Abstract
Positive psychology recognizes happiness as a construct comprising hedonic and eudaimonic well-being dimensions. Integrating these components and a set of theory-led assumptions, we propose a mathematical model, given by a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations, to describe the dynamics of a person’s happiness over time. The mathematical model offers insights into the role of emotions for happiness and why we struggle to attain sustainable happiness and tread the hedonic treadmill oscillating around a relative stable level of well-being. The model also indicates that lasting happiness may be achievable by developing constant eudaimonic emotions or human altruistic qualities that overcome the limits of the homeostatic hedonic system; in mathematical terms, this process is expressed as distinct dynamical bifurcations. This mathematical description is consistent with the idea that eudaimonic well-being is beyond the boundaries of hedonic homeostasis.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 2002-2029 |
Number of pages | 28 |
Journal | Mathematical Biosciences and Engineering |
Volume | 19 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2022 |
Keywords
- Eudaimonic well-being
- Happiness model
- Hedonic well-being
- Lasting happiness
- Mathematical bifurcations