy) pride, awe, elevation, hope, amusement, and/or calmness/peace.”
Why Focus on Positive Emotions?
Dr. Niemiec has a point. Although the question “how to be happy” is not new, the science of positive emotions and positive character traits and how they relate to happiness is more recent. In a 2000 special edition of the American Psychologist, Drs. Martin Seligman and Mihali Czikszentmihaly, the founders of Positive Psychology, called for a major shift in the field of psychology. Rather than focusing exclusively on pathology, they proposed a new focus on the positive individual traits that aid in human thriving, not just surviving.
"At the individual level, it is about positive individual traits: the capacity for love and vocation, courage, interpersonal skill, aesthetic sensibility, perseverance, forgiveness, originality, future-mindedness [sic], spirituality, high talent, and wisdom. At the group level, it is about the civic virtues and the institutions that move individuals toward better citizenship: responsibility, nurturance, altruism, civility, moderation, tolerance, and work ethic." —Martin E. P. Seligman & Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (Positive Psychology: An Introduction)
Why Would Humans Need Positive Emotions?
There is plenty of research to back up Dr. Neimiec’s lament. The role of positive emotions has been explored by Dr. Barbara Fredrickson of the University of Michigan. She wondered what role positive emotions play in the development of the human person. It is easy, she says, to see how the negative emotion of fear, for example, contributes to survival. But what about the more positive emotions of joy, interest, contentment, admiration, and love? Her research led her to propose her Broaden and Build Theory of positive emotions.
According to Frederickson, positive emotions can bring about actions such as playing and exploring. In the animal world, there are many amusing examples. Juvenile play, such as monkeys using saplings to fling themselves around, encourages survival skills such as predator avoidance, and in humans, helps to build social intelligence.
So, how in the world can you test the effects of positive emotions? In one of their studies, Frederickson and her colleagues used eye-tracking software while inducing positive emotions. Their findings indicated that participants’ ability to see the bigger picture was increased, even increasing peripheral vision. This increased peripheral vision expanded the ability to find creative solutions to problems. She explained their findings this way:
“[Positive emotions] open us. They literally change the boundaries of our minds and our hearts and change our outlook on our environments. At a very fundamental level, we are able to see larger systems, see larger forms of interconnection when we are experiencing positive emotions.” —Dr. Barbara Fredrickson
In another study, Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky, University of California Riverside, and colleagues concluded that a positive sense of well-being (“happiness”) correlates with many individual, family, and societal benefits. In the Discussion section, they point to multiple studies correlating happiness with one’s physical and mental health, revealing that happy people generally have greater self-control, self-regulation, and coping abilities. But there is more:
Also, happy people are not just self-centered or selfish; the literature suggests that happy individuals instead tend to be relatively more cooperative, prosocial, charitable, and 'other-centered.' —Sonja Lyubomirsky, Kennon M. Sheldon, David Schkade (Pursuing Happiness: The Architecture of Sustainable Change
Beyond Studying Happiness: How Do We Get There?
So, what can a person do to increase the likelihood of being happy–of thriving, not just surviving? An enlightening and engaging “strengths” training program was developed in the early years of the positive psychology movement. In the early 2000s, fifty-five distinguished scientists got together to study the nature of character. They examined every religion and philosophical tradition and found six virtues common to all of them. Since “virtue” is difficult to measure, further research revealed “traits” or strengths associated with those virtues.
According to the website of the VIA Institute on Character:
The result was the VIA Classification of Character Strengths and Virtues (Peterson & Seligman, 2004), a classification of positive traits in human beings. Since then, hundreds of peer-reviewed articles have been published across many cultures.
In the process, Drs. Christopher Peterson and Martin Seligman developed a personal strengths assessment test, the Values in Action Inventory, or now the VIA Survey. Currently, there are 96 questions that give insight into one’s personal “Character strengths.”
What Makes Us Strong and Virtuous?
These strengths or virtues are divided into six categories:
- Wisdom: creativity, curiosity, judgment, love of learning, perspective
- Courage: bravery, perseverance, honesty, zest
- Humanity: love, kindness, social intelligence
- Justice: teamwork, fairness, leadership
- Temperance (Moderation): forgiveness, humility, prudence, self-regulation
- Transcendence: appreciation of beauty and excellence, gratitude, hope, humor, spirituality
In an article describing the work of the Institute, the important role played by our character strengths is emphasized:
Character strengths are the positive parts of our personality that make us feel authentic and engaged. . . . They influence how we think, act, feel, and represent what we value in ourselves and others. When we draw on our strengths, research shows we can have a more influential positive impact on others, improve our relationships, and enhance our well-being and happiness.
The Institute then offers a series of programs that help build on the character strengths one has. Over 25 million people around the world have taken the survey. The Institute continues to monitor the results of its programs, which can be used by individuals, families, schools, and businesses. It is one effort to put theories, therapy, and tools into the hands of the public.
Inside Out 2 and What It Can Tell Us About Happiness and Virtue
Positive emotions seem to go hand in hand with self-regulation and happiness, and focusing on character strengths is one way to help us define our values, goals, and purpose in life. Who wouldn’t want to “show up” in the world as a balanced, charitable contributor to society? Who wouldn’t want to build character strengths in themselves, their families, schools, and community? Ultimately, the message of Inside Out 2 is a hopeful one. By showing the important role played by Joy, this blockbuster has something good to say. And it contains a reminder.
By turning attention to the important role of one positive emotion, perhaps there will be a renewed public interest in the role of all positive emotions and the character traits that help individuals and communities thrive. Perhaps the age-old link between happiness and virtue will be rediscovered.
In a war-torn world and in a culture that seems to have lost hope, how good to know that there is a place in our lives for joy, love, peace, creativity, forgiveness, humility, gratitude, and other positive traits and that there is a path to get there.
Further reading: check out Fr. Spitzer’s new book, The Four Levels of Happiness: Your Path to Personal Flourishing. This groundbreaking book will help you unlock the secret to lasting happiness. Drawing on insights from science, philosophy, psychology, and real-life examples, Spitzer provides practical, achievable steps to elevate your happiness and achieve your deepest desires. Whether you're religious or skeptical, this book invites you to explore the intriguing connection between science and the transcendent, offering powerful tools to unlock the highest levels of joy and personal fulfillment. A must-read for anyone seeking true happiness!
