Hello, nice to meet you. I am Seoun Hugi, and I am working at Yonsei University in the psychology department. Today, I would like to talk with you for about 50 minutes on a topic that we often hear about in our surroundings: happiness. Although it might be difficult to match my appearance to my field, my major is happiness. I actually started studying happiness in 1992, so this year marks my 28th year of researching, experimenting, and writing papers on happiness. Recently, many discussions have been held about happiness, and I think a lot of the lectures you hear are based on insights or wisdom that people have gained through their life experiences. While those are valuable insights, the story I want to share today might be somewhat different from that kind of humanities talk.

To use an analogy, let's say this is a documentary about happiness. I will concisely address some of the major questions we often have regarding happiness: Who, when, and, importantly, why do humans feel happiness? I aim to share with you the significant conclusions that have accumulated through scientific research on this topic, as time permits. 

First of all, the topic of happiness is something we are very interested in, but it is also an age-old subject that humanity has pondered for a long time. A notable figure in this discussion is Aristotle, who wrote a significant book called Nicomachean Ethics. The subject of that book was happiness.

Shall we try that? Has anyone here read Nicomachean Ethics? I ask this knowing the answer, but what’s interesting is that I have never met anyone who has completely read that book. However, the thoughts many people have about happiness stem from that book. What does Aristotle say? The most famous and commonly known idea is that the ultimate purpose of life is to achieve happiness. This is what we are striving for. No one lives just to brush their teeth or wash their face. No one considers that the purpose of life. So, why do we do it? Why do we brush our teeth? Today, you will attend my lecture.

The purpose of our lives is not just about attending lectures and listening to them. If we think that way, then why do we go to school? Why do we earn money? Why do we raise our children? All of these are not the ultimate goals of life; they are merely processes to achieve something greater. This is what Aristotle talks about. If we say that life is like a marathon, the ultimate goal is happiness. Many people think that if they work hard, achieve success, and earn money, they will gradually approach this finish line called happiness. It seems like a very intuitive and obvious statement, but what I want to discuss in the latter part of my talk is that while it appears to be a common-sense notion, it is actually a very unscientific thought and somewhat absurd.

So, it’s actually quite a hindrance to grasp what happiness is in its essence. Anyway, the main point is that happiness has been a human concern for a long time, but specific scientific research on it has only begun relatively recently, about thirty years ago. A prominent American psychologist named Ed Diener started arguing that there was a need to study happiness in this context. From the beginning, not all psychologists were trying to do this, but the reason we are talking about happiness today can be traced back to Professor Diener's research lab. Personally, I can share that after graduating from my undergraduate studies, I went to study abroad in the United States, which was really like a hundred years ago, and I was in his research lab.

I started researching happiness, and somehow, happiness has now become a topic of interest. Through this scientific research, I have concluded that there are many aspects of happiness that differ significantly from our intuitive thoughts. I won't be able to cover everything in this short time, but I would like to share a few key points.

What I learned through the research is who tends to be happier. If you have 150 people or 100 people sitting here, there will be some who feel relatively happier and some who feel less happy. On average, if we were to rank them from 1st to 200th place, what do you think is the most important factor in predicting that 200th place? 

What do you think? It's not just about having a positive mindset; we know very specific metrics. To give you an idea of how specific these metrics are, one factor is eyesight. Does eyesight play a role? Not necessarily, but it turns out that a metric as specific as eyesight has a significant correlation with happiness.

We come to know this not through philosophical speculation but through consistent conclusions accumulated from thousands of papers. The first question is, Who is happy? If I were to ask my mother, What is the difference between happy people and those who are not? I think she might respond something like this: You have to study that. Happy people probably have a lot of good things in life. Yes, she would likely think that those who have less, such as money, fame, and health, would experience lower levels of happiness. My mother's perspective actually reflects the thoughts of many ordinary people. Therefore, as we strive to become happy, we work hard to earn money and achieve high status.

