These psychological state terms are derived from the Hamburger Model of Happiness developed by psychologist and former Harvard University lecturer Dr Tal Ben-Shahar.
The Model is a 2x2 matrix model with four quadrants.
There are four archetypes of people with different approaches to life.
The Hamburger Model of Happiness maps actions that are detrimental versus those that are beneficial for your present versus future situations.
This results in four distinct quadrants.
Let’s talk about the first quadrant, which is the hedonism quadrant.
This area encapsulates actions that prefer immediate benefits over long-term ones.
This means actions that give you pleasure immediately, without concern for your future or that of others.
Imagine if you choose to eat a fat, greasy burger with many patties and dripping with cheese.
It is very delicious.
It is also very unhealthy.
But it gives you instant happiness and enjoyment (hedonistic).
It is possible that an hour after you consume the whole burger, you may not feel well.
Certainly, it will not be good for you in the long term because of the calories, the fat content, etc.
Keep on doing this every day and it really will be detrimental to your health.
In Malaysia, you can replace that burger with nasi lemak, char kuay teow, roti canai or another delicious food that we are known for eating every day.
A person who is considered a Hedonist (Type 1) lives by seeking pleasure every day and avoiding pain.
They focus on enjoying the present, but completely ignore any potential negative consequences of their actions.
It is not just about food.
Imagine a young man in Malaysia today.
He does not earn much, and yet he wants to buy an expensive car to impress his girlfriend and friends.
He takes a huge loan and ends up paying a lot every month for his choice of car.
The long-term consequence of his car choice (maybe a Honda or Toyota that he cannot afford) is that he does not have enough savings for other things.
He gets himself further and further into debt with these choices all his life, and ends up having very little savings for his retirement!
This is the condition many Malaysians are in today.
Are many Malaysians hedonists?
Possibly.
These people are “happy unhealthy”, or in the “trapped” state.
That’s the rat race quadrant.
In these area are actions focused on the future payoff.
These actions are of sacrifice and doing things for the future despite current discomfort, or even pain.
Imagine eating a “healthy” vegetarian burger with lettuce leaves instead of bread, and tofu instead of meat.
It’s not as delicious as the previous burger, right?
You can say the same about exercise.
Some people don’t like to exercise, but they do it every day anyway because it is important for their future health.
You can also say that about people who save and save and save money, but never want to spend it for fear that “I may need it for the future” or “my children may need it”.
Yes, there are long-term benefits, but if there is a severe lack of immediate rewards, being in this perpetual state can lead to resentment or burnout.
These people are “unhappy healthy”, or in the “martyr” or “dull” state.
I know a lot of people like this, especially from the previous generations – Baby Boomers and such.
They were taught to sacrifice and sacrifice all their lives, and they no longer know how to enjoy life.
Type 3 is the nihilism quadrant.
This is considered unhappy unhealthy.
It is the worst quadrant to be in.
These are actions that have no lust for life or reason to live any more.
These actions reflect that you don’t care about the present or the future.
Imagine if you are eating a horrible tasting burger that is also unhealthy for you.
People who become like this have given up on life and are simply existing, not living.
They have no plans for their future and no purpose or goals.
Imagine waking up every day, not having any reason to live except to just go through the day.
You don’t care what you wear and you don’t care what you eat.
You don’t exercise.
You go to work and you don’t care what you are doing.
You choose to isolate yourself and not see your friends because “What’s the point?”
People who remain in this state for long experience very detrimental effects and may possibly do themselves harm.
Of course!
This is also called the happiness quadrant.
The actions here balance the needs of the present and future for yourself.
Imagine eating a burger that is not only delicious, but healthy for you. (OK, I cannot imagine such a burger. Maybe you can.)
People who live in this quadrant are the happiest because they have a balance of meeting present and future needs.
They know they are enjoying themselves right now (but not too much so as to cause detriment to their future), and also planning for their future happiness and state.
It is important to know that you are not always in one state all your life as a human being.
There are times when you will gravitate to the happy unhealthy state (especially around celebrations!) and times you may be in the unhappy healthy state (e.g. when you are on a diet).
You may even be in nihilism sometimes.
See the next Tell Me About column for how to spend most of your life in the happy healthy state.
Dr YLM graduated as a medical doctor, and has been writing for many years on various subjects such as medicine, health, computers and entertainment. For further information, email starhealth@thestar.com.my. The information provided is for educational and communication purposes only, and it should not be construed as personal medical advice. Neither The Star nor the author gives any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to such information. The Star and the author disclaim all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.
