Among psychologists there is a common distinction between two types of happiness: hedonia and eudaimonia. Roughly speaking, hedonic happiness involves immediate pleasure, enjoyment and satisfaction, along with the absence of pain or distress. On the other hand, eudaimonic happiness involves long-term aspects such as meaning, personal growth, excellence and authenticity.
Both hedonia and eudaimonia can be taken to excess. The former has the potential to turn into addiction and impulsiveness, and the latter can derail into a workaholic lifestyle, overthinking things and losing touch with one’s body, for example.
Most wellbeing researchers agree that a well-rounded and flourishing life requires a combination of hedonia and eudaimonia. There is also a significant overlap between the two types. For example, ‘life satisfaction’ and ‘self-efficacy’ seem to belong to both, and there is disagreement among researchers over how best to categorise all the many concepts related to happiness.
Enter the Alexander Technique
In a chapter entitled ‘Sensory Appreciation in its Relation to Happiness’ FM Alexander, the originator of the Alexander Technique, asserted that:
the lack of real happiness manifested by the majority of adults of today is due to the fact that they are experiencing not an improving, but a continually deteriorating use of their psycho-physical selves.
Alexander (1923/2004) p.191.
This is a bold claim. In this article, I am going to look at recent research on Alexander Technique outcomes and see how it relates to the psychological understanding of happiness. The key resource I am drawing on in the psychological literature is the superb overview of hedonic and eudaimonic well-being concepts by Veronika Huta (Huta, 2015).
The scope of my article is summarized below.
Alexander Technique and Hedonia
Affect
At the centre of hedonia are two types of ‘affect’ (or ’emotions’): positive affect and low negative affect. The Alexander Technique has been shown to have beneficial impacts on both, particularly when it has helped reduce or eliminate pain symptoms. In these cases, the experience of pain or discomfort gives way to feelings of ease and wellbeing. In addition, greater enjoyment of life is reported as individuals feel able to resume activities which they had previously had to avoid (Kinsey et al., 2021).
Regardless of pain symptoms, Alexander Technique has also been associated with positive affect in general (general wellbeing, confidence and enjoyment) and with reductions in negative affect (fear, anxiety, depression, low mood, anger and stress) (ibid.). There are several possible explanations (Cacciatoire et al., 2020). One is so-called ’embodied cognition’ theory where the experience of emotions relies on the interpretation of bodily sensations. Thus, reductions in chronic muscle tension could lead to reduced negative emotions, and other more ‘open’ postural patterns could lead to positive emotions such as being calm, alert or confident.
Based on the above evidence, the Alexander Technique could be viewed as an effective method of emotional self-regulation. This can be defined as the ability to restore or enhance one’s affect, and is arguably a major function of hedonia (Huta & Ryan, 2010).
Sensuality
According to Huta (2015), one of the things that hedonically-oriented people are good at is sensuality. These people are are more in touch with their bodies, they savour the physical senses, and they immerse themselves in physical experiences and activities. Logically speaking, sensuality also goes along with two other hedonic orientations: spontaneity (or living in the here and now) and an appreciation of the ‘concrete’ (or practical) over abstract thinking. In other words, you can only be touch with your senses in the present moment and when you get ‘out of your head’.
A number of studies support the notion that people who practise the Alexander Technique are more in touch with their bodies. In their review article, Kinsey and colleagues (2021) conclude that the Technique leads to the experience of mind-body integration and the development of a more holistic sense of self.
Moreover, there is further evidence that the Alexander Technique has another very specific contribution to make. It has been shown that experts in the Alexander Technique are skilled at dynamically matching gravity and other external forces acting on the body. To consciously use a ‘matching strategy’ for balance and movement (rather than a predictive, preplanned strategy) necessitates allowing a flow of proprioceptive (‘body sense’) information to guide one’s motor system in real time. What is interesting from the point of view of this article is that this skill has a hedonic aspect to it. It is termed affective proprioception (Cole & Montero, 2007) or the ‘pleasure in and of movement’.
