The work: a piece of happiness

Most adults spend the majority of their lives at work. Although this can often be demanding, stressful and even overwhelming, unemployment is considered to be the greatest source of unhappiness. For many people, work is not just a source of income, but an opportunity for self-fulfilment; to find meaning and happiness in life. But is it realistic to expect our professional activity to make us happy? Is it not enough to simply be satisfied with our day-to-day work?

Life in the hamster wheel

The idea of finding personal happiness at work was unthinkable for a long time. Those who forged iron 14 hours a day, 7 days a week had little room to reflect on happiness. At the time of industrialization and the rise of capitalism, thoughts of economic growth and material gain dominated the world of work. A dynamic that led to catastrophic working conditions: The rural exodus promoted by the industrial centers led to an oversupply of labor in the city. The individual worker was therefore worth little and factory owners had the freedom to extend working hours, cut wages and immediately dismiss old or sick workers at their own discretion - because there were always enough replacements. Around 1860, working weeks of 78 hours were still the norm.

"The idea of finding personal happiness at work was unthinkable for a long time."

In a world in which work had become the purpose of life and the driving idea was economic growth, work and happiness seemed to exist in two completely different realities. In a treatise published at the beginning of the 20th century, Max Weber described this situation as a hamster wheel of work, everyday life and consumption in order to increase the gross national product. There had never been so much wealth, so much poverty in a system that obliged those involved to live and work in a steel-hard shell of bondage. Professional humanity", he concludes, must manage "without God and ideals".

"The purpose of life becomes (...) a hamster wheel of work, everyday life and consumption."

But the sweat seems to have paid off: Capitalism has brought us unprecedented prosperity. Many machines are now so advanced that they can do a large number of strenuous and repetitive tasks for us. Political achievements such as social security and occupational health and safety have increased the quality of life. As a result, attitudes towards the purpose of business have also changed: Younger generations Y and Z in particular are aware that the promise of economic growth does not have to be kept at all costs if people, animals and the environment are harmed in the process. In a slow but steady process, work activity is being decoupled from profit growth and replaced by ideals such as environmental protection, social responsibility and personal happiness.

The "New Work" megatrend

This change in values also manifests itself in a new perception of progress and consumption. The value of a product is no longer defined solely in terms of expensive materials, but results from a combination of quality, environmental awareness and ethical values that are linked to the entire life cycle of the product. Corporate social responsibility has even developed into an economic advantage. Not only can it drive consumption in strong target groups such as the Glamour Greens, but a company can also be perceived as an attractive employer by representing ethical values. This is an advantage that is becoming increasingly important today: Diametrically opposed to the abundance of labour during industrialization, the global shortage of skilled workers today is recording record numbers. An authentic corporate purpose motivates collaboration on a shared meaningful vision, and through working models such as remote work, companies are even taking care of the mental and private well-being of their employees. All of this is leading to a fundamental re-evaluation of work and career: leisure time and working time should be aligned. Work is no longer a tedious duty, but should be an integral part of a fulfilled life and can even give it meaning.

What happiness is

Before the new work trend, satisfaction was primarily associated with work. Even today, people often answer with the term satisfaction when asked about happiness. On closer inspection, however, the two closely related terms can be differentiated: According to a qualitative study conducted by happiness researcher Ricarda Rehwaldt in 2017, satisfaction tends to arise "from external circumstances such as the expected rewards of extrinsically motivated activities (such as salary)". Happiness, on the other hand, is characterized by intrinsically motivated, "active and self-determined activities".

"Today, work is no longer a tedious duty, but can even give meaning to life."

This explains why happiness was only associated with work after the economic framework conditions had changed: According to Rehwaldt's definition, happiness at work only has a chance when the professional activity is not solely geared towards the accumulation of material gain. Happiness at work is found by those who perceive it as an activity in itself, i.e. intrinsically fulfilling and meaningful, regardless of external factors. However, this is an expensive luxury: not having to focus solely on earning money at work.

How much does happiness cost?

The modern trend of happiness at work is permeated by an irresolvable tension: on the one hand, work can by definition only make you happy if it is not extrinsically motivated by material gain - on the other hand, however, this attitude to work can only be afforded by those who have already set aside sufficient material resources. In their recently published study, Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahnemann and Matthew Killingsworth come to the fascinating, albeit sobering, conclusion that the happiest 30 percent of the world's population have an annual income of over 100,000 dollars. According to these figures, happiness seems to be a luxury of the affluent society. - A result, however, that only partially fits the description of happiness as an "intrinsically motivated, active and self-determined activity", because the reward for an activity always remains external.

"Sometimes happiness requires a different kind of interpretation: 'eudaimonia' instead of hedonia and dopamine."

A look at history shows that happiness can be achieved in a completely different way than through wealth: Around 400 years before the beginning of our era, Diogenes came to the conclusion that happiness and possessions were incompatible. He consistently opted for a life of complete independence and poverty. When Alexander the Great granted him a wish, Diogenes is said to have said: "Just get out of the sun a little." Alexander's entourage began to mock the poor man, but Alexander the Great is said to have exclaimed with emotion and admiration: "Truly, if I were not Alexander, I would like to be Diogenes!" For Diogenes knew that happiness can be as simple as a warm ray of sunshine that outshines all the gold on earth.

Bliss

As brilliant as the story of the development from the "steel case of bondage" to happiness at work through remote work, new work and corporate social responsibility may seem - the claim to personal happiness at work is threatened by elitism. It can lead to the devaluation of ordinary professions and even cause us to become unhappy if we do not feel happiness at work. Yet the state of not feeling happiness is not necessarily unhappiness, but normality: anyone who clears garbage from the street, drives the bus or cares for the elderly in an old people's home will rarely rejoice in their work. But that doesn't mean that these jobs can't make you happy. It's just that this kind of happiness requires a different interpretation: it's not about carefree, self-realization, individualism, hedonism or dopamine, but about the fulfillment of meaningful work that can be integrated into the self-image of a life and into the narrative of a culture and society. However, this narrative cannot be found in the job description. Meaning can only be created by the person doing it. And those whose actions make sense will probably not rejoice - but they will experience what another Greek named Aristotle once called "eudaimonia": Bliss.