How to Achieve the Two Types of Happiness

This weekend, my colleagues at The New York Times Magazine are publishing a special issue all about happiness: how to define it, discover it and increase it.

In particular, I loved a quiz called, “What Makes You Happy?” I had fun answering the questions, but it also made me think.

It turns out that happiness can be grouped into two main categories, and the concept goes back to ancient Greece. One kind is called eudaemonic well-being, which you might think of as having meaning and purpose in your life. The other is called hedonic well-being, which means feeling pleasure and avoiding pain.

Both, researchers say, are important in order to thrive.

I asked my colleague Laura Bennett, an editor at The Times Magazine, who devised the quiz, to tell me more.

This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

Can we start with a few examples of the two types of happiness?

For hedonic well-being, think of eating a mind-blowing cookie, laughing at a funny social media post, or lounging by a fireplace during a snowstorm.

Eudaemonic well-being, meanwhile, refers to the deeper sense of meaning and purpose that can come from, say, feeling a sense of mastery over challenging work, volunteering in your community and bonding with loved ones.

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