Sustainable Happiness and Well-Being: Future Directions for Positive Psychology

doi:10.4236/psych.2012.312A177

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Psychology

2012. Vol.3, No.12A, 1196-1201

Published Online December 2012 in SciRes (http://www.SciRP.org/journal/psych) http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/psych.2012.312A177

1196

Sustainable Happiness and Well-Being: Future Directions for

Positive Psychology

Catherine O’Brien

Cape Breton University, Sydne y, Canada

Email: [email protected]

Received September 25th, 2012; revised October 20th, 2012; accept e d N o v e mber 23rd, 2012

Positive psychology has influenced many disciplines in a very short span of time. This paper argues that

positive psychology will realize its most significant and far reaching impact when it is applied to sustain-

ability efforts, locally, nationally and internationally. Such application may accelerate shifts in attitudes,

policies, practice and behavior. Specifically, opportunities for integrating positive psychology with sus-

tainability education are discussed including work in the area of sustainable happiness, Education for

Sustainable Development (ESD) and positive education. Sustainable happiness underscores the interrela-

tionship between human flourishing and ecological resilience. Thus sustainable happiness and well-being

are integral to building sustainable futures, and positive psychology could be increasingly influential in

leading research and education that heralds a new era of understanding and political will to embrace sus-

tainability.

Keywords: Sustainable Happiness; Well-Being; Sustainability; Education; Positive Psychology; Positive

Education

Introduction

Tracking the progression of publications about positive psy-

chology and happiness studies over the past ten years is akin to

watching the movement of a weather pattern, as positive psy-

chology has made inroads into numerous disciplines. The busi-

ness sector was an early and eager adopter of the teachings

from positive psychology, and interest has continued to bur-

geon. For instance, the January/February 2012 cover of the

Harvard Business Review proclaimed, “The Value of Happi-

ness: How Employee Well-Being Drives Profits.” Economists

are investigating national policies and indicators for happiness

(Diener, Lucas, Schimmack, & Helliwell, 2009; Diener &

Seligman, 2004; Layard, 2005; Stutz, 2006). Furthermore,

population health research is revealing the benefits of happiness

to our physical and mental health (Davidson, Mostofsky, &

Whang, 2010; Diener & Chan, 2011; Steptoe, Wardle, & Mar-

mot, 2005; Veenhoven, 2008). Additionally, the education sec-

tor is beginning to develop new curricula resources that pro-

mote “positive schools” (Boniwell & Ryan, 2012; Morrison and

Morrison, 2010; New Brunswick Department of Wellness,

Culture and Sport, 2011; O’Brien, 2010b) and positive educa-

tion (Seligman, 2011). Potential applications of positive psy-

chology to education are extensive (e.g., Gilman et al., 2009)

with the breadth of possibilities yet to be realized—particularly

with respect to sustainability education.

One of the most promising directions is the application of

positive psychology research for sustainability. The business

example above is a case in point. While increasing employee

well-being is an important goal for businesses, the resulting

increase in worker productivity may not always be consistent

with sustainability. In the absence of corporate social and envi-

ronmental responsibility, increasing efficiencies may have an

adverse impact on community or environmental well-being.

Additionally, it would be beneficial to expand research that

examines the relationship between environmental sustainability,

quality of life, and life satisfaction. A small, but growing, body

of literature is establishing the merits of decoupling happiness

and life satisfaction from over consumption. Kasser (2006)

explored materialism and the good life. The New Economics

Foundation (Marks et al., 2006) created the Happy Planet Index

(HPI) to answer such questions as, “does happiness have to cost

the earth?” In other words, can we live long and happy lives

within the resource capacity of the planet? The first HPI incor-

porated national life satisfaction and life expectancy scores

along with the Ecological Footprint of nations. Countries with

high life satisfaction and life expectancy while maintaining a

low Ecological Footprint were ranked at the top. The second

HPI (Abdallah et al., 2009) determined that Costa Rica had the

highest number of happy life years, nearly achieving a footprint

referred to as “one-planet living,” that is, using the country’s

fair share of the earth’s resources as opposed to consuming

resources as if there is access to more than one planet. By the

third HPI, Costa Rica remained at the top of the charts, while

the USA’s high Ecological Footprint brought it to 105 out of

151 countries. Importantly, the HPI illuminated that if every

country had a similar Ecological Footprint to the USA, it would

require four planets to meet this level of consumption.

