https://www.ted.com/talks/emily_esfahani_smith_there_s_more_to_life_than_being_happy#t-726454
Emily Esfahani Smith makes the argument that happiness is something that comes and goes, but meaning and meaningfulness are things that help you through life and give you something to hold on to. She proves this point by saying that overall people who chase happiness are more depressed, and that those who are happy have a sense of meaning in their life. Adding on to this point of meaning, she introduces the four pillars of meaning: belonging, purpose, transcendence, and storytelling. Each one of these pillars helps someone to recognize their meaning in life, therefore making them a happier person. Smith saves storytelling for last, and she argues that this pillar is the most surprising. Storytelling, in Smith's view, is the story someone tells about themselves and their life, and she argues that people can change the meaning of their story, instead of having it listed out as a set of events that may be important to them. Smith also discusses the sense of belonging, which usually comes out of forming bonds with people that are close friends or family. Smith discusses purpose as an outlet for talents and strengths in someone, and as a way to help people. Finally, Smith also describes transcendence as something that makes someone feel connected to a higher reality, be it God or even art. Throughout all of this, Smith includes personal examples and how they impact not only that person's life, but other lives as well.
Smith proves her point immediately through ethos, and states that she studied positive psychology, along with dedicating 5 years of her life to study the meaning of someone's life. She also name drops several important psychologists such as Dan McAdams, and gives their input into her development of her research, which is a great example of ethos.
Using logos, Smith is able to effectively demonstrate what she means when she is talking about these four pillars of meaning, a term that she came up with. She structures her argument so that it disproves the main topic, and then provides an answer for it.
There is a lot of pathos in this Ted Talk, and this is because Smith adds personal stories into each pillar of meaning. She includes stories about a soccer player who changed his view on his life based on an accident, along with a story about the rejection of a nicety and its impact. Smith was able to make it personal to listeners and get them thinking about how they are meaningful and how they are also victims to some of the stories she shared.
As someone who is known for being almost robotically happy, I was a bit confused when I stumbled upon this Ted Talk. A very big reason for my confusion was because I have always had the goal of making someone's day better, and I strive to do that through being happy and using my happiness to help others. When I saw this Ted Talk, I had a mini panic attack that I had subconsciously been screwing people over for over 13 years of my life. However, I then felt the need to listen to this talk because I thought I could possibly learn something about why I'm so happy. While that didn't happen, I was able to see right away that everyone I know fits into the four pillars, and I thought that that was really cool. This talk also helped me to understand the reason I cry whenever I see fireworks (transcendence, it's the little things), and that me attempting to make others happy is my purpose (I guess). I think that everyone belongs in the four pillars, and while I may not always get why people are not happy, I know that they have a meaning in this world, and one day they will put it to use and be happy from that. I think that my meaning is just to help people by being happy and not letting life get me down, and anyone who goes to Disney in the next few years may see me put that meaning to use!