Is it true that people strive to rise in status? Earlier, we discussed the difference between being first and being two hundredth. The person who lives the most sparkling life is ranked first, while the one who lives the least shining life is ranked two hundredth. This may seem obvious, but four hundred years ago, a philosopher named Blaise Pascal made a significant point. He suggested that before we feel the desire for something we want, we should take a moment to observe. Observe how happy those who already possess what we desire are. This is a profound statement. For instance, if you want to own a Gucci item, stop and consider whether you would be happy just carrying it around. This is similar to the big questions we face in life.

Many people think that happiness is linked to external factors, such as flashy things or the money carried in bags. They believe that those who have empty bags are less happy. But is this really true? Early research, comprising thousands of studies involving millions of people, shows that the differences in happiness do not lie there. This finding is repeatedly emphasized. Yet, we still invest in these external factors, thinking they will make us happy. To put it in stock market terms, many people are investing in happiness stocks that do not yield any returns.

While I can't show you all the research, I can briefly highlight a few examples that demonstrate how objective factors do not correlate with happiness. I have displayed two slides: one showing the relationship between age and happiness. Our age can be considered an asset in life, especially youth.

As we think about certain assets, we often believe that happiness decreases as we age. However, it is a fact that as we grow older, it becomes difficult to maintain objective life conditions. Our classes diminish, our health declines, and we may lose a spouse or end up alone. While these objective conditions may deteriorate, data from around the world shows that happiness remains relatively stable. The idea that happiness decreases with aging due to declining objective conditions is a misconception; reality and our perceptions differ. 

Regarding the relationship between money and happiness, I would conclude that money is similar to vitamins. In regions like Africa, money is essential for happiness because, without it, survival is at stake. However, in countries with a GDP of over $10,000, our needs shift.

It's been a long time. Here, we can no longer predict individual happiness; it's like a vitamin. If there is a vitamin deficiency, it causes health problems, but taking a vitamin does not mean that consuming an excessive amount—like 40 pills a day—will make you healthier. Similarly, once you surpass the minimum deficiency level, it no longer has a significant impact on happiness, and in fact, it almost disappears. So, given that objective factors have limitations in predicting individual happiness, that itself was a significant research question from the start. Why is it so unrelated? Many people strive for happiness by making money and improving their health, but you might be surprised to learn that one of the least predictive factors of happiness is individual health. Health becomes an issue when it is lost, but you all walked in well this morning without any external encouragement, right? You walked in well, and every night when you go to sleep, you might think, Wow, today, without anyone pushing me...

I walked quite a bit today, and it made me really happy. Do you ever think that way? Not at all, right? Happiness is an emotional state that continuously adapts to changes, so it doesn't react to situations where there aren't significant changes. I wanted to show you a graph that encapsulates issues like the one we discussed earlier, but one thing we must keep in mind when understanding happiness is one of its properties related to human nature: we adapt very quickly to new things and don't feel emotional responses for long. When we move to a new house, we might think it will make us happy, but how much happiness does that new house really bring? It's not something that brings lifelong happiness; it lasts for about a week. Yet, we save money for 30 years for that one week. Naturally, our minds entertain such thoughts, but human emotions respond to new things and tend to fade after a few days.

So, in a certain room, there will be an event in my life that will make me happy for a lifetime. This reflects the mentality of Koreans. They believe that if they work hard and pass the exam, they will be happy. However, those who have passed the exam often find themselves feeling unhappy. Why? Because they tend to avoid the reality of their situation for a week after passing. This adaptation does not only happen in that context; it occurs in various areas. I wanted to show you that large data sets are necessary for longitudinal studies. What is a longitudinal study? It's not just about surveying a group of people every year. It involves asking 1,000 people and then tracking those same individuals year after year. This way, we can understand what events happen in their lives and how their happiness changes in response. However, there aren't many countries that have such longitudinal studies established. There are places with this kind of data, and I have some data from Germany.

I wanted to show you something, but it's a bit difficult. So, I'll provide you with some hypothetical data. Let me explain how it works. The Y-axis represents happiness, while the X-axis represents time. Imagine what you want to achieve in terms of creativity. This is the point we are focusing on. 

If we consider the time on the Y-axis, then if we say that this point is zero, it means that when experiencing an event, we are looking at the level of happiness. For example, one year ago, two years ago, and how happiness changes one year and two years later. This data illustrates how happiness evolves following various events. 

