Editorial, 2025

My collaborator, Amit Goswami, PhD, once posed the question, “What is happiness?” to two renowned psychologists, Stan Krippner and Joan Borysenko, and their responses were intriguing. Krippner viewed happiness as observable signs or “pointers.” For instance, if someone is smiling or shaking hands after earning money, it suggests they are happy or satisfied. However, he felt he avoided a deeper exploration, simply pointing to external cues that may or may not truly reflect inner happiness.
Borysenko, on the other hand, took a different perspective. She suggested that happiness is our natural state, but we frequently block it—like clouds obscuring the sun. Removing these “clouds” could help restore our inherent happiness.
Interestingly, materialists often equate happiness with pleasure. Johnny Carson once quipped, “Happiness is a dry martini.” This reflects the idea that pleasure, driven by dopamine, defines happiness. But is happiness merely a molecular phenomenon? Surely, there is more to it.
In exploring quantum science, Amit and I both sought to better define happiness. When are we genuinely happy? A common answer is when we love. Love expands our consciousness, creating a profound connection. Quantum science explains this as a “quantum leap” into an expanded state of awareness.