The Advent of Time starts with one central assumption: the purpose of man’s existence is to experience love with God and with one another. What evidence is there in support of this assumption?
If one focuses attention exclusively on the pain and suffering that man experiences during the course of his life, it is easy to conclude that man’s life experiences provide little if any support to the notion that love is the principal purpose of human existence. But before settling on this conclusion, consider the issue in light of the following two points. First, if God exists and is indeed an all-loving being, it stands to reason that man’s happiness is of immense concern to him. Second, if an all-loving God created humanity for some central, overriding purpose, then it is reasonable to assume that man’s experience of this purpose will coincide with his greatest experiences of happiness. Stated plainly, there is no intelligible reason why a rational, all-loving, all-powerful God would create man for a purpose that conflicts with that which brings man the greatest happiness.
Since its inception in the 1800s, the field of psychology has mostly focused its attention on the study of psychological pathologies and other forms of mental illness. However, in recent decades increasing numbers of researchers have turned their attention to the study of human happiness, leading to the production of a sizable body of peer-reviewed scientific studies on the sources of happiness. One of the recurring findings of these studies is that, more than any other factor, human happiness is contingent on friendship and love.
In a 2002 study of 222 undergraduate students, researchers compared the upper ten percent of consistently “very happy” participants in the study against participants who self-reported an average level of happiness, as well as those who self-reported significant unhappiness. The researchers discovered that the “very happy people were highly social, and had stronger romantic and other social relationships than less happy groups” (see Reference 1 at the bottom of this post). A 2018 study found that individuals who pursued happiness through social means, which entailed expending time and effort developing and maintaining relationships with others, reported higher levels of life satisfaction than those who pursued happiness through means that did not center on developing personal relationships with others (Reference 2).
Another study published in 2018 determined that people who offer the highest levels of emotional support to others are likely to be happier than individuals who are less compassionate (Reference 3). Studies in 2006 and 2010 examining happiness among middle-aged and geriatric populations concluded that strong marriages and friendships are the best predictors of life satisfaction and day-to-day happiness in these groups (Reference 4). A 2018 study of the “role of friends” in life satisfaction showed that “friendship, in terms of intensity (measured by the frequency with which individuals see their friends) and quality (measured by the satisfaction with friendship relationships), is positively associated to life satisfaction” (Reference 5).
Just as study after study has found a strong correlation between the strength of individuals’ friendships and their level of happiness, study after study has found that individuals who have weak friendships, as well as individuals who experience significant loneliness and social disconnectedness, suffer from the highest levels of unhappiness and depression (Reference 6). Similar findings have emerged from research into the effects of forcibly imposed social isolation. Specifically, researchers have found that inmates who are placed into solitary confinement for extended periods of time experience higher levels of psychological distress than inmates who have regular social interaction (Reference 7).
These and numerous other academic studies clearly establish the importance of friendship and love to human happiness (Reference 8). But what does research say about the relationship between happiness and the attainment of status-oriented goals, like wealth and reputation? It is a commonly held belief that increased wealth and social prominence bring greater happiness, but is this belief supported by the findings of peer-reviewed scientific research?
In 2009, researchers surveyed recent college graduates and compared their level of happiness against the type of goals they set for themselves. Those with “intrinsic” goals, like developing strong relationships, were significantly happier than those who pursued “extrinsic” goals, such as achieving wealth or reputation. The group which pursued extrinsic goals also suffered more negative emotions, like fear and shame, and experienced more physical ailments than the group which pursued intrinsic goals (Reference 9). A 2010 study revealed that once individuals achieve close to the median level of income in their society, money ceases to increase their emotional well-being (Reference 10).
If wealth and status are less important than friends to the attainment of happiness, what about other hedonistic ends that are often pursued as a means to achieving happiness (Reference 11), such as the experience of sexual encounters with a variety of different romantic partners? Specifically, does having sex with more people lead to greater happiness?
A 2004 study examined the “links between income, sexual behavior and reported happiness . . . using data on a sample of 16,000 adult Americans” (Reference 12). This research found: “Sexual activity enters strongly positively in happiness equations. Higher income does not buy more sex or more sexual partners. Married people have more sex than those who are single, divorced, widowed or separated. The happiness-maximizing number of sexual partners in the previous year is calculated to be 1.”
Taken together, the body of scientific research on human happiness provides compelling evidence that the most important source of happiness is the existence of close social ties—specifically, the presence of strong and enduring loving relationships with friends and family, as well as intimate and committed spousal relationships (Reference 13). Though many other factors also impact individuals’ sense of well-being and life satisfaction, studies reveal that friendship and love are unmatched in providing people with happiness. Studies have also found the reverse to be true; human beings are significantly more prone to psychological problems, particularly depression, when intimate connections to others are lacking.
With these studies in mind, ask yourself: is it possible that man was created for the express purpose of experiencing love? This claim is the starting point of the argument in The Advent of Time. The idea that love is the purpose of human creation may seem like an odd place to begin an argument about why God allows evil, but a careful examination of the prerequisites of love reveals that love can only be experienced when there is the possibility of evil.
