The Eudaimonics of Positive Emotions

Abstract

The science of positive psychology reveals that humans experience well-being in multiple forms. One form is hedonic, characterized by the experience of sensory pleasures or positive emotions. Another form is eudaimonic, characterized by experiences that transcend immediate sensory or emotional gratification to enable individuals to experience themselves as connected to the higher callings of purpose, meaning, contribution, and interconnectedness. Prevailing representations of hedonia and eudaimonia can divert scholars from investigating other, more complex and dynamic interrelationships between these two forms of well-being, and in turn, the contributions that each holds for physical health. Ultimately, how hedonia and eudaimonia interrelate is an empirical, not a philosophical question. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)