There must be something wrong with me.
I just looked at a list of the top 50 happiest songs of all time . . . according to science.
Yes, researchers have developed a way to analyze how elements of music—tempo, key, composition, lyrics, etc.—come together to produce songs that are scientifically guaranteed to induce the emotional response we call “happiness.”
My response when I look at this list? Ugh.
Pop songs, Rock songs, Dance, R&B, it doesn’t matter: Each category has way more songs I’d be happy to never hear again than songs that make me feel like I’m walking on sunshine.
For me, most of these songs are just irritating, but it’s not as if I can’t stop the feeling: I can shake it off.
But I definitely can’t get into the groove.
Don’t worry, I will survive.
Ironically, I feel like happiness is the truth. Clap along if . . . that song makes you curl your lip and roll your eyes, too.
But here’s what I mean:
We all want to be happy. If we’re honest about it, we all want to be happy forever.
In fact, the pursuit of happiness is what every other pursuit is all about. Every choice we make is a choice about what will make us happy.
It’s not selfishness; happiness is a fundamental necessity. Anything that feels like unhappiness feels wrong because happiness is hardwired into our true nature.
Yoga wisdom backs this up:
This sutra carries an interesting implication: that the sustainable happiness we seek can found in the elevation of consciousness, not in the pursuit of sensual pleasure or the re-arrangement of external conditions.
It’s natural to hope for happiness, but the “happiness” we usually hope for is attainable only in the fleeting moments when the world aligns with our desires.
Yoga wisdom offers us a different way to think about happiness. And it’s surprisingly similar to the one that’s expressed in this relatively modern Western sutra:
The “pursuit of Happiness” in this “sutra” expresses a revolutionary Enlightenment idea that contradicted the conventional 18th century assumption that suffering is the divinely-ordained lot of a sinful human race.
The Declaration’s alternative, however, doesn’t present “happiness” as kinesthetic enjoyment or emotional gratification; it reflects a view of happiness as a divinely-bestowed right to strive for a virtuous life and self-fulfillment.
In this way of thinking, happiness isn’t a final destination; it’s a lifelong project of flourishing through a combination of inner work and outward action, of ongoing reflection for the sake of personal growth joined to living a virtuous life.
In yogic terms, you could think if it as integrating the inward pursuit of self-realization with an outward dedication to serving something greater than ourselves.
There are several verses in the Bhagavad-gita that speak to these ideas and take them to an even higher level:
Over the course of the Gita’s dialogue, Arjuna’s conception of happiness changes. In the beginning, he thinks moving the universe into alignment with his desires will make him happy. In the end, he comes to understand that there’s a higher form of happiness that he can attain by moving himself into alignment with the changeless center around which the ever-changing universe revolves.
Good vibrations come and go (now that is a truly great song) but clinging to the idea that the pursuit of enjoyment will bring sustainable happiness is just walking on a dream.
So if you ever catch me dreaming of enjoyment instead of striving for a virtuous life, wake me up before you. . . No-No!! I hate that #%@&-ing song!!
Happy trails to you, until we meet again,
– Hari-k