A unique approach to national well-being indicators predates

the HPI. In 1972, the King of Bhutan proclaimed that Gross

National Happiness (GNH) was a more relevant indicator of the

country’s well-being than Gross National Product (Ura, Alkire,

& Zangmo, 2012). The indicators used to calculate GNH in-

corporate environmental well-being domains such as ecological

diversity and resilience. There is considerable weight given to

social indicators such as health, education, time use, cultural

diversity and community vitality that intersect with the GNH

domain of psychological well-being. Bhutan became the first

C. O’BRIEN

country to overtly combine these kinds of indicators, establish-

ing happiness and well-being as a national goal. After nearly

three decades of tracking GNH, Bhutan proposed a resolution

to the United Nations (UN), recommending that member states

give greater attention to happiness and well-being in their eco-

nomic and social development policies (UN, 2011). This reso-

lution was adopted by all of the 193 UN member states

(Thinley, 2012), and aligns with globally agreed targets known

as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Building on the UN resolution, Bhutan’s Prime Minister,

Thinley, hosted a high level meeting at the United Nations in

New York on April 2nd, 2012. Seven hundred delegates were

convened to discuss the next steps required for achieving the

intent of the UN resolution—a new economic paradigm for

realizing a world of sustainable well-being and happiness

(Royal Government of Bhutan, 2012). Thinley (2012) under-

scored the need for considering the links between sustainability

and happiness: “Sustainability is the essential basis and precon-

dition of such a sane economic system. An economy exists not

for mere survival but to provide the enabling conditions for

human happiness and the well-being of all life forms” (p. 64).

This meeting was particularly significant because it brought

sustainability experts together with positive psychologists and

other academics researching happiness and well-being. In addi-

tion, The World Happiness Report was launched, highlighting

the relevance of happiness studies for sustainability as well as

the broad benefits of realigning economic activity to contribute

to well-being, sustainably (Sachs, 2012).

Bridging the Gap between Sustainability and

Positive Psychology

Whereas sustainability research is often interdisciplinary, the

field has not yet effectively capitalized on the wealth of infor-

mation from positive psychology and happiness studies1; nor

has positive psychology engaged sustainability as a core theo-

retical tenet. Consider, for example, the rankings of the happiest

countries and happiest cities. These measures provide useful

information, but fall short of raising awareness that life satis-

faction declines with over consumption of natural resources or

inequitable trade practices (Royal Government of Bhutan, 2012)

and may convey incomplete information. As demonstrated

through the HPI, a country’s high life satisfaction may also be

accompanied by a high Ecological Footprint, though this isn’t

the development model to emulate. A further rationale for ad-

dressing the relationship between happiness and consumption is

that our planet is already in a state referred to as “ecological

overshoot”. By 2007, humanity’s Ecological Footprint had

already exceeded the earth’s biocapacity by 50% (Moran &

Wackernagel, 2012). We continue to use the earth’s resources

faster than they can be replenished.

