The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt (Open Session)

This month we will be reading:
The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom
by Jonathan Haidt (Open Session)

Format
This session is part of our Open Session format: discussion-focused and accessible to a range of reading backgrounds.

About
In The Happiness Hypothesis, Haidt explores whether ancient philosophical traditions — Stoicism, Buddhism, Aristotle — anticipated what modern psychology is now discovering about the human mind.
Rather than offering motivational advice, the book asks:
Are we largely driven by intuition rather than reason?
Can happiness be cultivated, or are we mostly constrained by temperament?
Do ancient moral traditions capture psychological truths about human nature?
Is “happiness” even the right goal?
Haidt proposes the well-known metaphor of the “rider and the elephant” — reason riding on top of intuition — and tests classical wisdom through empirical research.
For those who’ve attended our more existential discussions (Camus, Yalom, Freud), this session provides an interesting contrast:
Is modern psychology offering practical clarity — or simply a softer form of consolation?
No prior background in philosophy or psychology is required. Curiosity and willingness to engage critically are enough.

Connections to previously read books:
Camus — The Myth of Sisyphus
Camus rejects consolation and insists on lucid confrontation with meaninglessness.
Haidt, by contrast, asks whether structured practices can still improve well-being without illusion.
Yalom — Existential Psychotherapy
Where Yalom examines isolation and meaninglessness as existential givens, Haidt looks at how psychological mechanisms influence resilience, relationships, and perceived purpose.
Freud — The Future of an Illusion
Freud sees religion as psychological consolation.
Haidt examines whether ancient traditions contain psychological insight independent of metaphysical belief.
Sapolsky — Determined / Behave
If much of human behaviour is shaped by biology and context, what remains within our control?
Haidt explores whether ancient practices work within those limits.