Matthieu Ricard, cellular geneticist turned Buddhist monk, talks about the different between happiness and pleasure in his book Happiness. He suggests people’s confusion of pleasure for happiness is a common error.

Pleasure, as described by Ricard, is a fleeting experience dependent upon circumstance, on a specific location or moment in time. By its very nature pleasure is unstable. The sensation it elicits soon becomes neutral or even repugnant. An example would be eating a delicious chocolate cake. The first few bites are divine, but after reaching the point of being full, to go on would make one feel ill. The cake would taste too sweet and rich, and to continue eating it would be uncomfortable.

Pleasure is exhausted by usage. It’s nearly always linked to an activity and naturally leads to boredom if repeated continuously. Happiness, in contrast, is not necessarily dependent upon circumstance. Happiness does not mutate into its opposite, but instead flourishes and endures with experience. Authentic happiness is not connected to an activity. Rather, it is a state of being.

While pleasures are produced by contact with pleasant stimuli and end when that contact is broken, genuine happiness—lasting well-being—is experienced so long as one remains in harmony with their inner nature.

When speaking of happiness, Ricard refers to the Sanskrit word for this state of being: sukha.

“Sukha is the state of lasting well-being that manifests itself when we have freed ourselves of mental blindness and afflictive emotions. It is also the wisdom that allows us to see the world as it is, without veils or distortions. It is, finally, the joy of moving toward inner freedom and the loving-kindness that radiates toward others.” ¹

Listen to a talk given by Matthieu Ricard on the Habits of Happiness.

¹ Matthieu Ricard. 2003. Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life’s Most Important Skill. New York: Hachette Book Group.