Among different events, let’s take marriage as an example. If we set marriage at this zero point, then after getting married, it seems like those who are married become much happier. There are people like Moses and others who have similar experiences. According to data collected from around 30,000 adults in Germany, this is significant.

A virtuous imaginary marriage slightly increases happiness starting a year before the wedding. How much does it increase? Well, it's like a game where it goes up by two levels. So, it goes up, and then there's Lee Gye-young. When we get married and watch Disney movies, it seems like our souls become happier, but surprisingly, if this happiness reaches zero, it starts to decline from the moment we leave the wedding venue based on the perspective of the spirit. So, it returns to the original point. Fortunately, thanks to our ability to adapt, we can recover from negative events we experience as humans. While significant events may last for weeks or even a year, the various events we feel in our daily lives tend to disappear in about forty days. The reason I mention this concept of adaptation is that objective life conditions subtly influence a person's happiness.

The term Reckless refers to something specific, but what's interesting is that if we imagine the overall sample, the area of the decision-making regarding marriage, which is marked in blue, starts at zero, rises slightly, and then falls again. What happens when there is a loss of a spouse? Naturally, it goes down, but even after the loss, it hits a low point and then rises again. However, what I really want to show you is a specific graph that I will present on the next slide. When we break down the overall sample, there are even more intriguing findings. This is fascinating because, in the overall data of 30,000 individuals, the pattern shows a slight rise and fall regarding marriage. But when we analyze the 30,000 individuals more closely, we see that not everyone follows this pattern. Some individuals rise and then remain at a certain level. How do we explore this further? There are those who rise and then stay at that level, while others...

Surprisingly, there are people whose happiness declines from the day their wedding date is set. After getting married, their happiness decreases even more. But the astonishing thing is that, in the overall sample, what percentage of people do you think experience a decline in happiness from the day their wedding date is set? It’s about one in three. Isn’t that surprising? Among those present here, there are individuals who have experienced a decline in happiness from the day their wedding was confirmed. To show a more stark personal difference, let's look at the impact of bereavement. In the case of bereavement, the overall sample shows a decline, but interestingly, from the moment a signal of bereavement is present, there are people whose happiness starts to increase, and it continues to rise even after the bereavement.

It's surprising, but how much of the total population do those people represent? Among the entire population, one out of three people is like that. Do those people have some kind of fundamental personality flaw? No, it's just that humans are made this way. There are all kinds of people. However, when we think about happiness, we often associate it with marriage, which makes us feel elevated, and with losing a spouse, which brings us down. But that's a huge misconception. Due to various factors such as individual differences and adaptation, it is almost impossible to predict happiness solely based on objective events or resources that a person experiences. It seems like we might not have enough time to delve into that, but it cannot be done. So, what is the natural question that arises? If objective conditions are not the decisive factors, then what determines the rankings from first to two hundredth place? What is it that makes the decision?

Many people have talked about happiness through various channels, but perhaps there are many here who are hearing this for the first time. So, I think this is a bit of a problem, and I really dislike being in situations like this, but I occasionally find myself in such circumstances. The joke I made earlier about vision is as important as happiness, and there are thousands of factors related to happiness. I'm not talking about just one of those thousands; rather, I want to discuss the proportion. For example, there is a slight difference in happiness between people who own pets and those who do not. People who own cats tend to have higher happiness levels. The key question is not whether there is a relationship, but how significant that relationship is. How much of a difference does owning a pet make in terms of happiness? To put it in perspective, if I were to compare it to a scale, I would say it has a weight of 200 units. Therefore, it is a significant variable.

What is that? Why is that person's happiness score so high? The biggest difference between those who are happy and those who are not is their level of extraversion. However, we often fail to recognize this, leading us to make incorrect interpretations. For example, if there were a quiz contest offering a prize of 100,000 won to the person who can best guess the happiness rankings of 200 individuals, I would provide one piece of information about each participant. In order to win that contest, the score you would need to ask for is that person's extraversion score. Because we don't know this, we mistakenly look for happiness in other areas. For instance, let's consider an example: while walking down the street, if a middle-aged gentleman in a fancy car smiles and waves at you, what do we think?

