The 5 types of Happiness, and how to achieve this state

That which makes us feel good and purposeful in life has several psychological layers.

Happiness is one of those topics that interests everyone and that is why psychology has paid a lot of attention to this phenomenon. There are different theories that have tried to explain this construct and there are many researches that have tried to provide relevant data that allow us to understand its complexity.

One of the best known authors is Martin Seligman, who states that there are five types of happiness. In this article we will talk about his model and what are its most important characteristics.

Who is Martin Seligman

Dr. Martin Seligman is an American psychologist and writer, considered one of the founders of positive psychology. considered one of the founders of Positive Psychology.. He was born on August 12, 1942 in Albany, New York. For many years he has been the director of the clinical training program at the University of Pennsylvania. His work deals with topics such as learned helplessness, positive psychology, depression, psychological resilience, optimism and pessimism.

It was in 1998 when he decided to change the trend in psychology that focused mainly on negative emotions and how to manage them so that people's well-being and emotional health would improve. Seligman has dedicated himself to researching the implications of positive thinking and emotions and to scientifically testing methods of self-help. scientifically testing the most effective self-help methods..

Seligman's PERMA model

And it is that the well-being of people cannot be studied without taking happiness into account. The author believes that happiness has five components that are present in those individuals who are happiest. With this idea he created the "PERMA" model which, according to its acronym, means:

• Positive emotions (positive emotions or pleasant life).
• Engagement (Commitment or engaged life)
• Relationships
• Meanings (Meaningfulness or meaningful life)
• Accomplishment (Success or sense of accomplishment)

Components and types of happiness

Seligman's theory has five components or levels that indicate the types of happiness. The objective of his theory is to measure and promote personal growth and well-being. These are the levels of his model:

1. Positive emotions or pleasant life

At the most basic level of happiness, the person experiences happiness through emotions.. It has to do with the amount of emotions we experience during the day. A pleasant life consists of having more pleasurable experiences during the day than unpleasant ones. The author believes that people can learn a series of techniques to increase the duration and intensity of their pleasures.

These positive experiences can be: doing sports, enjoying a good meal, reading, etc. The positive of an experience depends on each person.

2. Commitment or committed life

If in the previous case the pleasures would be rather external, in this case the internal ones are incorporated. It is what is known as "state of flow", in which the person connects with his own desires. the person connects with his or her own desires. We create a commitment when we are fully present, aware and creating flow opportunities that lead to higher levels of well-being.

Seligmann describes engagement as "stopping in time and losing self-consciousness during an absorbing activity". Happiness is developing a large number of optimal flow experiences through the use of personal strengths.

3. Relationships

Relationships with others are also a great source of happiness, so to be happy it is necessary to devote time to them, because it increases the sense of support and the perception of well-being. This has to do with all relationships: friends, family, partners... In fact, social support is intimately related to social relationships, social support is closely related to well-being.In fact, social support is closely related to well-being, and some research even claims that it helps to reduce stress and discomfort. On the other hand, loneliness is associated with an increased risk of dying.

4. Meaningfulness or meaningful life

Seligman describes this level as something bigger than ourselves. Meaningfulness is the purpose for which we perceive that we exist.that is to say, what fills us and what we decide to fight for. They are our most desired goals. Finding meaning in oneself is not always easy, but it is necessary to be happy. The search for meaning and self-realization is one of the principles of positive psychology.

5. Success or sense of achievement

People can experience positive emotions, engage in different situations, feel the state of flow, we can have relationships that enrich us and find meaning in our lives.

We can have goals that motivate us and help us to develop positively, but the highest level of happiness is that which we achieve when we have drawn objectives and goals from the Heart and we have raised them. Then we feel competent and we know that we did what we wanted to do and we did it well. Achieving goals, especially those linked to our values, increases well-being over a relatively long period of time.

What science says about happiness

As has been said, there is a lot of research on this topic. Who doesn't want to be happy? Happiness is something we all pursue.

Over the years, scientists have found different activities, behaviors, attitudes and gestures that can make us happier. But... what are the keys to happiness? Some of the most important findings are the following:

Spending more time with family and friends.

As Seligman affirms, there are many investigations that have demonstrated that spending time with loved ones makes us happier. makes us happier.

Travel a lot

Knowing the world and traveling is enriching not only because it opens our minds, but also because it makes us feel good. Researchers, however, have found that it is not the trips themselves that make us happy, but planning them..

Living in the present

Living on expectations, which are often unrealistic, is not conducive to our well-being. On the other hand, living in the present allows us to experience life to the fullest and makes us happier

Gratitude

Gratitude is another of the basic principles of happiness. So whenever you can, thank your loved ones for everything they do for you.

Going out in the street

Something as simple as going outdoors is positive because it it increases the levels of serotonin in the brainthe neurotransmitter related to happiness.

These are just a few examples of what science says about happiness. If you want to know more, you can read this article: "The 10 keys to be happy, according to science".