Editing Hedonism (section)

=== Happiness, well-being, and eudaimonia ===
{{main|Happiness|Well-being|Eudaimonia}}
Some theorists formulate hedonism in terms of happiness rather than pleasure and pain. According to a common interpretation, happiness is the balance of pleasure over pain. This means that a person is happy if they have more pleasure than pain and unhappy if the balance is overall negative.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Norman|2005|pp=358–359}} | {{harvnb|Haybron|2020|loc=§ 2.1 The Chief Candidates}} | {{harvnb|Lazari-Radek|2024|pp=45–46}} }}</ref> There are also other ways to understand happiness that do not fully align with the traditional account of hedonism. One view defines happiness as life satisfaction. This means that a person is happy if they have a favorable attitude toward their life, for example, by being satisfied with their life as a whole or by judging it to be good overall. This attitude may be affected by the balance of pleasure over pain but can also be shaped by other factors.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Haybron|2020|loc=§ 2.1 The Chief Candidates}} | {{harvnb|Besser|2020|loc=[https://books.google.com/books?id=9yUAEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT12 § Conclusion]}} | {{harvnb|Lazari-Radek|2024|pp=45–46}} }}</ref>

Well-being is what is ultimately good for a person.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Crisp|2021|loc=Lead section}} | {{harvnb|Tiberius|2015|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=uvzVBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA158 158]}} }}</ref> According to a common view, pleasure is one component of well-being. It is controversial whether it is the only factor and what other factors there are, such as health, knowledge, and friendship. Another approach focuses on desires, saying that well-being consists in the satisfaction of desires.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Crisp|2021|loc=§ 1. The Concept, § 4. Theories of Well-being}} | {{harvnb|Tiberius|2015|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=uvzVBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA160 160, 162–164]}} }}</ref> The view that the balance of pleasure over pain is the only source of well-being is called ''prudential hedonism''.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Crisp|2021|loc=§ 4.1 Hedonism}} | {{harvnb|Hughes|2014|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=KEzHCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA239 239]}} }}</ref>

Eudaimonia is a form of well-being rooted in [[Ancient Greek philosophy|ancient Greek thought]], serving as a foundation of many forms of moral philosophy during this period. [[Aristotle]] understood eudaimonia as a type of flourishing in which a person is happy by leading a fulfilling life and manifesting their inborn capacities. Ethical theories based on eudaimonia often share parallels with hedonism, like an interest in long-term happiness, but are distinguished from it by their emphasis of [[virtue ethics|virtues]], advocating an active lifestyle focused on [[self-realization]].<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Lelkes|2021|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=g0QvEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA85 85–86]}} | {{harvnb|Feldman|2004|pp=15–16}} | {{harvnb|Taylor|2005|pp=364–365}} }}</ref>