Ah, indeed, it's so nice to be driving a good car; it makes me happy. I also hope to get another better car soon. We are in our fifth session, but the truth is that the person smiling is not doing so because of the car. They are actually a very extroverted person getting out of a nice car. Even if they were taking public transport, they would still be smiling like that. However, we often overlook this and focus too much on flashy appearances and external factors, which leads to a complete failure in my pursuit of happiness. The importance of extroversion is one of the most significant personal traits. But where does this personal trait come from? Ah, let's see... Yes, it comes from genetics. So, when I say it's genetic...

I had prepared a few slides to show you, but now, regarding previous genetic factors, we first need to address the misconception that genetic traits do not change. Many people, including some psychologists, often mistakenly assert this. The idea that something is genetic does not mean it is unchangeable. What it means is that there is a significant degree of genetic characteristics involved from the beginning, which can explain why individuals have different abilities without any effort. For instance, some people have a natural aptitude for navigation while others do not, which can be attributed to spatial reasoning that has a genetic basis. However, even those who may not have a strong sense of direction can improve their navigation skills through various methods and training. Change is possible, and what we are discussing is whether transformation can occur.

There is a reason why there are individual differences in happiness. Some people have a naturally higher or lower sense of happiness due to their inherent temperament. Generally, those who are more extroverted tend to have a brighter disposition. Psychologists study this using identical and fraternal twins. Fraternal twins share 50% of their genes, while identical twins share 100%. In such cases, researchers look at the experiences of identical twins who were adopted at birth and raised separately. For example, there are identical twins, Mike and Pointer, who were adopted right after birth. They lived until the age of thirty. While their genes are the same, the environments in which they were raised are quite different. A control group for comparison can be formed using fraternal twins.

Identical twins share 50% of their genes, but they grow up in the same household for their entire lives. So, what is the difference when we compare them to the fraternal twins mentioned earlier? Identical twins have more similar genes than fraternal twins, and since fraternal twins did not grow up in the same household, they have different environmental experiences. When we gather thousands of adult twins and measure various traits between them, we observe how similar they are in areas such as spatial abilities, musical talent, language skills, and even happiness levels. In conclusion, identical twins who grew up apart and had no knowledge of each other's existence tend to have much more similar levels of happiness and psychological traits than fraternal twins who were raised in the same household. This suggests that while genes play a significant role, we must first consider that the largest piece of the puzzle is indeed genetics.

Many of you might wonder why I am the one you are talking to. The reason is that when we discuss happiness, the stories we hear often come from self-help books or other commercial avenues. In those cases, they usually talk about what the general public wants to hear. Of course, I agree 120% that we should think positively; it's good to have a positive mindset. However, there is also a significant genetic component to this. 

Now, why do I bring this up? Have you ever thought about why self-help books become bestsellers? Books that say happiness is inherited or that we should accept our fate don't sell well. Happiness, they say, can be achieved by clapping our hands every morning. This sounds a bit conditional. So, what is the problem with this? People read those books and feel inspired. They clap their hands every morning for a year, thinking it will change their personality.

What will happen? Ah, only my hands will get hurt, right? Well, if it ends there, it would be fortunate, but I start to feel a sense of self-loathing. Am I living my life wrong? Not only that, but a significant portion of my vision is narrow, and I have bad teeth. A considerable part of it is, oh, it's all about perspective. Happiness is similar; being happy is considered a good life and an excellent life. There are strange societal ideals that go along with that. But these feelings, which can seem nonsensical, all have their value. There is happiness, there is joy, and there is sadness. When someone asks the big question, Who is happy? it's not necessarily the rich or the healthy. Especially for those who are very extroverted, the answer is not always straightforward. So, happiness can sometimes feel elusive. There are many samples worldwide, including in Korea, and even in daily life, what are we doing now?

