It’s All in the Family: Wellbeing Among Inuit in Arctic Canada

Abstract

Do happy people know they are happy? Depressed people certainly know they are depressed and spend much time thinking about themselves. By contrast, happy people do not spend that much time being self-focused. Rather, they are deeply engaged. Csikszentmihalyi calls this "flow", "the state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience itself is so enjoyable that people will do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it". The question of happiness is hardest to figure out for those in the middle. As an example Csikszentmihalyi sees life as being both what we do and who we are with. "Flow experiences" are effortless actions, what Csikszentmihalyi calls, "being in the zone" among athletes, "ecstasy" among religious mystics, and "aesthetic rapture" among artists and musicians. Flow is not defined by any particular behavior, but by the experience of doing what people love to do. It consists of having a clear set of goals, rules for action, activities that provide feedback, being fully involved in the activities, and having attention ordered and invested. Csikszentmihalyi does not think flow is happiness, because happiness requires a focus on one's inner state. As Nagel writes, "happiness is not the only human good". In flow, attention is directed away from oneself. According to Argyle, social relationships, especially marriage, account for the major source of happiness and wellbeing. Here we use the terms happiness and wellbeing synonymously, even though they have appeared in different contexts in the literature. Is happiness a state of mind, a state of being, or an experience? Csikszentmihalyi indicates that family relationships are highly related to the quality of one's life. Collectivism is featured by positive family relationships and social support. Collectivism and interdependence is commonly found in non-Western cultures, where social relations are important for life satisfaction. In this chapter, before we begin exploring the sense of happiness based on the concepts shared by the Inuit, we present a brief context and history. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)