"Happiness is good health and a bad memory"

Happiness is often pursued as a lofty ideal, something to be found through achievements, relationships, or personal accomplishment. Ingrid Bergman’s observation cuts to something more fundamental: true happiness may be as simple as good health and a selective, even faulty, memory. Good health forms the foundational layer for enjoyment in life. Physical vitality enables engagement with the world, reduces pain and discomfort, and supports mental clarity. Without good health, even the brightest moments can become overshadowed by suffering or restriction, making happiness elusive.

The second element, “a bad memory”, offers a nuanced perspective on emotional well-being. Memory, while valuable for identity and learning, can also encumber the present with burdens of regret, resentment, or sorrow. Cultivating a short memory for slights, disappointments, and past mistakes helps prevent rumination that otherwise sours the immediate moment. Forgetting small offenses or letting go of worries about past failures allows for a lighter, freer state of mind. In fact, many wise traditions echo the sentiment that the ability to move forward, rather than dwell on negatives, is key to sustained happiness.

Such an attitude does not advocate living irresponsibly or denying reality, but rather implies a certain generosity toward oneself and others. It suggests forgiving imperfections, both one’s own and others’, and not clinging to the inevitable stings and scrapes of life. When paired with a sound body, this forgiving forgetfulness may foster a spontaneous, grateful embrace of daily joys. Unburdened by physical ailments or psychological baggage, a person is more able to live fully in the present. Thus, happiness emerges not solely from external circumstances or the accumulation of achievements, but from nurturing physical well-being and embracing a flexible, compassionate memory that lets go of past hurts. In this synthesis, Bergman reveals a path toward a lasting and resilient happiness.