The Pursuit of Happiness… and Why You’re Doing It Completely Wrong

 In 1776, Thomas Jefferson scribbled down a few words that would echo through history: “the pursuit of happiness.” Lovely, isn’t it? Sounds like an invitation to eat pizza in your underwear while watching Stranger Things until your eyeballs dry out.

But here’s the twist — that’s not what he meant. Not even close. When Jefferson said “happiness,” he wasn’t referring to that fleeting, dopamine-fuelled nonsense we call fun. He wasn’t talking about a new iPhone, or a bottomless brunch with avocado toast and regret.

Back then, happiness meant something a bit more… grown up. It was about flourishing. Purpose. Meaning. Doing something worthwhile even when life punches you square in the face and then reverses over you for good measure.

See, Jefferson nicked the idea from Aristotle — a man who didn’t own a smartphone and probably didn’t smile much either. Aristotle said there are two types of happiness:

1. Hedonic happiness — pleasure, comfort, distraction. Basically, Netflix and crisps.

2. Eudaimonic happiness — fulfilment, purpose, the satisfaction of actually doing something that matters.

The first is cheap. It fades faster than a politician’s promise. The second is tough — it involves sacrifice, sweat, and occasionally wanting to throw your life in a skip. But it lasts.

The problem is, most people spend their entire lives chasing hedonic happiness — mistaking pleasure for purpose — and then wonder why they feel as empty as a pub at 8AM on a Monday.

So here’s the truth: if your happiness disappears the moment the pleasure does, it was never happiness. It was just emotional bubble wrap. Comfortable, yes — but completely useless when the real world hits.