Academics working in the area of sustainability who have

neglected to incorporate findings from positive psychology and

happiness studies may have dismissed the relevance of these

fields. In a world where global warming has begun (Intergov-

ernmental Panel on Climate Change [IPCC], 2007) and climate

scientists are investigating both mitigation measures and adap-

tations measures, a focus on happiness could appear to be in-

consequential. Those who are deeply entrenched in efforts to

foster a more sustainable trajectory are aware of the dire straits

that human activity has set in motion in this Anthropocene age

in which the world’s population of 7 billion is having signifi-

cant, and sometimes irreversible impact on the physical envi-

ronment (Sachs, 2012). Orr (2012) suggests that we will soon

face the “perfect storm” with the convergence of more severe

climate change, deforestation, water shortages, species loss, and

the acidification of oceans to name just some of the environ-

mental challenges. He is also skeptical whether the political and

individual will to change this scenario will coalesce in time to

avoid the destruction of the human race. “We have good reason

to believe that this will be the closest of close calls, but we

must hope that humankind will emerge someday from what

biologist E.O. Wilson calls ‘the bottleneck’ chastened but im-

proved” (Orr, 2012: p. 48).

The timeline to resolve the imminent challenges of our

global community is shrinking. It’s been twenty-five years

since the Brundtland Commission published Our Common

Future, defining the term “sustainable development” (World

Commission on Environment and Development, 1987). In 1992,

world leaders gathered in Rio de Janeiro at the Earth Summit

for the first United Nations conference that addressed issues of

environment and development together. Most recently in June

2012, a UN conference on sustainable development (“The Fu-

ture We Want”—often referred to as Rio +20) reviewed the

progress made since 1992. Although some encouraging achie-

vements have been attained, including a reduction of extreme

poverty, sustainable access to drinking water, and equal en-

rollment in primary education for girls (UN, 2012a), more is

required. The Rio +20 report explains that “sustainable devel-

opment remains a generally agreed concept, rather than a day-

to-day, on-the-ground, practical reality” (UN, 2012b: p. 4).

Many believe that the lack of substantial progress to date war-

rants much firmer and aggressive international commitments

than the agreements that emerged from Rio +20 (Black, 2012).

There is a major role for positive psychology to play in

building further political will and bringing sustainability prin-

ciples into everyday life. Discussions of happiness and well-

being are an ideal entry point for fostering sustainable lifestyles

and policies for sustainable happiness and well-being. Happi-

ness is at the heart of who we are and what we do, but in a

consumer society where consumption and happiness are often

entangled, individuals confuse the “path to the ‘good life’ as the

‘goods life’” (Kasser, 2006: p. 200). The lifestyles and con-

sumption in the wealthiest nations are leading to environmental

degradation that has the greatest impact on less affluent coun-

tries (Sachs, 2012). The HPI indicates that many of the

wealthiest countries are exerting extensive pressure on natural

resources and consuming more than their fair share of resources

(Abdallah et al., 2009, 2012). Moreover, affluent societies do

not always represent ideal models of sustainable development.

The rising level of obesity in affluent countries is just one ex-

ample of “disorders of development” (Sachs, 2012). Our unbri-

dled pursuit of happiness is at the expense of ourselves, other

people and the natural environment. In short, we have con-

sumer societies that tend to reinforce individual lifestyles that

are unsustainable and less likely to lead to sustainable happi-

ness and overall life satisfaction.

Harnessing the power of positive psychology with goals for

sustainability could potentially accelerate progress, uncover

new solutions, and enhance sustainable happiness and well-

being. There is an unprecedented need for ramping up sustain-

ability efforts locally, nationally and internationally—and it is

vital that work on happiness and well-being embraces sustain-

1The previously mentioned HPI stands out as an exception.

C. O’BRIEN

ability (Canadian Index of Wellbeing, 2009). Individuals and

nations do not flourish in isolation.

Sustainable Happiness and Well-Being

Sustainable happiness underscores the inter-relationships be-

tween happiness, well-being and sustainability. It has been

defined as “happiness that contributes to individual, community,

and/or global well-being without exploiting other people, the

environment, or future generations” (O’Brien, 2010a) thus dif-

ferentiating it from “sustaining happiness” or “sustainable in-

creases in happiness” (Lyubomirsky, 2007).

The concept of sustainable happiness within the field of posi-

tive psychology can be applied to foster sustainable behavior in

addition to well-being in the broadest meaning of well-being,

i.e. physical, emotional, social, spiritual, ecological well-being.