Keep asking. Look at things like KakaoTalk. It's not exactly KakaoTalk, but if you ask something on mobile, you can ask thousands of people about how happy they are while having lunch or riding the subway at the same time. You could ask this question ten times a day to thousands of people. So, with the accumulated data, humans can identify that the happiest moments in their daily lives overwhelmingly occur when they talk with friends. Why are extroverted people happier? It's not because they have a lot of happy DNA in their brains; rather, it's about their inherent traits. First of all, they endlessly seek stimulation from other people. It's not that they inherently like people, but rather, to put it simply, they experience a kind of stimulation deficiency. Among the many stimuli they seek, one of the most important is human interaction, which significantly increases their perception of happiness as a byproduct.

In daily life, when asked about the happiest moments in their lives, people often reflect on special experiences they had with others. Now, if we relate this to our third big question, which is why social experiences are so important to humans, you might find yourself pondering this a bit. Some might say, I’m an extrovert, but I also enjoy being alone. That’s possible. While it’s true that extroverted people are generally happier, it's extremely rare to find someone who is below average in happiness. It’s not that extroverted people are unhappy; rather, it’s that introverted people, contrary to popular belief, can also find joy in solitude. For instance, when introverted individuals are alone...

When eating ramen alone and with friends, humans tend to enjoy it more with friends. Surprisingly, introverts experience a greater increase in happiness when with friends compared to extroverts. This suggests that introverts do not dislike people; rather, they prefer to engage with a small, comfortable group. It is a misconception to think that social experiences do not enhance their happiness. On the other hand, extroverts naturally seek out experiences that elevate their happiness, as they possess certain traits and attitudes that contribute to this. Ultimately, social experiences are incredibly important. Those who study happiness are well aware of this fact.

What is the current debate about? Why do you provide such social experiences? I have been contemplating this issue, and I recall that Aristotle believed happiness is the purpose of life. This is a question that cannot be resolved through mere flashy thinking. Recently, psychology, along with other social sciences, is experiencing a new paradigm and perspective that may be difficult for you to grasp, but it is evolution theory. Psychology is increasingly aligning itself with biological life. When we look at the larger picture, we must ask why, as living beings, we have these traits and why we have lived on this Earth for six million years. How did we come to survive? To understand this, we need to take a broader view, and there are many insights provided by evolutionary theory.

I am not an expert in evolution, but at first, I thought about it broadly. Then, gradually, like a drizzle soaking through, I began to reconsider human happiness from this perspective. Our third question is: Why do humans feel happiness? Many of the stories you encounter discuss how to become happy. However, before addressing the how, we need to recognize that it is a somewhat superficial issue. To approach it in that context, we must return to Aristotle's ideas. He spoke of the purpose of life, but think about it: among all the living beings on Earth, is there any creature that considers increasing happiness as its purpose for survival? For example, if you ask a migratory bird flying south, Why are you going south? would it respond, To find happiness? This concept is something humans have created.

Is there a living being among these creatures for whom happiness itself is the purpose of life? In the past, philosophers believed that humans, without a doubt, were qualitatively different from other living beings on Earth. They thought that pursuing a certain mental state was what defined the purpose of our lives. However, this is a highly romanticized and self-centered view of humanity. While it is true that humans are different from other animals, the main difference is not that significant—it's primarily our higher intelligence. Yet, ultimately, all living beings on Earth, whether they are aware of it or not, consciously or unconsciously, pursue the same ultimate goal: survival and the reproduction of their genes. Are humans an exception to this? Certainly not. The only difference is that we solve this task in a much more complex way compared to other species. It seems like we are going to an indirect and somewhat absurd conclusion, but in fact, we are slightly retreating, and in that moment, within our hearts...

후태에서 내년에 가려고 하는 거예요. 이에 높은 지능이 가능하게 하는데, 결국 우리도 궁극적으로는 행복이라고 하는 것이 아니라 생존과 유전자를 남기고, 또 유전자를 가진 나의 자식이 성공적으로 개를 양육시켜서 다음 세대까지 대물림을 해줄 수 있을 때까지 부분으로써 양육시키는 게 엄청난 일이에요. 그 문제를 이제 해결하기 위함인데, 그럼 행복은 여기에 어떻게 들어야 할까요? 행복은 이 생물학적 문제들, 생존과 재생산의 문제를 해결하는 데 있어서 결정적인 역할을 하는 일종의 도구입니다. 비유하자면, 우리 뇌에서 돌아가는 일종의 소프트웨어와 같아요. 감정이 고장 나면, 보장받지 못했던 사람들은 이 자리에 지금 없거든요. 이런 생물학적인 과제, 어떤 도구다, 이런 것들을 보여드리는 약간의 슬라이드가 필요한데, 다시 여러분들의 상상력을 빌리겠습니다.

