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OPINION

A Formula for Happiness

Brian Rea

By ARTHUR C. BROOKS

Published: December 14, 2013 256 Comments

HAPPINESS has traditionally been considered an elusive and

evanescent thing. To some, even trying to achieve it is an exercise in

futility. It has been said that happiness is as a butterfly which, when

pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but which if you will sit down

quietly, may alight upon you.

Social scientists have caught the

butterfly. After 40 years of research,

they attribute happiness to three

major sources: genes, events and

values. Armed with this knowledge

and a few simple rules, we can

improve our lives and the lives of

those around us. We can even construct a system that fulfills our

founders promises and empowers all Americans to pursue happiness.

Psychologists and economists have studied happiness for decades. They begin simply

enough by asking people how happy they are.

The richest data available to social scientists is the University of Chicagos General Social

Survey, a survey of Americans conducted since 1972. This widely used resource is

considered the scholarly gold standard for understanding social phenomena. The numbers

on happiness from the survey are surprisingly consistent. Every other year for four

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decades, roughly a third of Americans have said theyre very happy, and about half

report being pretty happy. Only about 10 to 15 percent typically say theyre not too

happy. Psychologists have used sophisticated techniques to verify these responses, and

such survey results have proved accurate.

Beneath these averages are some demographic differences. For many years, researchers

found that women were happier than men, although recent studies contend that the gap

has narrowed or may even have been reversed. Political junkies might be interested to

learn that conservative women are particularly blissful: about 40 percent say they are

very happy. That makes them slightly happier than conservative men and significantly

happier than liberal women. The unhappiest of all are liberal men; only about a fifth

consider themselves very happy.

But even demographically identical people vary in their happiness. What explains this?

The first answer involves our genes. Researchers at the University of Minnesota have

tracked identical twins who were separated as infants and raised by separate families. As

genetic carbon copies brought up in different environments, these twins are a social

scientists dream, helping us disentangle nature from nurture. These researchers found

that we inherit a surprising proportion of our happiness at any given moment around

48 percent. (Since I discovered this, Ive been blaming my parents for my bad moods.)

If about half of our happiness is hard-wired in our genes, what about the other half? Its

tempting to assume that one-time events like getting a dream job or an Ivy League

acceptance letter will permanently bring the happiness we seek. And studies suggest

that isolated events do control a big fraction of our happiness up to 40 percent at any

given time.

But while one-off events do govern a fair amount of our happiness, each events impact

proves remarkably short-lived. People assume that major changes like moving to

California or getting a big raise will make them permanently better off. They wont. Huge

goals may take years of hard work to meet, and the striving itself may be worthwhile, but

the happiness they create dissipates after just a few months.

So dont bet your well-being on big one-off events. The big brass ring is not the secret to

lasting happiness.

To review: About half of happiness is genetically determined. Up to an additional 40

percent comes from the things that have occurred in our recent past but that wont last

very long.

That leaves just about 12 percent. That might not sound like much, but the good news is

that we can bring that 12 percent under our control. It turns out that choosing to pursue

four basic values of faith, family, community and work is the surest path to happiness,

given that a certain percentage is genetic and not under our control in any way.

The first three are fairly uncontroversial. Empirical evidence that faith, family and

friendships increase happiness and meaning is hardly shocking. Few dying patients regret

overinvesting in rich family lives, community ties and spiritual journeys.

Work, though, seems less intuitive. Popular culture insists our jobs are drudgery, and one

survey recently made headlines by reporting that fewer than a third of American workers

felt engaged; that is praised, encouraged, cared for and several other gauges seemingly

aimed at measuring how transcendently fulfilled one is at work.

Those criteria are too high for most marriages, let alone jobs. What if we ask something

simpler: All things considered, how satisfied are you with your job? This simpler

approach is more revealing because respondents apply their own standards. This is what

the General Social Survey asks, and the results may surprise. More than 50 percent of

Americans say they are completely satisfied or very satisfied with their work. This rises

to over 80 percent when we include fairly satisfied. This finding generally holds across

income and education levels.

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A version of this op-ed appears in print on December 15, 2013, on page SR1 of the New York edition w ith the headline: A

Formula for Happiness.

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Arthur C. Brooks is the president of the American Enterprise Institute, a public policy

think tank in Washington, D.C.

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jtbeer new jersey

Dec. 15, 2013 at 12:17 p.m. RECOMMENDED 86

"When I taught graduate students, I noticed that social entrepreneurs

who pursued nonprofit careers were some of my happiest graduates.

They made less money than many of their classmates, but were no less

certain that they were earning their success. They defined that success in

nonmonetary terms and delighted in it."

But wait I thought liberals were surveyed as being less happy.

tim s. longmont


Well written piece on meaningful work being important to one's overall

happiness.

However, the summarizing paragraphs are pure polemics reflecting the

AEI party line. Of course, this is an opinion column.