Whereas we all have a natural desire for happiness, we are

likely to lead more sustainable lives by becoming more aware

that our well-being and pursuit of happiness is associated with

the well-being of others and the natural environment (O’Brien,

2010a). Sustainable happiness disputes a common misconcep-

tion that living sustainably will lower our quality of life (Brown

and Kasser, 2005) Rather, sustainable happiness invites oppor-

tunities to enhance our quality of life and contribute to individ-

ual, community, and global well-being (O’Brien, 2010a).

For example, looking at the commuting patterns of children

and adults demonstrates how sustainable modes of transporta-

tion can contribute to positive emotions and well-being. Parents

who walk to school with their children report positive emotions

like feeling happy and relaxed more frequently than parents

who drive their children. Moreover, children who actively

commute to school also report positive emotions more often

than children who are transported by car or school bus (Rama-

nathan et al., 2012). A Statistics Canada study found that peo-

ple who walk or cycle to work are more likely to enjoy com-

muting than those who use motorized transportation (Turcotte,

2006). These happy, active commuters are contributing to their

well-being and modeling sustainable behavior. They are also

reducing adverse impacts on human and environmental health if

their decision to walk or cycle replaces a trip that would other-

wise be made by motorized transportation.

Building on these transportation examples, it is evident that

there are numerous decision points throughout each day when

individuals can make choices that contribute to individual,

community or global well-being. Reflecting on the conditions

under which our clothes are manufactured, how far our food is

transported, whether the food was produced with care for the

environment, and how we relate to one another represent daily

opportunities to contribute to, or detract from, individual, com-

munity and global well-being. This has become a primary focus

of an undergraduate course in sustainable happiness at Cape

Breton University where students apply sustainable happiness

to everyday life (O’Brien, 2010a).

Sustainable happiness is a natural bridge between positive

psychology and sustainability.

Education for Sustainable Happiness and

Well-Being

How can positive psychology contribute to a more resilient

and sustainable future?

While there are numerous directions that could be discussed,

this section focuses on the role of formal education and oppor-

tunities for applying positive psychology to sustainability edu-

cation. Sustainability education is a term that includes Educa-

tion for Sustainable Development (ESD) (UNESCO, 2005),

environmental education, and education about sustainability in

general. Positive psychology and sustainability education have

several challenges and opportunities in common: 1) demon-

strated benefits for students, teachers and society; 2) a lack of

substantial presence in formal education; and 3) the potential to

extensively accelerate progress towards individual, community

and global well-being.

Gardner (2006) acknowledges that the education sector is

very conservative and slow to change. This can be both a

strength and a barrier to progressive transformation. As educa-

tors, we would not serve society nor our students well if we

adopted every new proposed educational trend. The drawback,

of course, is that education systems are not very adaptive and

are rarely leading social change. Incorporating sustainability

into formal education strains the status quo, as conventional

approaches to education are still very much mired in the educa-

tion style and goals of the Industrial age (Howard, 2011; Senge,

2012). Likewise, introducing positive psychology is thwarted

by a lack of teacher training in positive psychology and the

need to justify how it intersects with approved curricular goals.

However, if we are to radically move societies towards a more

sustainable trajectory in which people and the planet flourish,

the education sector will need to incorporate both sustainability

education and positive psychology.

Who/What Is Teaching Us about Happiness?

A considerable impediment for sustainability education is to

move beyond raising individual awareness and toward fostering

sustainable behavior. This is particularly difficult in industrial-

ized countries, where students and educators live in a social and

cultural milieu of the consumer society with economic systems

that are not sustainable. It is compounded by the fact that many

students are spending more hours on the three screens (smart-

phone, computer and television) than they are in school

(Leatherdale & Ahmed, 2011; Rideout et al., 2010) and media

messages are likely to reinforce over consumption. Additionally,

the tradition in environmental education has been to focus on

“doom and gloom” messages. However, the aim of frightening

the public into choosing more environmentally-friendly behav-

iors has not succeeded in shifting our unsustainable trajectory

(Kelsey & O’Brien, 2011).

