Perhaps at the forefront of the questions the 21st century seeks to answer is happiness. As new research on this topic is shared with the public every day, psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan's proposed 3A formula for achieving happiness draws attention. Emphasizing the importance of 'Meaning, Purpose, Friend' in happiness, Tarhan underscores the necessity of a balanced use of logical, emotional, and social intelligence. Stating, "Happiness is successfully establishing a healthy relationship between our expectations and what we achieve," Tarhan points out that every age has a dimension to capture happiness, and one should have a garden in every season.
Üsküdar University Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, pointed out the importance of May 6 Radio Day, reminding that Turkish radio broadcasting began on May 6, 1927. Noting that Turkey is celebrating the 95th anniversary of radio broadcasting this year, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, "One of Turkey's important technical achievements in modernization has been realized. New generations tend to dismiss radio when it's mentioned. But at that time, discovering radio broadcasting, and being able to achieve it with various transmitters and reflectors, was as significant an event as establishing a country in space today."
Future Generations Must Take It Further
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan also stated that something new should be added to every new development, emphasizing that important duties fall especially on future generations. Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, "I believe new generations should take this further and develop it better. We must have a goal. Our goal should not be to be content with what has been achieved, but to add new things."
Happiness Must Also Have a Prescription
Participating in the Ailece program broadcast on TRT Radyo1, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said that happiness, like the treatment of diseases, also has a prescription. Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, "People have a search for happiness and the problem of unhappiness. When we look, it goes back to Socrates, Aristotle, Plato. The topics they discussed were about happiness. The original mastermind was Socrates. Aristotle, on the other hand, put this into writing."
Chasing Meaning is True Happiness
Noting that Aristotle divided happiness into two, the first being hedonistic happiness, which is pursuing pleasure and being able to experience pleasures in action, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, "Aristotle sees this happiness as temporary happiness. He states that the happiness that truly makes a person happy is Eudaimonia happiness. He says that Eudaimonia happiness is about pursuing a meaning, an ideal. Eudaimonia happiness is considered the sum of actions tied to meaningful ideals. This creates lasting happiness in a person, while the other provides temporary happiness." he said.
Happiness is a Process…
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan noted that in cases of temporary happiness, a person falls into sadness after a while when the thing that made them happy ends. "When good days pass, even their ending gives a person sadness. The end of sadness, however, gives pleasure. Happiness is not situational; happiness is a process. This process needs to be managed. It is important to manage the process of happiness correctly." he said.
Popular Culture Encourages Deceptive Happiness
Emphasizing the necessity of having a life philosophy related to happiness for proper happiness process management, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, "Happiness is not living relentlessly, doing whatever you want, tearing down walls, breaking chains, or living as you please. This is deceptive happiness. The capitalist system and popular culture encourage this happiness to increase consumption. They force people to live within a 'earn and spend' cycle. They say, 'Earn, spend, have fun, work 5 days, have fun 2 days.' This is currently the life philosophy of the average person in the US. If they can't have fun on the weekend, or if their child is sick, or if something negative happens, they feel very bad."
California Syndrome Makes Unhappy
Emphasizing that hedonistic happiness does not make people happy, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, "In fact, there is a syndrome for those who aim for this happiness but fail to achieve it. Its name is California Syndrome. Since California Syndrome is very common in California, a lot of happiness research is conducted there. What Antalya is for us, California is for the US, in terms of entertainment. People there have many things, they have fun, they live very fast. All of this exists, yet people are still not happy."
You Cannot Be Happy in the Kingdom of Selfishness
Noting that unhappy people have a second characteristic, which is called egocentrism, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, "Happiness in the kingdom of selfishness is fake. A selfish pursuit of happiness becomes a fake pursuit of happiness. If you live in the kingdom of selfishness, you cannot be happy. You might be happy at that moment, but because you cannot sustain and control it, you will feel worse when it slips away. There's a famous American actor who made a statement, 'This old age is a terrible thing, I want euthanasia.' Euthanasia is legal in Canada. You apply to a doctor for euthanasia. It's a type of suicide. The person lived fast but cannot continue the same way after aging. If only his philosophy of happiness were correct..."
You Will Have a Garden in Every Season…
Emphasizing that every age has a dimension to capture happiness, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, "If you want to live like an 18-20 year old, this is not realistic, it's not possible. So what should be done? You will have a garden in every season, and in that garden, there will be a tree that blossoms every season. If you see life this way, you will succeed in being happy in childhood, adolescence, middle age, and old age; you will find something to be happy about. They ask a 92-year-old lady: 'How can you be happy, you have many illnesses?' The lady says, 'I think about my working limbs, not my non-working ones.' This is also a perspective. This becomes the meaning that life adds to these people. This is the happiness we call 'meaningful happiness'. In meaningful happiness, a person will have ideals, ideals that contain meaning. As they contribute to that meaning, they will be happy."
