Let’s explore their research and see their verdict on how to reach happiness.īefore you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive Psychology Exercises for free. Yet many other philosophers, too, as well as a growing cohort of modern happiness researchers, have engaged with the question of what is worth pursuing in life - and why. The philosopher Aristotle (2009) explored eudemonia in the 4th century BCE in his Nicomachean Ethics. More specifically, they analyzed the distinction between eudaimonic versus hedonistic wellbeing. Many researchers have returned to the wisdom of the ancient Greeks to illuminate the nature and core ingredients of a good life. There has been a dramatic rise in research on what constitutes a “good life” and how we can achieve it.

You are not alone when grappling with this question.

That begs the question: What is a life well lived? Have you ever toyed with the idea of writing your own obituary?Īs you are now, young or old, would you say you enjoyed a life well lived?