Being named the happiest person in the world might sound like an impossible feat – after all, how do you measure happiness? But for one Frenchman, the is backed by science. Meet Matthieu Ricard, a Buddhist monk whose brain scans have left researchers in awe.
The 79-year-old Frenchan, who escaped to the Himalayas when he was 26 and became a Buddhist monk, has been labelled the happiest man in the world. Ricard was given the title after participating in a 12-year brain study on meditation and compassion.
The study was conducted by the University of Wisconsin and led by neuroscientist Richard Davidson. Ricard’s skull was hooked up to 256 sensors which revealed when the monk was meditating on compassion, his mind was unusually light. The monk said that anyone can achieve a lighter mind because he believes there is a potential for goodness in every human. He said: « With mental training, we can always bring [our level of happiness] to a different level. »
He recommended that people start by thinking happy thoughts for 15 minutes a day, adding that happiness is a skill that can be trained.
Ricard added: “It’s like running. If I train, I might run a marathon. I might not become an Olympic champion, but there is a huge difference between training and not training. So why should that not be applied to the mind?” The Buddhist said there was a view that benevolence, attention, emotional balance and resilience are all skills which can be developed.
Ricard started off his life on a much different plane before embracing the Eight-Fold path. He grew up amongst the ideas of French intellectuals including his father, philosopher Jean-Francois and mother, Yahne Le Toumelin – an artist. Ricard achieved his PhD in molecular genetics from the Pasteur Institute in 1972 before turning his back on and heading in another direction.
He soon arrived in India where he studied with the Kangyur Rinpoche and some other teachers of that tradition. Ricard went on to follow in his mother’s footsteps – who had previously become a Buddhist nun – as he decided to dedicate his life to the religion.
The monk became a close friend and student of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche up until his death in 1991 before continuing to fulfil Rinpoche’s vision. He became a vegan and an accomplished photographer whose work has been widely exhibited.
Ricard had a dialogue with his famous father, Jean-Francois Revel that was later published into a book. ‘The Monk and the Philosopher’, was a best seller in Europe and was translated into 21 languages.
His 2003 book Plaidoyer pour the bonheur (published in English in 2006 as Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life’s Most Important Skill) explored the meaning and fulfilment of happiness. It was a major best-seller in France.
In an article published by GQ, the only thing that seemed to make the monk unhappy was the moniker he hadn’t been able to escape: The happiest man in the world. Ricard said: “I know happier monks. I really do. It’s absurd.”
Ricard returned to France to care for his mother over four years in the Dordogne before she died in 2023 – a couple of months shy of her 100th birthday. After her death, he moved back to Nepal.
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