Fostering Happiness

“Happiness, n.: 2.a. The state of pleasurable contentment of mind; deep pleasure in or contentment with one’s circumstances.” –  Oxford English Dictionary¹

People have pursued happiness since humanity came into existence. Entire careers in positive psychology have been working to unlock the secrets to being happy. Happiness has been put on sale in the forms of everything from self help books to seminars. It’s no surprise happiness receives all this attention – who doesn’t want to be happy? The benefit of this focus is the identification of correlations which contribute to a happy life.

Luckily, a large part of our happiness is not determined by genetics². Humans are social animals and relationships are one key to happiness. A decades long study shows the correlation between how happy we are in our relationships has a powerful influence on our health and longevity. The same study points to how mature adults tend to focus more on what is important to them, rather than ‘sweating the small stuff’, leading to increased happiness³. In fact, pursuing happiness through social means is more likely to be effective than other methods⁴.

When talking about happiness, it’s impossible not to acknowledge the part wealth plays. To live costs money. Around ten years ago, a study demonstrated that, for those making a salary of $75k or more, there was no increase in happiness⁵. Adjusted for inflation, this would be $105.6k at the time of this post⁶. A more modern study supports higher earnings continue to increase overall life satisfaction, with larger incomes robustly associated with both greater experienced well-being and greater evaluative well-being⁷. Beware the money trap though – chasing money for money alone actually decreases happiness and healthy spending habits⁸. Conversely, the pursuit of positive emotions shape good spending habits and growing net wealth⁹.

Western culture tends to think the goal of happiness is to be happy all the time. This idea is not only ridiculous but can be toxic. Trying too hard to force positive emotions can have the opposite effect¹⁰. Instead, focus on living a life where you foster positive emotions. Yes, there will be bad days, but take action to promote good ones. Spend more time with friends and family. Emit positivity by showing respect to others. Take time for yourself. Appreciate the moments you are in. Occasionally disconnect from the noise to reset. Fill your time with things you enjoy doing. Have fun being happy.

Action: Build in a few activities this week which make you happy.

Further Reading:

1. “’happiness is ——’ in happiness, n.”. Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, July 2023
2. Pursuing Happiness: The Architecture of Sustainable Change
3. Good genes are nice, but joy is better
4. Successfully Striving for Happiness: Socially Engaged Pursuits Predict Increases in Life Satisfaction
5. Income and emotional well-being: A conflict resolved
6. $75,000 in 2010 is worth $105,601.08 today
7. Experienced well-being rises with income, even above $75,000 per year
8. Living in wealthy neighborhoods increases material desires and maladaptive consumption
9. Individual differences in personality and positive emotion for wealth creation
10. The pursuit of happiness can be lonely