Eudaimonic Hedonism

The dimension of flourishing has been examined by sociologists in various ways and concerns questions about what it means to live a good and meaningful life. The debate on happiness, both in sociology and psychology, has often centered on the contrast between eudaimonia (flourishing and meaningfulness) and hedonia (pleasure and desire).

Simmel’s dualism of “more-life” and “more-than-life” informs this dimension (1971). “More-life” is that which intensifies, a focus on emotions and aesthetics, in contrast to “more-than-life,” which transcends, a focus on morality and self, transcendence, ideals, and meaning. In the flourishing dimension, this first reflects the hedonistic side, where the focus is on the intensity of positive experiences, with pleasure, interest (Bostrom, 2025), wonder, and fullness (Taylor, 2004, 2021), and then, in contrast, the eudaimonic side, where the focus is on ethical actions.

Eudaimonic hedonism is a state of balance in which feelings of happiness arise primarily as a byproduct of living an ethical life in the civic struggle and achieving higher states of balance across various dimensions of balance. There is also room for hedonism, but these higher levels of balance recognize that hedonistic experiences are linked to higher levels of balance in other dimensions, for example, the pleasure derived from physical well, being, such as being out in nature and having profound experiences. It is about seeking resonance through experiences that reinforce other dimensions in the pursuit of the good life. Eudaimonic hedonism acknowledges that life is not merely about living virtuously, where everything is done for others, but that things can also be experienced for their own sake, that there is pleasure in them, and that one’s own experience has intrinsic value. Thus, not everything can be viewed as a means to some other end, and the only pleasure that can exist is that which comes as a byproduct of virtue. This would imply that we are perpetually trapped in a state of eudaimonic depression, a despondency stemming from living under the yoke of striving to be more moral than one currently is.

Eudaimonic hedonism can be viewed through the pain/pleasure dichotomy. The dichotomy of pain and pleasure is a recurring theme that individuals and societies must navigate and come to terms with. Painful pleasure is a higher state of balance in which one has realized that pain and suffering are inevitable, but that this pain takes on meaning in a civic struggle and that pleasure is linked to that struggle, in contrast to meaningless hedonism in the private sphere, or pain that is not utilized or part of a struggle leading to higher levels; it is a pain that instead shrinks life. Playfully, one could call this masochism at its highest level, enjoying the pain. This balance is found in experiences such as “flow,” where one can push oneself to the limit while climbing a mountain and at the same time feel most alive (Csikszentmihaly, 1996, Bloom, 2021). Nietzsche’s view of pain serves as inspiration here, as he argues that we should use all emotions to direct ourselves toward higher purposes; pain comes regardless of which path we choose, so we must choose the path where we strive toward goals beyond ourselves. If you try to turn away from this perspective and avoid becoming a hero, we die as cowards instead, for example, from the moral wounds we inflict upon ourselves when we stand by and watch the suffering and injustices of others in the world, or because escapism from pain leads us to an excess of pleasure to which we eventually become accustomed; in the most extreme cases, various types of drugs.

A dualism closely related to pain/pleasure is rest/effort. Restful effort, as a balance between rest and effort, is where the activity provides a form of rest, such as the experience of flow. There is also rest in certain forms of exertion, exertions that provide long, term energy, a balance within “restful exertion.” Flow is a psychological concept and has been studied primarily by psychologists, though sociologists of emotion have also researched how flow and stress affect people (Wettergren, 2013, 65). Flow is an example of a high balance of “restful effort”, we exert ourselves but feel light and can gain energy because we let go of our focus on the self and other things for a moment. Activities that give us emotional energy are also excellent examples of “restful effort” because the effort provides us with more emotional energy afterward (Collins, 2004, Collins & McConnell, 2015). Two examples are the effort involved in attending a party or a research conference, which can be exhausting but can subsequently provide the energy to work on something one considers meaningful.

Imbalances

Below are various imbalances:

Closely related to depressive hedonism is compulsive pleasure, seeking. Compulsive pleasure, seeking occurs when we are dependent on either a substance or a behavior.

Another form of hedonism is the wellness syndrome. The wellness syndrome (Cederström & Spicer, 2015) occurs when health becomes an overriding goal in life, surpassing what constitutes a good ethical life (Cederström & Spicer, 2015).

Anxiety and fear (fluid fear) are two states that, according to Rosa, close the door to resonant experiences.

Self, harming behavior can be viewed as a misguided form of masochism that does not support the pursuit of a good life.

Exhausting rest / Over, resting to the point where one’s capacity for exertion atrophies. One becomes more lethargic due to prolonged rest. Conversely, certain forms of “rest” can be exhausting, with the phenomenon of procrastination being a typical example. You rest, but lose energy, which makes you more stressed and anxious. Exhausting rest refers to states such as procrastination, depression, and chronic fatigue syndrome, where one rests but the rest itself is exhausting. Exhausting rest also involves engaging in entertainment that does not allow the brain to truly rest, but rather provides a break from work through distractions.