What if the experience of beauty could serve as a path to spiritual awakening? Discover how one’s spiritual or philosophical outlook influences the way beauty is perceived in art and nature. Tune in for actionable advice for deepening the connection between spiritual practice and everyday encounters with beauty.
Rhett Diessner is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Lewis-Clark State College and serves as adjunct faculty at the Bahá’í Institute of Higher Education. He holds a doctorate in human development from Harvard University. His academic work focuses on the appreciation of beauty in nature, art, morality, and ideas.
Rhett Diessner is the author of Understanding the Beauty Appreciation Trait and Psyche and Eros: Bahá’í Studies in a Spiritual Psychology, and has published in numerous peer-reviewed journals across psychology, education, and aesthetics.
In this episode of Sero Boost, Rhett Diessner describes happiness as existing in 3 layers. Superficial happiness comes from sensory pleasures but is fleeting and not a solid foundation for life.
Social happiness, derived from relationships and interactions with others, lasts longer and feels deeper. The deepest form, which he calls joy, is a profound connection to something greater and can persist even amid suffering.
Rhett also discusses common misconceptions about happiness, emphasizing that happiness is not merely an emotion or feeling. Drawing on Arthur Brooks’ work, he explains happiness as a combination of enjoyment, life satisfaction through goal achievement, and finding meaning and purpose. This broader definition moves beyond transient emotions to a more enduring and purposeful state of well-being.
Rhett defines spirituality as the development and expression of human virtues rather than superstition or paranormal phenomena. He highlights spirituality as a way of being that transcends the physical and material world, often contrasting it with materialism. Spiritual beauty, for Rhett, is reflected in people who live virtuously and selflessly, inspiring others through their example.
Rhett Diessner’s insights reveal a layered understanding of happiness that progresses from fleeting pleasure to deep joy rooted in connection and meaning. His perspective on spirituality centers on virtues and transcending materialism, linking spiritual beauty to ethical living. Together, these views suggest that both happiness and spirituality involve moving beyond surface-level experiences to embrace deeper, more enduring qualities.
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