There is a contrast to be made here, because to fail to tune in properly to one’s proprioceptive and other senses might arguably be a source of unhappiness and malaise. This was Alexander’s own view, and he linked it to a lowering of the overall standard of functioning:
Unfortunately, we have been taught that all the ordinary, most necessary, and therefore most oft-repeated acts of life should be automatic and unconscious; for this reason they have become indifferent. The psycho-physical condition here indicated is one that induces stagnation in the organism, and, as it is a condition which becomes more and more pronounced with advancing age, we gradually lose the capacity to take conscious interest in and derive pleasure from those normal and useful activities of life in the sphere of doing, hearing, seeing, etc.
Alexander (1923/2004) pp.198-9
Alexander Technique and Eudaimonia
Transcendence
The eudaimonic orientation has been linked to a sense of connection with a greater whole, transcendence and spirituality in general (Huta, 2015).
Although the Alexander Technique is non-religious, transcendent experiences are quite common amongst those who practise it. This is not particularly surprising since the Alexander Technique’s core principle of mind-body unity itself implies transcendence. Research shows that the Technique seems to give people an experience of mind-body integration and help them develop a more holistic sense of self (Kinsey et al., 2021). Expanding outwards, people also report improved relationships with others and a deeper connection to their environment (ibid.) – both of which are related to eudaimonia.
Transcendent Alexander Technique experiences have similarities with aspects of the psychological concept of ‘flow’, which has been categorized as a eudaimonic experience. Flow is described as ‘a harmonious experience where mind and body are working together effortlessly’ and is characterized by (among other things) ‘the merging of action and awareness’ and ‘loss of self-consciousness’ (Jackson & Csikszentmihalyi, 1999).
In short, much has been written on various aspects of the Alexander Technique and spirituality (Fischer, J., n.d.).
Developing skills
In the hedonic view, what matters is subjective feelings – positive feelings in the moment, and frequent positive feelings in the long run. In the eudaimonic view, what matters is the quality of behavior – feelings are seen as markers of a life well lived rather than ends in themselves …
Huta (2015) (italics mine)
Huta’s reference to what matters in the eudaimonic view gets quite close to the focus of the Alexander Technique. This is because, in the broadest sense, the Alexander Technique is the skill of improving our ‘quality of behaviour’ through how we ‘use’ ourselves in all the acts of living.
The satisfaction of developing a skill (or achieving competence or excellence) is a eudaimonic attribute which falls under the broad category of personal growth. This satisfaction would seem to be magnified in an unusual way with the Alexander Technique.
Firstly, the Technique claims to develop the overall general skill of ‘good use’ of our ‘psychophysical selves’. It is difficult to describe the deep sense of satisfaction when the mind and body are working well together, but perhaps the word concinnity comes close. This can be defined as ‘the skilful and harmonious arrangement or fitting together of the different parts of something’ (OED, n.d.).
Secondly, through improving overall coordination of body and mind, the Technique claims to enhance the learning of specific skills, such as sports or music. This is doubly satisfying, a point which FM Alexander made himself:
‘They [children] find a new interest in all activities to which they can apply an improving use of themselves, and their happiness in finding, for instance, that they can improve their games by a conscious general direction of themselves (a very different thing from the usual specific directions they receive in coaching lessons) is a happiness which increases with their psycho-physical improvement.’
Alexander (1923/2004) pp.190-1.
As far as recent research is concerned, there is indeed evidence that the Alexander Technique improves various aspects of movement and balance (Cacciatore et al, 2020). Further, its ‘ripple effect’ on other domains is well documented; for example, Kinsey and colleagues (2021) report that applying the Technique to a variety of situations not covered within lessons was linked to a positive feedback loop which included increased feelings of self-efficacy and self-confidence.
