Víctor Ballesteros, professor of philosophy: “There is no secret to happiness; it’s better to live an authentic life”

For years, people have searched for the secret to happiness as if it were some magic formula, a specific destination, or a checklist that, once completed, would guarantee a fulfilling life. Books, lectures, and motivational messages promise easy answers to a profoundly human question. Yet experience shows that happiness doesn’t work like a universal recipe - because each person lives, feels, and dreams differently.

The idea of a single secret can even be misleading. It creates unrealistic expectations and, in many cases, frustration. When someone fails to reach that ideal of happiness that others seem to have defined, they may feel as though they’re falling short. But the truth is that happiness isn’t a permanent state or a final destination; it’s something fluid, built and reshaped over time.

Against that endless search for external formulas, living authentically emerges as a more honest and meaningful path. Being authentic means knowing oneself, accepting one’s strengths and limitations, and making decisions aligned with personal values - even when they don’t match social expectations or whatever happens to be trending. It’s not about a perfect life, but a true one.

“No secret to happiness”

That’s the perspective championed by philosophy professor and author Víctor Ballesteros. “There is no secret to happiness - there can’t be,” Ballesteros explains in an interview with Cuerpo Mente. “I do think there are a few shared keys. It’s better to live a reflective life than not to, for example. It’s better to live an authentic life. And then, of course, we’d have to define what’s authentic and what isn’t. But we find happiness in so many different things that it can be difficult to pinpoint the root of it.”

Ballesteros adds: “I do think there are pleasures that are superior to others. For instance, the pleasure of walking through the Prado Museum is a higher pleasure than what you’d get from a night of heavy drinking. I suppose so - I’m not entirely sure because I’m a teetotaler. But I imagine it must be a far greater pleasure than a drinking binge. Beyond that, I’m not one to preach. I encourage people to find their own path, their own way of being happy, of fulfilling and developing themselves.”

Enemies of happiness

Ballesteros also identifies what he believes are the greatest current obstacles to happiness in our society: “In today’s world, the constant rush we live in, the lack of reflection about what we do, and not taking the time to pause and think about our moral choices - these are what are harming us the most. That’s the key: being able to slow down a bit.”

He also reflects on the idea of goodness in this conversation: “I firmly believe that being good brings with it - if you’ll allow the repetition - an inner goodness. I feel comfortable and at ease, and that leads to an external goodness, because I’m able to live in society with a sense of ease. We share a set of social codes, and from there, coexistence becomes much more harmonious. But be careful: being good requires constant self‑examination, not believing you hold the absolute truth, but rather revisiting and reassessing what you do. Because very often, the person who thinks they’re doing everything right isn’t necessarily correct.”

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