The Goal -- to Flourish
Most of us sense generally what Flourishing is about -- living a full life and enjoying well-being. ZZense Technology uses the word "Flourish" to stand for our Goal in life. It's key to clarify our vision into the elements that make up Flourishing so we can steer a clear course toward them. Otherwise we wander through life. We hope that at the end, when we look back, we've encountered the right elements on our wandering and like where we've been. We leave it to chance, and research shows the chances are not so good as we might like.
For example, research examined surveys of 43,000 Europeans of 22 nations and found that the percent of each country's citizens Flourishing was a high of 41% in Denmark, distant second of 30% in Switzerland, and down to 9% in Slovakia, Russia and Portugal. Further, in developing countries, there is an epidemic of depression with prevalence about 5 to 10 times that of a century ago. Frighteningly, depression is striking at younger ages, especially adolescents.
What Flourishing Is and Is Not
So, what is Flourishing, exactly? Is it feeling good? Being successful? Powerful? Rich, with the most toys? Athletic? Popular? Loved? Physically beautiful? Loving and caring? In touch with nature? Is it visiting exotic places? Doing the spectacular or extreme? Finishing a bucket list? Having an impressive house? Common sense tells us that "things like that" might make up Flourishing, but most of us will feel the list of items above isn't quite right. Some things are missing, and some are traps that distract and lead to unfulfilling lives.
Worse, there are unattainably many "things like that". Are we resigned to never keeping up with the Jones and the feeling of "not making it"? Or in our headlong rush to "make it", are we spending our children's future? Are we plunging our families and nations into inescapable debts, monetary and otherwise? We don't need a bucket list of one hundred esoteric check-offs, we need something manageable and inherently valuable!
Clear understanding of Flourishing's component elements is akin to understanding the meaning of life. Philosophers and religions have considered this question for thousands of years. Tongue-in-cheek, the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy proposed "42" as the answer. More seriously, over two thousand years ago the Greek philosopher Aristotle in his Nicomachean Ethics set down the concepts of eudaimonia -- literally "good spirit" -- that ring remarkably true even today.
Martin Seligman PhD and Positive Psychology
Martin Seligman PhD is an esteemed psychologist with a background in philosophy. He is a Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, popular author, Guggenheim Fellowship awardee, past President of the American Psychological Association (APA), and co-founder of the field of Positive Psychology which now includes thousands of colleagues. By the way, Positive Psychology is not "positive thinking" -- it does not mean wearing smiley-face "Be Happy" buttons, or reciting "I can do it".
Many core ideas of zZense Technology are due to Dr. Seligman and his Positive Psychology colleagues, and in turn, their thinking has roots with Aristotle. This website hopes to provide value by summarizing and condensing a multitude of consistent ideas into a single compact place, thus making them efficiently accessible. And, you are invited to enjoy the referenced source materials which speak more authoritatively.
Six Elements of Flourishing
Dr. Seligman's book Flourish presents latest thinking based on work at his University of Pennsylvania research center and other Positive Psychology researchers. He shows that Flourishing is not simply feeling good -- what some call being happy. It is broader, deeper and richer. He describes five elements under the acronym PERMA.
- PosEmotion -- joyfulness and pleasant life, "feeling good"
- Engagement -- being "in the zone" with one's activities
- Relationships -- with other people that are supportive and authentic
- Meaning -- part of something greater than oneself
- Achievement -- accomplishing worthy deeds, moving the world forward
As one would expect considering that Dr. Seligman's field is psychology, these five elements are within the domain of the mind. What about the physical body? There is convincing evidence that these five PERMA elements have far greater impact on health and the body than commonly acknowledged in the Western world. This impact is consistent with thousands of years of Eastern medical theory and today's Holistic Medicine practitioners.
Common sense informs us that, completing a virtuous cycle, health and the physical body also have great impact on the mind. They are critical to Flourishing. Among others, Positive Psychology practitioner Emiliya Zhivotovskaya, MAPP, a student of Dr. Seligman and founder of The Flourishing Center in New York City, explicitly identifies a sixth element of Flourishing:
- Vitality -- healthy physical practices and energy
All six elements of Flourishing under the acronym PERMA-V are important in zZense Technology.
Some thinkers equate Flourishing simply with "happiness". They may feel that pleasure or PosEmotion encompasses the good feelings one gets from Engagement, Relationships, etc. However, like Dr. Seligman, zZense Technology sees great value in resolving Flourishing into its component elements. That allows us to more clearly see our Goal. It gives us specifics toward which we can guide our lives.
PosEmotion
PosEmotion is a short term for what Dr. Seligman calls "positive emotion" -- happy thoughts, living the pleasant life, and feeling good. The Epicurean philosophy of Ancient Greece sought a life of pleasure, and freedom from pain and distress -- very much the same thing as PosEmotion. This desire for maximal pleasure and minimal pain also shaped the Utilitarian philosophy of Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill.
