MUCH TO BE UNHAPPY ABOUT IN GROWTH TIMES

Happiness research relies on subjective responses to questionnaires. Happiness is itself a subjective emotional state with a meaning that will vary from person to person

- BIBEK DEBROY

MATTHIEU Ricard is a Tibetan monk and he is 76 years old. He has that name because he used to be a French molecular biologist before he became a Buddhist monk. He has been described as the happiest man on Earth. How do we know that? From neuroscientists, who plugged in 256 sensors into his skull, and as he meditated, his brain emitted an unusual amount of gamma waves. The brain’s left prefrontal cortex, associated with happiness and positivity, became excessively active, while the right, associated with negativity, was subdued. I am no neuroscientist, but that’s the way I have understood it. These experiments weren’t performed on Ricard alone, but on other monks too, to demonstrate effects of meditation on brain function. What is happiness? It is a state of the mind, and for thousands of years, philosophers and religious leaders have speculated about its nature, explaining to humankind how one can be happy. Indeed, Ricard has himself authored a book that is a guide to happiness. While the pursuit of happiness has been elusive, its measurement has not, and has proliferated in the last few decades.