Autonomy
Autonomy is the capacity to make independent, informed decisions. It is a eudaimonic orientation with links to other concepts such as being authentic, integrated, non-conformist or intrinsically motivated (Huta, 2015).
Kinsey and colleagues (2021) theorize that, because the Alexander Technique helps people to recognise unconscious and unhelpful habit patterns, they become aware of more possibilities in responding to situations. They can then get better at making conscious, informed decisions based on wants and needs, rather than reacting habitually.
A sense of control and confidence seems to flow from this process. For example, in one study,
Participants described that, as a result of their Alexander Technique lessons, they had a greater sense of control over their lives and more confidence that they would be able to achieve their goals. This combination of confidence and control allowed them to become aware of a greater number of options in their lives and to consider new options as real possibilities, thereby providing a feeling of freedom and flexibility with life decisions and allowing opportunity to take a course of action that differed from their habitual unwanted patterns of behaviour.
Armitage & Glover (2014) p.7
Bringing it all together
As I hope to have shown, the Alexander Technique helps people to live happier lives. There is evidence that it encourages emotional self-regulation, sensuality, transcendent experiences, skill development and autonomy. The Technique does not connect with every single aspect of hedonia and eudaimonia, but that is not surprising given the breadth of concepts involved.
I want to end by including a personal testimony. It includes a number of the elements of Alexander Technique and happiness that I have explored in this article, and shows what a difference the Technique can make to someone’s lived experience.
The Alexander Technique teaches that there is no separation between our minds and our bodies and that we can learn to release stressful symptoms of tightness and collapse by substituting new ways of thinking and moving. Working with the body via the very simple but incredibly profound methods of the Alexander Technique made me aware for the first time of how I was reacting to life. It gave me a choice. By refusing to tighten my shoulders, for example, I no longer felt so crushed by the world, my breathing was able to flow more easily, therefore my body received more oxygen, my digestion improved, even the waste from individual cells could be transported more efficiently, etc. As a result, I felt better and gradually I no longer felt a victim at the mercy of random black thoughts or moods. As I continued to feel better, so my responses to the world became lighter and less circumscribed and I felt myself to be on a positive feedback loop rather than a negative one.
Hatton, D. (2015)
Bibliography
Alexander, FM (1923/ 2004) Constructive Conscious Control of the Individual. London: Mouritz.
Armitage, J., L. Glover, L. (2014) Situations of wellbeing: psychological experiences of learning the Alexander technique. Alexander Journal, 24, 3-11.
Cacciatore, T., Johnson, P., Cohen, R. (2020) Potential Mechanisms of the Alexander Technique: Toward a Comprehensive Neurophysiological Model. Kinesiology Review 9, 199-213.
Cole, J, Montero, B. (2007) Affective Proprioception. Janus Head 9(2) 299-317.
Fischer, J. (n.d.) Religion, Spirituality. In Mouritz Companion to the Alexander Technique. https://mouritz.org/companion/article/religion-spirituality. Accessed Mar 2023.
Hatton, D. (2015) Where are your emotions? https://daskahatton.co.uk/articles-about-complementary-therapy/2015/03/where-are-your-emotions. Accessed Mar 2023.
Huta, V., & Ryan, R. M. (2010). Pursuing pleasure or virtue: The differential and overlapping well-being benefits of hedonic and eudaimonic motives. Journal of Happiness Studies, 11, 735-762.
Huta, V. (2015). An overview of hedonic and eudaimonic well-being concepts. In L. Reinecke & M. B. Oliver (Eds.), Handbook of media use and well-being. Chapter 2. New York: Routledge.
Jackson, S. & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1999) Flow in Sports. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Kinsey, D., Glover, L., Wadephul, F. (2021). How does the Alexander Technique lead to psychological and non-physical outcomes? A realist review. European Journal of Integrative Medicine 46, 101371.
OED (Oxford English Dictionary), Definition: Concinnity. Accessed online Mar 2023.
