In this blog post, we’ll explore whether happiness can truly be measured through biochemical factors, such as hormones, or social standards.
Introduction
We often ask ourselves, “Am I happy?” And the society we live in also asks us, “Are you happy?” It is no exaggeration to say that people today live their lives in pursuit of happiness. So, what exactly is happiness? In Yuval Noah Harari’s ‘Sapiens’, happiness is described as “subjective well-being.” In other words, happiness is an emotion felt within oneself; it refers to the immediate joy or long-term satisfaction one feels about the way one’s life is unfolding. If happiness is a subjective emotion that I feel within myself, can this happiness truly be measured? And can it be quantified?
Can chemical hormones determine our happiness?
In Chapter 19, “And They Lived Happily Ever After,” of Part 4, “The Scientific Revolution,” in Yuval Noah Harari’s ‘Sapiens’, various perspectives on happiness are presented. Among these is the perspective of “chemical happiness,” which posits that happiness is determined by the human biochemical system. Just as social scientists in ‘Sapiens’ cite socio-economic factors such as wealth and political freedom as criteria for happiness, biologists argue that our minds and emotions are governed by biochemical systems. Furthermore, the book argues that if happiness can be determined by the levels of biochemical substances such as serotonin, the threshold for determining happiness is not particularly significant. In other words, if a person has an average serotonin level, even if they are exposed to external stimuli, there will only be a temporary change in that level; since there is no significant change in their average serotonin level, they do not actually become happier. ‘Sapiens’ states that a person with an average serotonin level of 8 is happier than someone with an average of 5, and that people with lower average levels will always feel depressed no matter how much positive stimulation they receive. This is explained using the analogy of a friend with a positive and cheerful mindset versus a friend with a consistently negative and irritable mindset.
According to Yuval Noah Harari’s argument, we are led to ask, “Can happiness be quantified?” We also begin to wonder whether such a numerical value can serve as an objective standard. Generally, people tend to think of hormones as a basis for quantifying happiness. Therefore, I would like to discuss the question “Can happiness be quantified?” from the perspective of “chemical happiness,” which posits that biochemical substances like hormones determine happiness. However, before doing so, we must reconsider how “chemical happiness” is defined. As Yuval Noah Harari states in ‘Sapiens’, if happiness is influenced by biochemical substances, we are led to another question. Do hormones actually determine our happiness, or does the emotion we feel as “happiness” determine our hormone levels?
The Correlation Between Serotonin and Happiness
Generally, those who argue that happiness can be quantified through hormones claim that hormones determine happiness. Therefore, the question of “Do hormones determine happiness, or does happiness determine hormones?” is a very important issue. In fact, this debate is treated as a crucial matter in the treatment of conditions such as depression. This is because if hormones can determine the degree of happiness, psychological disorders like depression could be treated by administering biochemical substances such as hormones.
Biochemical substances such as serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin are widely recognized as substances that determine happiness. Among these, serotonin is one of the various neurotransmitters in the brain; it plays a crucial role in regulating emotions by maintaining the balance between the autonomic nervous system and hormones. It is sometimes called the “happiness hormone” because its secretion is said to bring about mental and physical stability and a sense of happiness. Serotonin helps maintain emotional balance by regulating dopamine, which is responsible for pleasure, and norepinephrine, which is responsible for anxiety and stress, ensuring that our emotions do not become skewed in one direction.
To argue that serotonin, known as the “happiness hormone,” determines happiness, it is important to first understand how it helps stabilize the mind and body. If people generally felt happier when serotonin levels were high, then we could say that serotonin is the hormone that determines happiness. However, we cannot conclusively state that serotonin determines happiness simply because there is a difference in serotonin levels between happy and unhappy people.
A study conducted in 2007 experimentally confirmed that people suffering from depression have statistically lower serotonin levels than those who do not. This also revealed that serotonin deficiency is associated with symptoms such as anxiety and insomnia. However, these research findings alone are not sufficient to conclude that serotonin determines happiness. A subsequent study conducted in 2016 compared mice lacking receptors that inhibit serotonin secretion with mice that possessed these receptors. Mice lacking these receptors had higher levels of serotonin in their brains, and the study found that they exhibited fewer behaviors associated with anxiety and depression. Furthermore, the multinational pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Company discovered that when serotonin levels increased, depressive symptoms in patients with depression decreased noticeably. This led to the release of Prozac, a medication that treats depression by increasing serotonin levels. Based on these results, it can be argued that serotonin determines happiness because depressive feelings can be regulated as serotonin levels rise. However, the experiments mentioned above did not examine whether happiness increased when serotonin levels were raised; rather, they measured the extent to which depressive symptoms were reduced. So, can we really say that a person has become happy simply because their depressive symptoms have diminished? While happy people experience fewer depressive symptoms, not being depressed does not necessarily mean one is happy. In other words, while depressive symptoms may serve as one measure of happiness, they alone cannot determine happiness. In fact, changes in serotonin levels are not observed in all patients with depression. Statistically speaking, while serotonin levels tend to be relatively low in patients with depression, this does not mean that every patient has low serotonin levels. This implies that the degree of happiness cannot be determined by serotonin levels alone. In other words, while low serotonin levels may reduce one’s ability to cope with feelings of depression, this does not necessarily mean one is unhappy, just as high serotonin levels do not automatically equate to happiness. Furthermore, since not all people with depression have low serotonin levels, we cannot say that happiness is determined solely by the secretion of biochemical substances like serotonin.