This is an example. Imagine you are crossing a desert, and I show you two objects. Which one would you prefer? One is a refreshing drink, and the other is something spoiled. Let's say I show you these two objects. When you look at them, do you feel an urge to approach one of them? It's obvious, right? We have spoiled food and fresh fruit, and when we see them, we instinctively feel pleasure or a sense of well-being. This reaction is something that activates in our brains. 

Now, let’s pose an easy question about this phenomenon: Why do we find one option more appealing than the other? For instance, 600,000 years ago, among our Homo sapiens, if we had a choice between a slightly rotten banana on one side and a fresh fruit on the other, we would obviously choose the fresh one.

I want to raise this issue, but this person is serious, not joking. They say to hit this dog, which is a bit hard to understand. Where is the chaos? It's John. It's delicious when Dad is rotten, but this person is sincere. What do you think happens to such unique individuals? They all die, right? The feelings of like or dislike in humans arise from the question of why we have them. This is to approach understanding. It's not just out of boredom. The experiences of pleasure and discomfort have been crucial for our survival over the past 600 million years. They help us distinguish between beneficial and harmful things, which is vital for our survival and reproduction. So, when we talk about emotions, pleasurable feelings are essential for your survival. On the other hand, unpleasant feelings, like fear, help to protect and shelter us.

When we get closer, we feel fear, but what happens to those who have never felt the emotions of pleasure and fear? They end up falling and dying, and now they are gone. Many people have had a tendency to be overly dramatic and scared. Displeasure helps us to escape, while emotions related to happiness—what is happiness? It’s not something physical or tangible. Happiness doesn’t exist as a word itself. When we talk about happiness, we refer to stimuli that induce pleasure, such as goals and achievements. So, what is the core of happiness? It’s the stimulation of pleasure. Therefore, feeling happy means that the pleasure centers in a person’s brain are activated more frequently on average.

Whatever the reason may be, when we examined those who struggle to feel happy, we found that their happiness levels were low. The key question is: why does this happen? The core discussion revolves around how we perceive happiness. It's not just about feeling bored; it's about biologically designed mechanisms that push us to pursue essential needs for survival. If we desire to feel happier, we must consider how to keep that metaphorical light bulb lit. This bulb lights up when something vital for survival is exciting and worth pursuing. So, if we think about it inversely, what have humans, Homo sapiens, needed most for survival over the past six million years?

This light bulb is what it is currently chasing. So, what does that mean? Needless to say, the first thing is food. Therefore, there is hardly any pleasure that can surpass the joy of eating. The reason we hunt and farm ultimately comes down to the pleasure we feel when we eat in a state of hunger. For instance, when I have hunted rabbits for three days and finally eat them after being hungry, that ecstatic feeling is indescribable. If, for some reason, I cannot feel that ecstatic pleasure, then I might as well not hunt at all. However, if I do hunt, I would share my catch with my neighbors. What happens to these wonderful gentlemen? In reality, they have all died. Here, only those of us with a certain level of gluttony have survived. What is this gluttony? It is pleasure.

Now, the second point is that this is the core of survival. If you think about this, you could say that you understand the essence of happiness. As Homo sapiens, we had another resource that was as crucial to our survival as food. What was that? It was other Homo sapiens. Those who could not associate and be together with others inevitably died. It is said that humans have survived in groups of about thirty people. Scholars suggest that if problems arose, such as being ostracized, it could lead to issues like sharing food, helping with childbirth, or becoming prey for lions. The most serious issue was that if one wandered alone, they could not find a mate to pass on their genes. Therefore, solitary groups inevitably became extinct. We, on the other hand, are the descendants who have selectively survived through generations.