Many people initially think that PosEmotion is all there is to Flourishing. Certainly there is nothing wrong with PosEmotion, except in the view of strong ascetics. However, most will agree with the persuasive arguments detailed by Dr. Seligman and numerous others that there is more to it.
PosEmotion is the first element of Flourishing.
Engagement
Engagement is "being in the zone" -- a single-minded, complete absorption in an activity. It is the same as the term flow suggested by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi. During Engagement, emotions are positive, energized, and aligned with the task at hand. Often there is a feeling of joy or even rapture, and time seems to disappear from consciousness.
Many of us experience Engagement when, for example, playing sports or having sex. We can increase Flourishing by becoming more engaged in activities throughout life -- whether it's digging a hole to plant a new tree, or a project at work. Maybe even changing diapers.
Engagement is the second element of Flourishing.
Relationship
Relationship means warm and supportive bonds to other human beings in family, business, and community. Probably most of us agree about the importance of good Relationships. Unfortunately having good Relationships isn't always so easy.
Sometimes a challenge is that we don't work hard enough on our Relationships. Our busy lives never seem to have enough time for everything, and Relationships seem less urgent. We don't hear the wheel squeaking until it falls off.
To help us boost Relationship priority, consider the Harvard Grant Study which followed the lives of 268 male Harvard undergraduates for 75 years. Harvard psychiatrist George E. Vaillant directed the study from 1972 until 2004 and wrote Triumphs of Experience: The Men of the Harvard Grant Study. Regarding life satisfaction viewed from the perspective of a long life, he says "The conclusion of the study, not in a medical but in a psychological sense, is that connection is the whole shooting match".
Pervasive smart gadgets and social media raise new questions. Do Relationships with gadgets count? What about having 500+ "friends" rarely heard in voice or seen in person? Does quantity substitute for quality?
Relationship is the third element of Flourishing.
Meaning
Meaning in life is belonging to and serving something greater than oneself, eg, a cause, religion, or institution. Incorporation of Meaning into life gives purpose and a sense of value.
What is truly Meaningful, and what is not? Perhaps one of the overriding themes of psychology is that accuracy of beliefs is important. For example, a college student may believe that being part of late-night dorm bull sessions is deeply "Meaningful". With perspective of later life, he may see them as pointless gibberish high on marijuana. We want to prudently invest into Meaning that will stand the test of time and reality.
Meaning is the fourth element of Flourishing.
Achievement
Achievement is doing and completing -- accomplishment and success. In some cases it involves winning. In most cases it involves goals and overcoming challenges.
The admonition "do, not have" is relevant. Achievement, that is, doing, is a direct element of Flourishing, while having money, toys, houses, etc is not. Having expensive or nice things is not bad but it's never enough. Those things may be symbols of someone's Achievement, but they can't substitute for Achievements of our own.
Achievement moves the world forward. It seems sensible that the forces of evolution selected mankind to be an Achieving animal, and endowed him with a sense of well-being in response to Achievement.
Achievement sometimes gets a bad rap. For example, visualize the business tycoon who sacrifices all in pursuit of the almighty dollar. On the other hand, there are those who talk but never do. A key theme in ZZense Technology is finding the happy medium -- the Golden Mean described by Aristotle.
Achievement is the fifth element of Flourishing.
Vitality
Vitality is being physically active, having healthy practices and a physical zest for life. Beneficial physical activity runs the gamut from simply taking a few flights of stairs, to regular "get up and stretch" breaks during desk work, to serious exercise and the resulting runner's high. Healthy practices likewise range far and wide, from what we eat, to temperance in bodily pleasures having harmful health effects. In any case, Vitality feeds the virtuous cycle, increasingly appreciated in the Western world, between physical wellness and mental and emotional well-being.
Ancient Chinese and Japanese traditions refer to vital energy as Qi (pronounced "chi") and Ki. These traditions view Vitality as central to Flourishing -- the definitive ingredient. It's importance is so great that tens of millions practice Qi Gong although it is relatively unknown in the Western world. Qi Gong is a tradition to promote physical health and cultivate Qi. It consists of almost-magical "moving meditation" routines which simultaneously stretch and strengthen the physical body while tuning balance and mental focus.
Vitality is the sixth element of Flourishing. While the first five "PERMA" elements of Flourishing relate mostly to the mind, Vitality "V" relates primarily to the physical body.
PERMA-V is the Goal -- Now What?
We now have a clear, detailed and actionable vision of our Goal. The basic Goal, Flourishing, is resolved into six key PERMA-V elements.
ZZense Technology is descriptive rather than prescriptive. It doesn't prescribe that any one person should attempt to maximize all elements equally, or that one element is more valuable than another. Individual personality, preference, and situation leads each of us to more of one, less of another. The value of this first part of the technology is specifically resolving, describing and understanding the elements. We can then assess clearly where we stand regarding each element. We know where we are trying to head.
So... how to reach that Goal? How to increase these elements of Flourishing? The next folio is the second part of ZZense Technology -- familiarity with the Toolkit inside each of us.
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