The Virtuous Cycle of Happiness

The basic conditions for happiness are simple: having trustful relationships with those around you and possessing high self-esteem and esteem for others. That’s all there is to it. Many people know that maintaining good health requires eating vegetables and getting moderate exercise, which helps to improve their health and prevent illness. Similarly, by understanding what happiness is, connecting with those around you, having dreams, staying positive, and living authentically, anyone can achieve happiness. Therefore, just like health education, I believe we should also provide education on happiness.

Every decision and choice made from birth affects one’s overall happiness in life. When people take action and see results, they feel happy. Happy individuals are more likely to take further actions, creating a virtuous cycle. However, if small obstacles accumulate, they can lead to experiences of failure. In everyday decisions, such as choosing between playing soccer or baseball, failing to make the best choice can result in unhappiness, leading to reluctance to take future actions. This inaction then results in further unhappiness, creating a vicious cycle. Sadly, this is the mechanism of unhappiness. Many people are trapped in their worries and unhappiness, unable to take action. By removing the elements of unhappiness, people can gain vitality, take action, become happy, and consequently improve GDP and positional goods. I aspire to create a society that fosters this virtuous cycle.

Dream Big and Stay Positive

To create a virtuous society, we conduct activities called “Happy Workshops” to enhance happiness. These workshops focus on improving four factors of happiness: 1) Self-realization and growth, 2) Connection and gratitude, 3) Positivity and optimism, and 4) Independence and going at one’s own pace. For example, in the “Positivity and Optimism” workshop, we encourage participants to reevaluate negative statements and thoughts. Instead of saying, “This aspect of your work is bad,” we suggest saying, “Improving this part will make it even better,” thus offering advice in a positive manner.

When we are born, we have no worries. However, through various experiences, we accumulate self-negativity like “I am not good at this,” and other-negativity like “I dislike that person.” This accumulation of negative thinking leads to unhappiness. In a society where most things are affirmed, everyone can remain happy. Understanding the mechanism of happiness and becoming more positive is crucial. Having dreams and aspirations, helping each other, and acting positively and authentically can significantly enhance one’s happiness. Thinking “I am no good” is not beneficial from the perspective of happiness. It is better to aim straight for your dreams and goals. Overthinking is a waste of energy.

Designing a Second Life

Many Japanese salaried workers fail to realize that without their company titles, they become ordinary people. They often say, “I’ll watch my favorite movies after retirement,” but they would get bored after just three days of doing so. To be happy, one needs some form of creative fulfillment, yet most people retire without realizing this. One of the things I want to focus on in the future is “retirement training.” Some companies already implement this, but I believe we should re-educate retirees on the four factors of happiness. While it might be challenging to educate at the age of 60, discovering one’s strengths, interests, and passions is essential for a better second life. People who understand their strengths are happier. Ideally, knowing both your strengths and weaknesses, and cooperating with others who have complementary strengths, is the best approach.

At the Graduate School of System Design and Management (SDM) at Keio University, where we aim to solve various challenges from a holistic perspective, we teach students to clearly define their objectives and plan meticulously when executing projects. However, some students struggle to plan their own lives. I hope they will use the methods learned at SDM to design their lives as well. This is why I research happiness studies.

For Everyone’s Happiness

In your twenties, selfish desires are the strongest, while altruistic desires increase with age. This is a healthy progression. The twenties are also a time to elevate oneself through the pursuit of honor and wealth. Using these as a driving force to enhance oneself, and then increasing altruism, likely constitutes a good life. Ideally, experiencing everything related to money and status while young might be best. Once attained, it becomes clear that these alone do not constitute happiness. Some people are altruistic from a young age, but that alone may not lead to happiness. Essentially, living a life that becomes more altruistic with age is perhaps the best approach.

In my case, having sufficiently satisfied my selfish desires, I decided at some point to live in a way that contributes to creating a peaceful and happy world. Once decided, life became simpler, worries disappeared, and I am now very happy. To have connections with people, feel needed, and give back to society for everyone’s happiness; this is the way I want to live, even when I turn 80.

August 2016,Keio University Hiyoshi Campus, Graduate School of System Design and Management Translated by ILI Inc.