Successful individuals tend to have significantly higher social skills compared to the average Homo sapiens. They are people who navigate life well. The human brain is afraid of certain things, such as hunger, which can be quite terrifying. Additionally, there is the fear of being alone; being alone can feel like a death sentence. This may seem extreme in our modern world, but let me give you an example. There are vampire bats, which are oddly shaped creatures that I have brought pictures of. They look quite bizarre, but they have fangs like Dracula, making them truly frightening. Their main diet consists of blood; they hunt at night and feed on livestock. The mothers return to their caves and share the blood with their young. This is part of their daily life, but there are days when these bats go out hunting and, of course, come back empty-handed.

Then, we couldn't hunt. We entered the cave, but the kids were in a frenzy, asking for food. That day, the mother was out of blood. At that moment, these kids did something incredible. What did they do? They thought to give their own blood. This is a good and very reasonable thought, but in my view, this is something that many Korean mothers would find alarming. The kids did something even more astonishing; they went to the neighbor's house to ask for help. They said, Mom, our friends are in trouble, and we need more blood. The mother came over and helped us out. I wanted to show you this graph, but these kids can remember who they donated blood to, when, and how much, almost like a computer. What does it mean to be friends in the wild? It's not just chatting; it's about ensuring survival.

In the case of the average lifespan of those who are not very bright, it differs by about three to four years. At that time, it’s not about trying to solve the brightness issue; rather, it’s a matter of social isolation. A few years ago, I nodded in agreement while reading an article in the New York Times. Currently, in American society, before the COVID pandemic, do you know what the leading cause of social isolation is? It’s social isolation itself. Even now, the leading cause of death is isolation. While there are direct causes of death, if you look at the overall population, those who live alone are much more likely to develop cancer. When someone gets cancer, who survives and who doesn’t? It’s often those who are alone. If you look at all the data, the single factor with the greatest death risk is still being alone. So, as I mentioned...

As you mentioned, what is the most terrifying emotion for humans? It’s loneliness. I find it a bit disappointing because I had prepared various files to show you extreme examples. About five years ago, there was a case in a large city in the United States, where a single man in his late thirties named GF was living. After breaking up with his girlfriend in the fall, he struggled with loneliness and thought, I can't take this anymore, and took extreme measures. What he did was print a flyer on A4 paper using his home printer, saying, Anyone who wants to talk to me, please call me, along with his phone number. He printed this flyer and walked around New York City, posting it everywhere. Just imagine that.

In Jongno, feeling lonely, I stopped by a payphone. Surprisingly, over 70,000 people have called that phone number. It's not just in the United States; calls have come in from all over the world. Interestingly, one more call has been recorded from Korea. Has anyone among you called Jeff? With so many people calling Jeff, what do you think they talked about? Should we bet on stocks? No, they probably talked about similar things. I feel lonely too. The most difficult and unbearable emotion for humans is loneliness because being alone feels like facing death. This is why social isolation is so challenging. What is it that the human brain actively seeks out, as important as food? It's people. Why do we bring this up? It turns out that extroverted individuals tend to have a different experience. Why is that? Extroverted people are like the main switch that turns on the happiness bulb.

일상에서 깔아놓고 살고 있어요. 그래서 확률적으로 이게 자꾸 켜지는 어떤 것들이 있는데, 그건 무슨 얘기냐면, 내 행복감이 좀 높지 않다고 생각하는 사람들은 일종의 모방이 필요해요. 결코 좋은 차를 지금 사는 게 포인트가 아니라, 행복감은 이 뇌에서 만들어지는 거예요. 그 인 외에 총의 관심사는 본래 21세기와 맞춰진 뇌가 아니라, 수백만 년 동안 우리의 생존 가능성을 높여왔던 뇌에게 있어서 절대적으로 중요한 것은 기본적인 의식주 문제와 같은 것이었습니다. 다른 호모 사피엔스의 번영에 대해서도 마찬가지입니다. 이 부분이 뭐가 깨졌는지 힘들죠. 그래서 오늘 제가 드리려고 했던 몇 가지 이야기를 정리하자면, 첫째, 저 처음 해보는 것인데 나쁘지 않았죠. 슬라이드 없이 힘들었습니다. 그런데 어쨌든 제가 전달해 드리려고 했던 큰 포인트 중 하나는 첫째입니다.

