All the Proponents on Happiness

Listened to a BBC forum on happiness. American positive psychologist Todd Kashdan said being curious is the key to happiness. Belgian environmental scientist Eric Lambin propounded how our lives can be enriched by contact with nature, and novelist Eva Hoffman's recipe for happiness is learning to value our time.

Kasdan talked about how being curious spurs our growth. Most of us are afraid to pursue interests or passions which may not be highly regarded by others. Instead of clinging on to familiarities, he suggested that people  should take the anxiety out of uncertainty and create a sense of wonder in discovering things. When the other panelists queried whether his strategy meant a constant seeking of stimulation externally, he clarified that it is not confined to external things but  includes curiosity about our own thoughts.

 Eric Lambin alluded that happiness experienced being with nature could have biological origins. Our fore fore fathers would feel secure and well provided in a landscape where there was natural water resource, bountiful grassland and vegetation. Thus gardening brings about a sense of well being. Another way to enrich our life is being with animals or pets as they too are part of nature.

Lastly novelist and philosopher writer Eva Hoffman talked about learning to value time. The manner in which time is constructed, used and lived will make a difference in our well being. If we can learn to savour each experience spontaneously we will not lose the experience. This is in contrast to a mindset of deploying time with utmost efficiency where time is money and where each moment has to be exploited to the fullest. In using time in this manner we are unable to reflect and "experience the experience". An optimum sense of well being can be achieved when one is fully engaged in a purposeful activity (purposeful as deemed by you yourself even if others may consider it a waste of time). She believes that being truly in the here and now engaging in each activity will create  that  state of flow. 

I think about the above advocates and compare them to the cornerstones of Choice Theory which are the 5 genetically driven needs.In addition to the basic survival needs the other 4 psychological needs are 1) belonging/connection/love, 2) fun/learning, 3) freedom/autonomy and 4) power/achievement.

Looks like there are endless proponents on "happiness".

I guess Kasdan's curiosity is similar to the 'fun/learning' of Choice Theory whilst Eric Lambin's being with nature has some semblance of 'belonging/connection/love'. I feel that Choice theory's 'freedom/autonomy' does in fact feature in all the advocates of the above mentioned forum. For as long as one is not crippled by people's opinion and has independence one will be free to indulge in whatever curiosity one fancies, languish in nature and will be able to go with the flow undictated by the time demands of others.