While the formal education sector has not traditionally taught

“happiness” it has gradually started to embrace positive psy-

chology with recommendations for creating “positive schools”

(Joint Consortium for School Health, 2008; Morrison & Mor-

rison, 2010) and “positive education” (Seligman, 2011). How-

ever, positive psychology and happiness research have not been

integrated into public school curricula or teacher training de-

spite the considerable merits of doing so (Conoley & Conoley,

2009; Seligman, 2011). A notable exception is the sustainable

happiness course offered to education students at Cape Breton

University in Canada (O’Brien, 2010a, 2012). Student teachers

explore ways to enhance their own happiness and well-being

while investigating how to contribute to the well-being of other

people and the natural environment, sustainably. The course

leads student teachers through applications of sustainable hap-

piness both personally and professionally. This approach could

1198

C. O’BRIEN

be extended with graduate programs in education and positive

psychology by offering courses or modules on sustainable hap-

piness.

New Directions for Positive Education

Education for the 21st century can promote positive educa-

tion and positive schools by applying positive psychology in

teacher education and contributing to curricula development.

Students and society would benefit from greater attention to

student wellness, illness prevention, and happiness skills for

enhanced resilience (Seligman, 2011). This would be a pro-

gressive step forward but still grossly insufficient to foster the

massive shift in values and behavior that are required to make a

transition towards a more sustainable future—which ultimately

impacts everyone’s well-being. Integrating positive psychology

with sustainability education would introduce a comprehensive

transformation in education, engaging students and teachers in

a deep understanding of how to live and work, respecting their

own well-being and the well-being of other people, other spe-

cies, the natural environment, and future generations. It would

assist students and educators to recognize that our well-being is

interdependent and that our daily activities can contribute to, or

detract from well-being. It would also permit students and edu-

cators to make informed decisions about policies that impact

well-being.

An important place to begin is with teacher education. A

seminal document on sustainability education, Guidelines and

Recommendations for Reorienting Teacher Education to Ad-

dress Sustainability (UNESCO, 2005) provides numerous

recommendations that could be reviewed by positive psycholo-

gists and educators to consider further opportunities for devel-

oping positive education. Table 1 outlines some possibilities to

consider. It pairs recommendations for sustainability education

with recommendations for incorporating positive psychology

and sustainable happiness into teacher training.

Table 1.

Reorienting teacher e ducation to sustainability, positive psychology, sustainable happiness and well-being.

Reorientin g Teacher Education for Sustainability (UNESCO, 2005) Positive E du cation and Sustainable Happiness

Require interdisciplinary coursework on sustainability for student teachers

and make materials available for student teachers on local and global

sustainability issues.

Introduce student teachers to research in positive psycholo gy and its

relevance to their school and community and the subjects they will teach.

Encourage systems thinking to integrate sustainability with p ositive

psychology. E.g. how student well-being impac t s l earning; how individ ual

well-being is interconnected with community well-being and the well-being

of the natural environment.

Demonstrate pedagogical techniques that foster higher-order thinking skills,

support decision-making, involve participatory learning and stimulat e

formulation of questions.

Critique ex i sting pedagogical techniques to determine how they contribute

to or detract from teacher and student well-being. e.g. are we bu il ding on

student strengths? (Peterson & Seligman, 2003; Seligman, 2011)

Discuss teacher w ell-being, stress prevention and management. Model

teaching practices, and assessments that contribute to we ll-being.

Emphasize to student teachers that citizenry in a sustainable community

requires active participation and decision-making into their classroom

procedure and curriculum.

Provide opportunities for student teachers to apply positive psychology to

classroom management, teaching practice and assessment strategies. e .g.

consider how to build on student strengths and reinforce positive behavior;

engage students in the i r own assessme nt and learning goals.

Discuss social equity (e.g. gender, racial, ethnic, and generational) with

student teachers and identify ways in which the local community exhibits

social tolerance, societal intolerance, equity, and discrimination.

