Fable

▲ NYT on Optimism v. Happiness▼

The New York Times' article, Seeking a Cure for Optimism explores the contrast between optimism and happiness:

Barbara L. Fredrickson, a psychology professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has been exploring the function of positive emotions since the early 1990s. Dr. Fredrickson, whose book “Positivity” was published this year, differentiates between positive thinking and positive emotion. “Positive thinking can sometimes lead to positive emotion, but it won’t always,” she said. “It’s like the difference between wearing a T-shirt that says ‘Life is Good’ and actually feeling deep in your bones grateful for your current circumstances.”

Optimism and happiness are words losing meaning. They can suggest authentic states of being. They can also describe a veneer overlaying a more distressed internal experience of the world.

Devotion to the veneer would be involved defense, isolating and numbing out the internal experience. It's the opposite of wellness.

I don't think the word "happiness" can be saved. If not "happiness," then what? Personally, I favor contentedness.