Eastern Conceptualizations of Happiness: Fundamental Differences with Western Views

@article{Joshanloo2014EasternCO,
  title={Eastern Conceptualizations of Happiness: Fundamental Differences with Western Views},
  author={Mohsen Joshanloo},
  journal={Journal of Happiness Studies},
  year={2014},
  volume={15},
  pages={475-493}
}
The purpose of this review is to compare and contrast western and eastern conceptualizations of happiness and optimal functioning. Towards this end, accounts of happiness and optimal functioning provided in western philosophy and scientific psychology are compared with those in some eastern schools of thought (namely, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, and Sufism). Six fundamental differences in western and eastern conceptualizations of the good life are identified and discussed in the… 
View on Springer
188 Citations
Highly Influential Citations
18
Background Citations
80
Methods Citations
1
Results Citations
7

188 Citations

Citation Type

Citation Type

Fear of happiness across cultures: A review of where and why are people afraid of happiness
One of the basic postulations of contemporary Western culture is that pursuing personal happiness is among the highest values guiding individuals’ lives. For example, in American culture it is…
Eastern and western happiness in work behavior
The purpose of this article is to clarify what motivates East Asian work behavior. The research question is: How can a Western manager better understand work behavior and motivation in East Asian…
Repercussions of Individual and Societal Valuing of Happiness
Western culture has developed an obsession with happiness. At first glance, the premium placed on happiness seems warranted given that a large body of research has highlighted its benefits. Yet,…
Aversion to Happiness Across Cultures: A Review of Where and Why People are Averse to Happiness
A common view in contemporary Western culture is that personal happiness is one of the most important values in life. For example, in American culture it is believed that failing to appear happy is…
Conceptions of happiness and life satisfaction: An exploratory study in 14 national groups
Lay Definitions of Happiness across Nations: The Primacy of Inner Harmony and Relational Connectedness
TLDR
Lay definitions of happiness across nations and cultural dimensions are explored, analyzing their components and relationship with participants' demographic features, suggesting the potential of a bottom-up, mixed method approach to contextualize psychological dimensions within culture and lay understanding.
Happiness in Bangladesh: The Role of Religion and Connectedness
Research into the relation between religion and happiness offers inconclusive evidence. Religion seems to matter but it is not entirely clear how and why. Moreover much of the research to date is…
Individualism as the moderator of the relationship between hedonism and happiness: A study in 19 nations
Integrating Philosophical and Psychological Accounts of Happiness and Well-Being
Philosophers have been interested in happiness and well-being since the Hellenic period. More recently, psychologists have begun to study how happy people are and what makes people’s lives go well.…
What makes a meaningful life? Examining the effects of interpersonal harmony, dialectical coping, and nonattachment
Past cross-cultural research on well-being has tended to base Eastern construction of well-being on the interdependent self-construal, mainly as an offshoot of Confucius relationalism. However, other…
...
...

References

SHOWING 1-10 OF 90 REFERENCES
A Comparison of Western and Islamic Conceptions of Happiness
Research on the confluence of culture and mental health has grown dramatically in the past three decades. However, this line of research has focused almost entirely on western populations and largely…
Folk Theories of Happiness: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Conceptions of Happiness in Germany and South Africa
Although happiness as a state of mind may be universal, its meaning takes culture-specific forms. Drawing on the concept of folk theories, this study attempted to uncover lay beliefs about the nature…
Happiness and unhappiness in east and west: themes and variations.
TLDR
The authors systematically analyzed American and Japanese participants' spontaneously produced descriptions of the two emotions and observed that whereas Americans associated positive hedonic experience of happiness with personal achievement, Japanese associated it with social harmony.
Questionnaire to Measure Eastern and Western Thought
A questionnaire was developed to reflect traditional Eastern and Western world views. The Eastern perspective is conceived of as the basically monistic view of existence shared by Buddhism, Taoism,…
Positive Psychology, Ethnocentrism, and the Disguised Ideology of Individualism
This article aims to examine critically the attempts by positive psychologists to develop a science of happiness and positive human functioning that transcends temporal and cultural boundaries.…
Happiness Donut: A Confucian Critique of Positive Psychology.
An empirically based version of the good life as proposed by positive psychology is a donut with something missing at the core—the moral map. This paper addresses ramifications of this lacuna, and…
Indigenous and Cultural Psychology: Understanding People in Context
There is growing recognition that psychological theories and principles developed in the West may not accurately reflect those found in other cultures. The newly published book entitled Indigenous…
The Construct and Measurement of Peace of Mind
Previous studies have shown that Asian American or Chinese individuals value low-arousal positive affect and a harmonious state of happiness more than European Americans do. However, the affective…
The Dalai Lama: Happiness through wisdom and compassion
The Dalai Lama often speaks of a ‘Buddhist science,’ a science of mind and, for the last thirty years, he has engaged in numerous dialogues and collaborations with scientists within the Mind and Life…
Situating Psychological Well-Being: Exploring the Cultural Roots of Its Theory and Research
Psychological well-being is a seminal concept in counseling and yet it is seldom discussed, researched, or critiqued; this article examines the cultural values and assumptions underlying its theory…
...
...