How to Be Happy, Confucian Style

Buddhism, Taoism or maybe

Confucianism
• In China two and half thousand years ago one man, Kong Zi, and his followers,
synthesised the traditions of the Chinese people to create what they believed
were the fundamental principles of humanity. Of course what Westerners now
call Confucianism has changed over the years, just like the other major
philosophies that have flourished in the East: Buddhism and Taoism. But to have
survived this long, these systems of thought must have at their cores a useful set
of principles that help people live the ‘good life’.
• Following on from previous posts on philosophers Epicurus and Schopenhauer, as
well as the modern obsession with self-help books, I look at what Ancient
Chinese philosophies have to teach us about how to be happy.
• In an article in the Journal of Happiness Studies, Zhang and Veenhoven (in press)
compare the ancient Chinese versions of Taosim, Buddhism and Confucianism
with the modern conditions of happiness. They use findings from the multitude
of studies collected in the World Database of Happiness to reach the conclusion
that, compared to ancient Buddhism and Taoism, it is Confucius’ philosophical
teachings that are most likely to lead to a happy life.
 So, here (briefly) is Confucius’
advice on how to live the good
life, contrasted with some of the
tenets of Taoism and Buddhism.
 Invest in social ties
Confucianism’s view of life is built on
the idea of ‘Ren’. This means a feeling
of concern for the wellbeing of others.
Those following Confucianism should
bring Ren into both their social
relations and, so far as they are able,
into society itself.

Compared with the modern observed conditions of happiness this looks like
good advice. Generally speaking marriage makes us happier, more friends
make us happier and people are especially happy if they have someone to
confide in. Classical Taoism goes along with this point but ancient Buddhism
runs counter to the evidence, advising the avoidance of intimate ties.
 Embrace society
Society is accepted within
Confucianism and the philosophy
encourages its followers to engage in
it. Looking at the research, this is
also good advice. People who are
members of clubs, churches and
other organisations are happier,
people who have a job are happier,
and so on. The evidence shows that
this is also true at a societal level.
Countries in which people have the In comparison, ancient Taoism says
densest networks of friends are also retreat to nature and Buddhism says
those in which people are the withdraw completely from society –
happiest. both these points of view are suspect
if happiness is your goal.
 Be successful
• Confucianism recommends a devotion to your occupation. The
wealth earned from working is also seen in a positive light
within Confucianism. Generally speaking people with more
money and higher status are happier (but bear in mind that
more money doesn’t always equal more happiness). In contrast
both ancient Taoism and Buddhism are sniffy about earnings.
 Have fun
Confucius thought moderate
amounts of fun were acceptable.
This is backed up by modern
research finding that people who
engage in pleasurable activities are
happier (I know, surprise surprise!).
Follow-up studies show no long-term
disadvantages to a bit of short-term
fun. So there’s no point rejecting the
possibility of happiness, as does
ancient Chinese Buddhism, which
warns that the pursuit of happiness
will only end in disappointment.
 Live healthily
Still in the land of the blindingly
obvious – yes, people who are
healthier are happier. Still, just
because the advice is obvious
doesn’t mean it’s any less
relevant, or any more likely for
people to actually act on!
Despite this the self-evident
nature of this advice, ancient
Chinese Buddhism actually
recommends physical privation.
Again, we’ll stick with Confucius
on this one.
 Meet your obligations
• One of the most important aspects of ancient Chinese
Confucianism is a sense of duty and responsibility. There’s
some sparse evidence from the individual level that this
might lead to greater happiness. At a societal level, however,
people who live in collectivist societies, like the Chinese,
tend to be less happier than those who live in individualistic
societies. This may be because collectivist societies stifle the
individual’s search for self-actualisation.
 School yourself
You’ve guessed it, the well-educated are
also happier. On the other hand
education mostly contributes to
happiness by enabling you to get a
better job, and lots of education doesn’t
necessarily lead to more happiness. One
thing is clear though, it is better to live in
a more educated society, even if others
are more educated than us.

Education is partly endorsed by Taoism,

while classical Buddhism advises
avoiding school completely. Again,
Confucianism wins on this one.
 Ancient wisdom
Perhaps it is no surprise that the man who the
West knows as ‘Confucius’ is revered by many
as the ‘Ancient Teacher’ and ‘Perfect Sage’. I’m
particularly impressed with the prescient quote
at the top of the article. This clearly anticipates
modern research finding that we quickly get
used to new positive experiences so that they
no longer continue to increase our happiness.

On the other hand it’s important to note that

these comparisons are made on the basis of the
ancient Chinese versions of Confucianism,
Taoism and Buddhism. There is a considerable
variation within each of these schools of Ancient Buddhism does fare badly in this
thought – so much so that for the present
comparison, but people do vary considerably in
purposes the modern versions might as well be
what they want from philosophical teachings.
completely different schools of philosophy.
Not everyone’s main aim in life may be to
achieve happiness, some may place a higher
value on different goals.