Can happiness determine hormone levels?
Conversely, can we say that happiness determines hormone levels? If I am happy, I will experience less depression, and my serotonin levels—the biochemical substance that regulates depression—will be high. Conversely, if I am unhappy, my feelings of depression will increase, and my serotonin levels will decrease. In other words, this is the argument that happiness can determine hormone levels. However, if happiness determines hormone levels but hormones do not determine happiness, a problem arises. Why do symptoms of depression improve when using medications that raise serotonin levels? Why do people feel happy when their serotonin levels temporarily increase? Depression is a disorder caused by changes in the brain’s emotional regulation functions, and its exact cause has not yet been identified. However, experiments have shown that biochemical substances such as serotonin and dopamine influence the alleviation of depressive symptoms, and antidepressants that utilize changes in these hormones are currently in use. A temporary rise in serotonin levels can be seen as a mechanism that helps serotonin achieve a balance with other hormones, such as dopamine and norepinephrine, thereby inducing a sense of psychological stability. Therefore, temporarily raising serotonin levels can reduce feelings of depression; even if the hormone itself does not determine long-term happiness, it can alleviate depressive symptoms by temporarily reducing feelings of depression. Furthermore, if these temporary changes are sustained until hormonal balance is restored to normal, depression can be considered cured.
Can the degree of happiness be measured by hormone levels?
Thus, even though hormones alone do not define the happiness humans feel, we can consider their influence as one of the factors contributing to happiness. So, can we objectively quantify the degree of happiness using these hormone levels? ‘Sapiens’ states that people with low serotonin levels are less happy than those with high levels, and that even when exposed to positive external stimuli, people with low serotonin levels will still feel depressed. However, we cannot conclude that a person with an average low serotonin level necessarily experiences lower life satisfaction or happiness than someone with high serotonin levels. The society in which we live tends to quantify many things in order to make objective comparisons. A prime example of this can be found in the way doctors diagnose diseases. For instance, when diagnosing cancer, doctors use objective figures and statistical data to determine the stage of the disease based on the extent and rate of metastasis, assess the likelihood of survival, and determine the extent of treatment required. Even though doctors quantify a patient’s condition, patients may live longer or shorter lives than the diagnosis suggests, depending on their individual circumstances and environment. Treatment may also proceed more quickly. Ultimately, even when everything is quantified using objective criteria, variations are inevitable depending on an individual’s willpower or surrounding environment, which means we must rely on statistical data. Just as not all patients with depression experience the same degree of depression simply because they have low serotonin levels.
If a person with low serotonin levels strives to be happy in a positive environment, there is a possibility that they could be happier than someone with high serotonin levels. Conversely, if a person with high serotonin levels is placed in a negative environment, can we definitively say that they are happier? As such, it is difficult to objectively judge happiness based solely on hormone levels.
Quantifying Happiness Through Happiness Indices
So far, we have discussed the question, “Can happiness be quantified?” from the perspective of chemical happiness. As a result, we have concluded that happiness cannot be determined solely by the levels of biochemical substances such as serotonin. However, there are various criteria for quantifying happiness beyond just biochemical substances. A prime example of quantifying happiness by comprehensively considering these diverse criteria is the happiness index. We often say that countries like Finland and Denmark have high happiness indices. In the 2022 World Happiness Report, South Korea ranked 59th out of 146 countries, scoring 5.951 out of 10.
While there is much debate over quantifying individual happiness, how can we quantify and compare a nation’s level of happiness? A prime example is the National Index of Well-being (NIW), implemented in 2006 by the OECD and the Joint Research Centre (JRC) under the European Commission. This index evaluates the quality of human life by considering various factors such as psychological well-being, ecology, health, education, culture, standard of living, time use, and community engagement. In this evaluation process, both subjective and objective factors are comprehensively considered, divided into monetary and non-monetary indicators. Of course, while this index may not be fully applicable to every country, it can be seen as providing more reasonable results than determining happiness based on any single factor, as it takes both subjective and objective factors into account. By comprehensively considering the various factors that influence happiness—such as economic wealth, health, physical appearance, biochemical substances, and social status—it should be possible to quantify happiness through a happiness index. Although these indicators may not apply perfectly to every person or country, they can serve as a method for comparing levels of happiness to a certain degree of objectivity.
Conclusion
The question of whether hormones determine happiness or happiness determines hormones is akin to the age-old debate over which came first, the chicken or the egg. However, considering the role of serotonin and the effects of serotonin-based treatments, serotonin does play a role in temporarily reducing feelings of depression. While this can alleviate depressive symptoms, a reduction in feelings of depression does not necessarily mean that a person has become happy. Therefore, it cannot be said that biochemical substances like serotonin determine human happiness. While it is impossible to quantify each of the various factors that determine happiness individually, if we take a comprehensive approach based on statistical data regarding economic wealth, health, social status, and biochemical substances, we can quantify an individual’s happiness to some extent through a happiness index. Although such figures may not apply to everyone, isn’t quantifying happiness and continuing research on the subject necessary for the development of a happier society?