Incorporate emerging r esearch on social equity and well-being (e.g., how

do we share the earth’s res ources equitably to enhance well-being?)

Request that student teachers analyze the mandated curriculum they will be

teaching to identify topics and themes related to sustainability and those that

are linked to local sustainability issues.

Guide student teac hers to analyze the mandated curric u lum they will be

teaching to identify topics and themes related to individual, community and

global well-be ing (review health education in particu l ar). (See the

Sustainable happiness and health education teacher’s guide, O’Brien,

2010b).

Provide student teachers with opportu n ities to explore their own values and

attitudes towards local sustainability problems and those of the surrounding

region.

Provide opportunities for student teacher s to apply positive psychology both

personally and professionally (See O’Brien, 20 10a, 2012).

Assist student teachers to explore their views of happiness and well-being,

to develop a “happiness literacy” regarding the factors that influence them

and their values about happiness.

Encourage a critical analysis of current education practice, incl uding

program delivery, how schoo l s are built (location, materials, resource use,

etc.).

Promote unde rstanding of gl obal sustainability in order to encourage critical

thinking and decision-making that influence personal lifestyle and econo mic

choices.

Provide opportunities for student teachers to apply sustainable happiness

both personally and professionally (synt hesizing pos it ive psychology with

sustainability).

Encourage student teachers to think critically about the role of education

for sustainable happiness and well-b eing.

Develop specialized Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)

programs for student teachers (e.g. mini-courses) with certificates of

completion, so that student teachers can include them in their resumes for

seeking employment.

Promote grad u ates with ESD specializations, who are knowledgeable in

ESD and its contribution to society.

Provide teacher education courses and professional development

opportunities that apply positive p sychology and sustainable happiness to

education and educators.

C. O’BRIEN

The recommendations in Table 1 are not exhaustive. They

are intended to generate further discussion about sustainability

education, sustainable happiness, and positive psychology. At

this time there are some efforts to realize these recommenda-

tions, fully or in part (See O’Brien, 2010a, 2012). Education on

Gross National Happiness is also merging sustainability prince-

ples with happiness (Royal Government of Bhutan, 2012; Solu-

tions, 2011).

Beyond pre-service education (Bachelor of Education pro-

grams), educating in-service teachers (practicing teachers)

about sustainability and positive psychology requires appropri-

ate resources, ideally resources that relate to the subjects that

educators are required to teach. A teacher’s guide for sustain-

able happiness and health education (O’Brien, 2010b) provides

lessons for kindergarten to grade six and links sustainability

with happiness research and health education. As well, recent

book publications provide lessons on positive psychology that

could be adapted or extended to reflect sustainability principles

(Boniwell & Ryan, 2012; Conoly & Conoly, 2009; MacCon-

ville & Rae, 2012; Seligman, 2011).

Concluding Thoughts

The union of sustainability, happiness and well-being has the

potential to be transformative for individuals, for communities

and nations, and for our planet. It can accelerate shifts in atti-

tudes, policies, practice and behavior. We have already wit-

nessed international support through the UN Resolution on

Happiness and Well-being but if we are to fully embrace flour-

ishing (Seligman, 2011) it must be seen in the widest possible

context, recognizing that we cannot flourish as individuals in

isolation and that our flourishing cannot continue to be at the

expense of other people, other species, or the natural environ-

ment. Thus sustainable happiness and well-being ar e integral to

building sustainable futures, and positive psychology could be

influential in leading research and education that heralds a new

era of understanding and political will to embrace sustainabil-

ity.

It is recommended that positive psychologists consider fur-

ther opportunities for integrating sustainability as a theoretical

tenet. More specifically, it is recommended that efforts to inte-

grate positive psychology into formal education explicitly strive

to incorporate sustainability; to augment sustainability educa-

tion; and contribute to teacher education. Sustainable happiness

has been offered as a concept that integrates principles from

positive psychology and sustainability.

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