True happiness: The role of morality in the folk concept of happiness

Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 146 (2):165-181 (2017)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

Recent scientific research has settled on a purely descriptive definition of happiness that is focused solely on agents’ psychological states (high positive affect, low negative affect, high life satisfaction). In contrast to this understanding, recent research has suggested that the ordinary concept of happiness is also sensitive to the moral value of agents’ lives. Five studies systematically investigate and explain the impact of morality on ordinary assessments of happiness. Study 1 demonstrates that moral judgments influence assessments of happiness not only for untrained participants, but also for academic researchers and even in those who study happiness specifically. Studies 2 and 3 then respectively ask whether this effect may be explained by general motivational biases or beliefs in a just world. In both cases, we find evidence against these explanations. Study 4 shows that the impact of moral judgments cannot be explained by changes in the perception of descriptive psychological states. Finally, Study 5 compares the impact of moral and non-moral value, and provides evidence that unlike non-moral value, moral value is part of the criteria that govern the ordinary concept of happiness. Taken together, these studies provide a specific explanation of how and why the ordinary concept of happiness deviates from the definition used by researchers studying happiness.

Similar books and articles

The Good in Happiness.Jonathan Phillips, Sven Nyholm & Shen-yi Liao - 2014 - In Tania Lombrozo, Shaun Nichols & Joshua Knobe (eds.), Oxford Studies in Experimental Philosophy, Volume 1. Oxford University Press. pp. 253–293.
What is this thing called happiness?Fred Feldman - 2010 - New York: Oxford University Press.
Kant on Happiness in the Moral Life.Gary Watson - 1983 - Philosophy Research Archives 9:79-108.
The value of happiness.Ryan Doherty - 2009 - Emergent Australasian Philosophers 2 (1):1-8.
"Happiness" and Economics.Mark Chekola - 2007 - The Proceedings of the Twenty-First World Congress of Philosophy 5:175-180.
In defense of the hedonistic account of happiness.Stephen Morris - 2011 - Philosophical Psychology 24 (2):261-281.
The problem of happiness in moral philosophy.M. Fula - 2004 - Filozofia 59 (2):110-123.
Inequality and happiness.Bernard van Praag & Ada Ferrer-I.-Carbonell - 2009 - In Wiemer Salverda, Brian Nolan & Timothy M. Smeeding (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Economic Inequality. Oxford University Press.
Negative Happiness.Adam Barkman - 2009 - Kritike 3 (1):72-77.
Meaning and Happiness.Antti Kauppinen - 2013 - Philosophical Topics 41 (1):161-185.
Happiness is an Emotion.Alan H. Goldman - 2017 - The Journal of Ethics 21 (1):1-16.
On Happiness.Hon-Lam Li - 2011 - World Policy Journal:4-5.
Happiness and pleasure.Daniel M. Haybron - 2001 - Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 62 (3):501-528.

Analytics

Added to PP
2016-11-16

Downloads
2,177 (#3,633)

6 months
136 (#20,853)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author Profiles

Jonathan Phillips
Dartmouth College
Christian Mott
Columbia University
Joshua Knobe
Yale University

References found in this work

Natural goodness.Philippa Foot - 2001 - New York: Oxford University Press.
Meaning in Life and Why It Matters.Susan Wolf - 2010 - Princeton University Press.
Meaning in Life and Why It Matters (Markus Rüther).Susan Wolf - 2011 - Philosophischer Literaturanzeiger 64 (3):308.

View all 32 references / Add more references