New reports from my reading of the Happiness book by Haidt: the happiness formula

 

H: level of happiness

S: biological set point

V: voluntary activities we carry out

C: conditions of life

 

S: Believe or not, we are not all born equal. Some people are just happier by genes.  There's nothing we can do about S; our parents give it to us.

 

V:  There are two types of activities that make us happy. The first type includes (almost) brainless activities like eat good food and have sex, that just feel good. The happiness brought by these activities is usually called pleasure. Pleasure makes us happy, but typically only temporarily. Moreover, the unconscious part of our brain often leads us to have too much pleasure at a time, and this can lead to disgust (think about over-eating).  To me, pleasure entail activities that are great for the short run but suck for the long run.

 

The second type includes activities like playing sports, learning new things, or solving a puzzle that interest us and challenge us at the right level. The happiness brought by these activities is called gratification by some psychologists. Unlike pure pleasure, gratification leads us to more long-lasting happiness, and the side effects of gratification seem to be mild if there are any. In general, gratification are great both for the short run and the long run.

 

I think the distinction between pleasure and gratification is important and perhaps not well known enough. Max Weber, for example, points out the spirit of capitalism is "hard work and the delay of gratification." Apparently, he should use the word pleasure instead. Perhaps Weber thinks of hard work are miserable activities whose only purpose (for a long time) is for the Glory of God. But in many cases, I believe, hard work is gratifying, especially when the work required matches one's talent.  I certainly couldn't distinguish pleasure from gratification before i read the happiness book. But I did collect one fortune cookie slip (the only one or two i still have), which say "happiness is not pleasure, it's victory."

 

C reflects how large one's house, how pretty one's spouse is and other material goodies. These material well-beings are probably what we typically have in mind when we talk about  "what a good life is made of."

 

Unfortunately, we adapt to most things in C fairly quickly, so in a sense spending time and effort to pursue for "what a good life is made of" is somewhat misguided. A large house gets us happy, but only for a while, and then it is taken for granted. People adapt quickly, and this adaptation principle explains, for example, why lottery winners are not nearly as happy as one would imagine.

 

There are some things, however, which we don't seem to adapt very well, and these are the things we should keep in mind when we make choices. First, we don't adapt well to noise, so choosing a quiet house is perhaps a good idea. Second, we don't adapt well to commuting, so choosing a nearby but somewhat smaller house is perhaps preferable to having a large but far away one. Third, plastic surgery helps! Although attractive people aren't happier on average than the unattratctive ones, those who become more attractive through plastic surgery do. (Sadly or fortunately?, this effect is most pronounced in people who have breast surgery).  Fourth, we do not adapt to relationships. Good roommates, officemates, and significant others really help!  These perhaps are the things we should strive for!

 

Finally, if one has lots of free time, try visit www.authentichappiness.org and also google Tal Ben-Shahar, who teaches the most popular class at Harvard.