Everyone wants to be happy. As Aristotle explains in “ The Nicomachean Ethics ,” happiness is the thing we desire for its own sake. We don’t pursue happiness as a means to some other good; it appears to be the final end people pursue in life. The other things we aim at – wealth, pleasure, relationships – we pursue for the sake of happiness.

Which of these pursuits – whether fame, money, relationships, or something else – genuinely produces happiness? Aristotle spends much of the “Ethics” exploring that question (spoiler: he thinks the practice of virtue is a key to the good life). However, since scientific data often persuades modern people more readily than the wisdom of the ancients, I want to take a different approach – though one that aligns with Aristotle’s thought in many ways.

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