Aristotle proposed that virtue in man occured when a man most closely followed reason. Aristotle saw reason and rationality as what distinguishes man from beast and that pursuit of a life entirely based on reason is the most virtuous.
From this, Aristotle considered that a man's happiness depended on how closely they followed the rational life.
Aristotle considered that there were two kinds of virtue:
By leading the virtuous life, people will be trying to help others and do what is best for society. This can be contrasted with utilitarianism, where the emphasis is on maximizing collective happiness and minmizing collective suffering.
For Aristotle the benefit of leading the virtuous life is a life well-lived and that this leads to eudaimonia, a state of well-being. Aristotle did not consider happiness in our current definition as an objective or virtue theory.