Money Cannot Buy Happiness
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan also emphasized that life philosophy is very important for being happy, saying, "If a life philosophy is structured correctly, it is impossible for a person not to be happy. In the latest happiness research conducted in the US, the per capita gross national product increased from $20,000 to $35,000 between 1950 and 2000. But in happiness surveys conducted in the same periods, the percentage of those who say 'I am very happy' remains at 30%. It doesn't increase at all. Following this, they say, 'Money doesn't buy happiness.' Having financial power does not buy happiness. To buy happiness, you definitely need other capital. This is social capital, emotional capital."
The Formula for Happiness: Logical, Emotional, and Social Intelligence Must Be Developed
Noting that logical intelligence can make a person wealthy, but if social and emotional intelligence are not developed, happiness cannot be achieved, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, "The formula for happiness requires strengthening all three areas of intelligence: logical intelligence, emotional intelligence, and social intelligence. It is also important to draw attention to the third symptom of California syndrome, which is loneliness. Ultimately, unhappiness emerges. Major depression and suicide incidents increase. This is especially prevalent under stress and in crisis situations."
Those Who Value What They Have Are Happy
Stating, "Happiness is successfully establishing a healthy relationship between our expectations and what we achieve," Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, "Every person has expectations in life: 'I wish I had this, I wish I had that, I wish I had such a life.' Beyond that, there are things they have achieved and things they haven't. Those who can establish a balanced relationship between these can be happy. If they dwell on what they couldn't achieve, they become unhappy. If they appreciate what they have, what they possess, they can be happy. A person needs to maintain this balance. Happiness is happiness in motion. Happiness is not something to be caught by chasing it. Happiness is like a shadow. The more a person tries to catch their shadow, the more it flees, and they cannot catch it. If you go towards your goal, the colorful shadow will follow you. We won't try to catch it; we will focus on our goal and proceed with correct steps on the right path."
It Is Necessary to Know How to Be Happy with Small Things
Noting the importance of being able to find happiness in ordinary things, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, "Being able to sit with your children, being able to drink a cup of tea, knowing the value of what you possess – these things are very important for happiness. To be happy, one needs to have a feeling of gratitude. It is necessary to be able to find happiness in small things."
Those Seeking Happiness Must Have 3 A's
Noting that there are three concepts that distance people from happiness, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan listed them as greed, insensitivity, and ambition.
Stating, "It is not possible for a person who is insatiable, greedy, and selfish to be happy," Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, "These individuals cannot be content. Because they desire more, they become cruel. They also start to infringe upon the rights of others. They become cruel rich people but become lonely and unhappy. Such people cannot be happy. Therefore, it is important for a person to correctly form their life philosophy. If a person seeks happiness, they must have what we call the 3 A's: meaning, purpose, and friends. Life must have meaning, purpose, and friends. Humans are relational beings, not programmed to live alone. They are social beings. They need to develop their social intelligence, which means they should aim to be a part of the social structure. Because they are self-centered, they cannot be happy. They become successful, rich, but cannot be happy and remain alone until the end of their lives." he said.
Chasing Meaning Reduces Stress Gene
Stating that there is an interesting study by the University of North Carolina on happiness, examining the cellular-level effects of hedonistic and eudaimonic actions, Tarhan noted that this study, published under the title 'A Functional Genomic Perspective on Human Well-Being' and containing genomic-based analyses, drew attention to CTRA Stress genes, adding: "When a person pursues meaning rather than pleasure-giving actions, their stress genes significantly decrease. This leads to the strengthening of the immune system. It is also very important in stress management. Our CTRA stress genes, which manage stress in individuals who pursue pleasure and reduce happiness to satisfying pleasures, work significantly faster in those who chase pleasure. But in those who pursue meaning, when they say, 'Today I took a step on the path of life to reach a meaning,' our CTRA stress genes, which trigger stress, work significantly more balanced. This means the body's defense system. Therefore, instant gratifications are not recommended, but medium and long-term gratifications should be aimed for. For this, a person must have a goal, an ideal for the future. Having taken a step towards that ideal leads to lasting happiness for the person. This also means the balanced use of logical intelligence, emotional intelligence, and social intelligence. Maintaining balanced relationships with friends, family, close circle, and work also has a share in happiness. A correct life philosophy, a correct intention, and purpose can be very useful."