The podcast series “Aleja Badaczek” (Female Researchers' Alley) recorded in collaboration with Radio 357 presents five female scientists from the University of Lodz whose research demonstrates how science helps us better understand reality and everyday life. Justyna Godz's conversation with dr hab. Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek about happiness and pleasure proves to be one of the most personal and yet most universal ones.
A good life begins in the mind
For over two and a half thousand years, philosophy has been trying to answer the question of how to live well. As Prof. de Lazari-Radek emphasises, today, philosophy is increasingly supported in this search by psychology and neuroscience – and combining these perspectives allows us to look at human well-being more broadly than ever before.
The researcher points out that one of the most important intuitions of ancient philosophers remains consistently relevant:
A good life is a state of mind. Our lives depend not solely on external conditions or how much we possess, but largely on how we interpret what happens to us.
This idea leads to very simple, though not always easy, tips: not wanting too much, appreciating what we have and consciously cultivating kind thoughts.
Pleasure, suffering and wise choices
The conversation naturally moves from ancient philosophy to contemporary human knowledge. Pleasure, as the philosopher emphasises, is not something accidental or superficial:
You could say that we are created for pleasure. It is our reward, allowing us to survive. However, we were also created for suffering.
It is precisely this capacity for reflection that prevents people from being solely dependent on instinct. They can choose sources of pleasure that are more lasting and do not cause harm to others. From this perspective, happiness ceases to be a momentary impulse and begins to be the result of conscious decisions and habits.
Purpose, community and being needed
Another important thread in the conversation is the need for purpose in life. Humans, as rational beings, do not solely pursue their own comfort.
As the researcher notes, a great source of joy is the feeling of being needed by others. Helping, cooperating and building relationships not only strengthen social bonds but also have deep, evolutionary foundations.
Similarly, trust and community – without them, it's difficult to speak of a lasting sense of happiness. We need each other. Living among people who support each other promotes well-being more than any individual success.
Hedonism that isn't selfishness
One of the most frequently discussed topics is hedonism – a concept often mistakenly associated with selfishness or the immoderate pursuit of pleasure.
Prof. Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek draws attention to a trend of utilitarian hedonism that is particularly close to her and that assumes the opposite:
Our actions should be directed towards the good of the world – to maximise joy and minimise suffering, and not just in relation to ourselves.
Understood in this way, ethics shifts the focus from the individual to the common good and allows us to view happiness as a social category, not an exclusively private one.
Happiness as a daily practice
Although philosophy employs broad concepts, the conversation also offers very specific tips.
One of these is consciously enhancing positive experiences – for example, by writing down the good things that happened that day or recalling moments of joy.
Exercising the mind is like exercising a muscle – the philosopher underlines, pointing out that good mental habits can be developed just like physical fitness. This perspective clearly demonstrates that a good life is not a one-time achievement, but a process that requires mindfulness and work.
Philosophy close to life
This podcast conversation demonstrates that questions about happiness, meaning and pleasure are not abstract. They concern our daily choices, relationships with others and the way we interpret our own experiences.
In this context, philosophy proves to be a practical tool for understanding the world and ourselves. The answer to the question of how to live well is not reduced to a single recipe, but to the conscious shaping of one's thoughts, goals, and relationships.
Dr hab. Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek, Associate Professor at the University of Lodz is a philosopher and an ethicist, the University of Lodz Vice-Rector for the Internationalisation of Science and Education and Head of the Department of Ethics and Aesthetics at the Faculty of Philosophy and History, University of Lodz. She is a graduate of Philosophy and English Studies. She specialises in moral philosophy, utilitarianism, practical ethics and research on well-being and happiness.
She has been cooperating with Peter Singer for years. She ha salso co-authored books such as "The Point of View of the Universe" and "Utilitarianism: A Very Short Introduction," which popularises a contemporary approach to utilitarian ethics with him. Additionally, she is the author of "Godny pożądania stan świadomości" [A Desirable State of Consciousness] in which she analyses the nature of happiness and pleasure.
She teaches at several faculties at the University of Lodz, and in her research, she combines classic philosophical questions with the results of contemporary research on human well-being, demonstrating that reflection on how to live well can have a very practical dimension.
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Edit: Honorata Ogieniewska, Centre for External Relations and Social Responsibility of the University, University of Lodz
