[What is happiness? And what does ENT medicine have to do with it?]

Abstract

Happiness is important to most people in our society, although it is given little importance in political and social objectives. However, happiness is an important topic in various philosophical schools and in Western philosophy, happiness goes back to Aristotelianism and Stoic philosophy. Recent longitudinal studies clearly suggest that happiness depends on interpersonal relationships. So what does otorhinolaryngology have to do with this? In our view, various basic skills that enable people to achieve social fitness, i.e., to establish short- and long-term relationships, are at the center of ENT medicine. Examples of this are hearing, olfaction, the voice, but also facial movements. The multisensory processing of various perception and expression channels creates a "social brain network" as a neuronal correlate of social skills and fitness. Consequently, otorhinolaryngology should play a central role in understanding these abilities in the context of happiness.

Keywords: Cochlear implants; Facial nerve diseases; Interpersonal relationships; Olfaction disorders; Tinnitus.