For a more in-depth survey of the academic literature examining the role of love and friendship in human happiness, read the chapter titled “God is All-Loving” in The Advent of Time.
REFERENCES:
1. Ed Diener and Martin E. P. Seligman, “Very Happy People,” Psychological Science 13, no. 1 (2002): 81—84.
2. Julia M. Rohrer, David Richter, Martin Brümmer, Gert G. Wagner, and Stefan C. Schmukle, “Successfully Striving for Happiness: Socially Engaged Pursuits Predict Increases in Life Satisfaction,” Psychological Science 29, no. 8 (2018): 1291—98.
3. Neal Krause, Gail Ironson, and Peter Hill, “Religious Involvement and Happiness: Assessing the Mediating Role of Compassion and Helping Others,” The Journal of Social Psychology 158, no. 2 (2018): 256—70.
4. Alex J. Bishop, P. Martin, and L. Poon, “Happiness and Congruence in Older Adulthood: A Structural Model of Life Satisfaction,” Aging & Mental Health 10, no. 5 (2006): 445—53; Robert J. Waldinger and Marc S. Schulz, “What’s Love Got To Do With It?: Social Functioning, Perceived Health, and Daily Happiness in Married Octogenarians,” Psychology and Aging 25, no. 2 (2010): 422—31.
5. Viviana Amati, Silvia Meggiolaro, Giulia Rivellini, and Susanna Zaccarin, “Social Relation and Life Satisfaction: The Role of Friends,” Genus 74, no. 1 (2018): 7. Quoted language taken from the abstract.
6. Erin Y. Cornwell, and Linda J. Waite, “Social Disconnectedness, Perceived Isolation, and Health among Older Adults,” Journal of Health and Social Behavior 50, no. 1 (2009): 31—48; John T. Cacioppo, Mary Elizabeth Hughes, Lousie C. Hawkley, and Ronald A. Thisted, “Loneliness as a Specific Risk Factor for Depressive Symptoms: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Analyses,” Psychology and Aging 21, no. 1 (2006): 140—51.
7. Keramet Reiter, Joseph Ventura, David Lovell, Dallas Augustine, Melissa Barragan, Thomas Blair, Kelsie Chesnut, Pasha Dashtgard, Gabriela Gonzolez, Natalie Pifer, and Justin Strong, “Psychological Distress in Solitary Confinement: Symptoms, Severity, and Prevalence in the United States, 2017—2018,” American Journal of Public Health 110, no. 1 (2020): S56—S62.
8. Studies that have examined societal-level happiness have found a strong negative correlation to happiness in societies suffering from high levels of corruption and other forms of pervasive self-centeredness that serve to undermine friendship at a societal scale. Cf. Ruut Veenhoven, “Greater Happiness for a Greater Number: Is that possible and desirable?” Journal of Happiness Studies 11, no. 5 (2010): 605—29.
The positive effects of social interaction on human health have been established not only in the field of psychology, but have also been discovered by researchers in the fields of epidemiology, biology, and medicine. Cf. T. E. Seeman, “Social Ties and Health: The Benefits of Social Integration,” Annals of Epidemiology 6, no. 5 (1996): 442—51; John T. Cacioppo and Louise C. Hawkley, “Social Isolation and Health, with an Emphasis on Underlying Mechanisms,” Perspectives in Biology and Medicine 46, no. 3 (2003): S39—S52; Elliot M. Friedman, Mary S. Hayney, Gayle D. Love, Heather L. Urry, Melissa A. Rosenkranz, Richard J. Davidson, Burton H. Singer, and Carol D. Ryff, “Social Relationships, Sleep Quality, and Interleukin-6 in Aging Women,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 102, no. 51 (2005): 18757—62.
9. Christopher P. Niemiec, Richard M. Ryan, and Edward L. Deci, “The Path Taken: Consequences of Attaining Intrinsic and Extrinsic Aspirations in Post-College Life,” Journal of Research in Personality 43, no. 3 (2009): 291—306.
10. Daniel Kahneman and Angus Deaton, “High Income Improves Evaluation of Life but Not Emotional Well-Being,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 107, no. 38 (2010): 16489—93.
11. One study discovered significant differences in the physiologic effects stemming from altruistic pleasures versus those stemming from hedonistic pleasures. This study found that self-centered pleasures made cells in the immune system act like they were under stress, whereas pleasures stemming from helping others caused the opposite response. Barbara L. Fredrickson, Karen M. Grewen, Kimberly A. Coffey, Sara B. Algoe, Ann M. Firestine, Jesusa M. G. Arevalo, Jeffrey Ma, and Steven W. Cole, “A Functional Genomic Perspective on Human Well-Being,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 110, no. 33 (2013): 13684—89.
12. Danny G. Blanchflower and Andrew J. Oswald, “Money, Sex and Happiness: An Empirical Study,” The Scandinavian Journal of Economics 106, no. 3 (2004): 393—415.
13. Kira S. Birditt and Toni C. Antonucci, “Relationship quality profiles and well-being among married adults,” Journal of Family Psychology 21, no. 4 (2007): 595—604. From the abstract: “Among people with best friends, having at least 2 high quality relations, not necessarily with a spouse, is associated with greater well-being.”