Happiness is not an abstract concept. One more thing I would like to briefly comment on is that for many people, happiness sounds very grand, and pursuing happiness often feels quite difficult. I believe this is because people tend to confuse a happy life with a valuable life, which are related but fundamentally different kinds of lives. So, what is the difference? A valuable life is one that is meaningful and worthwhile. Being a happy person is not the same as living a valuable life. However, many people, especially philosophers, tend to associate the concept of a valuable life with happiness in modern times. It's important to understand what is important to me; this is a personal choice, but it is necessary to recognize that these concepts are different. This is especially true in Korean society, where the evaluation of others is extremely important.

We say we pursue a happy life, but when you think about it, we often live to create a life that earns the admiration of others. Our lives are based on others' evaluations. However, the more we pursue this kind of life, the greater the chance that our personal enjoyment and happiness will decrease. So, we might create a seemingly perfect life, yet feel unhappy. Why is that? 

This is because we have chosen one path, thinking it is the only option, while there are actually two different paths. The essence of happiness is not based on others' evaluations but rather on my own emotions. If I feel good, then it's good for me. I enjoy dipping my noodles in sauce; it's about my own preference. Many lives are filled with high levels of happiness. 

In conclusion, what I want to show is that happiness is something I have been discussing today. While I’m not claiming it to be definitive, I believe it can be succinctly represented in our daily lives.

Imagine a scene where people are eating together. The experience of having a meal with good people is so valuable. However, in Korean society, there are many unpleasant dining experiences. For example, when dining with in-laws or having to deal with workplace superiors, it's not just a joke; the level of happiness in our society is not as high compared to our income levels. Among many reasons, one that cannot be overlooked is the pressure of having to spend a significant part of our lives with people we don't particularly like. There are very few societies where the stress is as high as this. It suggests that happiness is often seen as a mere exchange, but in reality, people seek the greatest happiness.

It's a token, but it's also the biggest token of stress and unhappiness. Recently, I’ve been wondering why I prefer to eat alone. It's not because I like it; rather, I think I'd rather eat alone than deal with the stress of being around others. We often confuse this. There are many people around us who bring stress and exhaustion rather than positivity. This is similar for some Koreans, as well as in countries like China and Singapore, where a significant reason for low happiness levels lies. 

Finally, whether it's you or me, we don’t necessarily think about happiness all the time. However, at some point in our lives, we do ponder it. For instance, while driving, I found myself stuck at a traffic light today and thought, Am I happy right now? I realized that even though there’s no particular issue with voting rates, I still don’t feel very happy.

이런 생각을 누구나 할 텐데, 그때 이강이를 기억하세요. 그때 머릿속에서 떠올려야 하는 첫 번째 체크포인트는 아까 그런 장면, 사람들과 밥을 먹고 담소하고 노는 장면이 내 현재 일상에서 얼마나 자주 있는지 생각해 보셔야 한다는 것입니다. 내가 아무리 작은 승진을 했던, 뭘 했던 간에, 나는 저런 게 없고 혼자서 호텔에 살고 있다면, 이런 인생은 여러 영역에서 성취는 높이 했을지 몰라도 행복은 절대로 느끼지 못합니다. 거꾸로, 마음의 별 것도 없어요. 그런데 늘 저런 일을, 일 년에 한 번 큰 잔치를 한다는 게 아니라, 가랑비처럼 들이치는 친구든 가족이든, 연인이든 저런 것이 있으면, 떡볶이라도 뭐든, 가득 찬 사람들의 삶은 행복이 굉장히 높습니다. 제가 오늘 드릴 말씀은 짧은 시간에...

Rather than our personal opinions, I would like to share significant findings accumulated from happiness research over the past 30 years. When we really squeeze out the essence of what happiness is and connect it to recent macro psychological perspectives, the conclusion is quite clear: the key to happiness is people. If we neglect this, it becomes difficult to feel a sense of happiness. With this thought, I will conclude my lecture. Thank you.

[GMC풀강연] 누가 언제 왜 행복한가 - 서은국 교수

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