I agree with other comments: NYT, don't carry the AEI's water; they

have plenty of

media shills to do it for them.

Two To Beam Up illinois


so basically "don't worry - be happy."

And ignore the labeling "commentators" here - who need someone to

blame, except themselves of course.

Time to practice for the Christmas Cantata.

Sherry Wacker Oakland


The TAO teaches that the only way to be happy is not to desire. This is

against everything we learn in America where success is defined by the

dream of becoming rich or powerful and the belief that everyone is on a

level playing field to get what they want.

Desire gives us drive to succeed. It also makes us discontented with the

lives we have.

If conservative women have a higher happiness quota I feel it is because

they have a naive faith that god and paternalistic males will take care of

them.

Dr. LZC medford

I hope the NYT will also print an op-ed on "happiness" or "love" or the

"meaning of life" from someone of a progressive political persuasion who

doesn't feel the need to pee on teachers in an aside, as though it had

somehow been scientifically proven that their pay and benefits, vs. say

the pay and benefits of corporate leaders or members of Congress


directly took bread and opportunity out of the mouth of babes. In

reality , teachers and students are united; how you treat either party

affects the other. Resources for all, including parents, are required; it's

not either/or choice as Mr. Brooks seems to suggest. Moreover, if a

middle-class standard is a happiness fundamental, is Mr. Brooks

suggesting a socialist prescription to prop up the three-legged stool of

"happiness"?

R Head editorial


Tell that to the millions of working poor who get a bare minimum wage,

often have two jobs and still lack. Then there are the happy Goldman

Sachs guys getting $1000 per hour. Follow your passion, an age old

saying that gets people in serious financial trouble.

If we had a fair system that allowed for child care, health care , education

and retirement (can you say Sweden?) then people would have the basics

and could practice this idea of doing what fulfills them. However , in our

inequality system taken over by the Rich , thats is not an option.

MLHE Phoenix


Yesterday a friend said, "The reason we came to Earth is to learn how to

communicate with one another. Relationships are like yoga--they are a

practice!"

Happiness is relational. It is relative. It is theory!

Jeff Evanston, IL


I think liberals are less happy because they face the truth. They don't

ignore other people's suffering. They don't hold beliefs that reliable

scientific discovery has shown to be false. They don't think that their own

personal happiness is more important than the happiness of others. This

is why , for example, they are against cutting off food stamps. It's why

they want to lower the unemployment rate by having the federal

government invest in infrastructure and education. It's a cruel joke that

the author, who is the president of the American Enterprise Institute,

should point out that unemployment is a huge cause of unhappiness

while the Republican Party is doing everything it can to push austerity

and keep the economy moving slowly so long as President Obama is in

office.

Me Here


What about physical maladies? Don't they play a significant role? I would

have labeled myself "satisfied and happy" until I developed chronic nerve

pain. Someone much wiser than me said "physical pain is the greatest

evil".

Bob Tube Los Angeles


Mr. Brooks' recommendations for preserv ing the social safety net and

creating more social mobility are the very soul of irony, coming from the

president of a think tank that is a wholly-owned subsidiary of country

club Republicans, at a time when 25 Republican governors have refused

to expand Medicaid and House Republicans whack unemployment

benefits and food assistance for those Americans most desperately in

need. That's really rich.

Hanrod Orange County, CA

Well, I should first have noticed the source of this, conclusionary , report

of these "conslusions", i.e. Brooks and the, conservative, right-wing,

American Enterprise think tank folks. An example of the weak, pathetic

statements here, near the end, is the one: "It is not enough to assume that

our system blesses each of us with equal opportunities". "Not enough"?

How about "inaccurate" or even "flat wrong"? Dream on Professor Brooks,

you are just not liv ing in the real world; and a fixed amount of resources

and a growing population is only making that real world worse. Y es, you


will need your "faith" to believe that anything good is coming our way.

Lynn Nevada


It is great to have someone who works for a conservative think tank

understand that income inequality is not good for America. But there are

several important points that he muddles to probably appease his

conservative mind.

First of all, he still applauds competition and free enterprise, but does

not address the fact that most of the rich get rich using the labor of

others and increasingly that means stagnant or declining wages and

benefits, which also means tax payers have to fill the gap between low

wages and the cost of liv ing. I help pay for those rich to get rich off of the

labor of the working poor. Conservative don't understand that.

Second, I hope that Mr. Brooks recognizes that faith does not equate with

religion. "Faith" can be completely devoid of God, it can be faith in the

fellow man and one can have great happiness as an atheist. Rather than

faith and values, I would say state of mind. We really can control our

reactions to things and even adjust our moods and outlook. That is the

type of self-government we really need, but it is hard to learn especially

in a consumptive society where we believe external rewards and

material possessions bring us happiness. It takes practice to be

emotionally and socially intelligent, but when we behave in those ways

and get into that state of mind we are much more content.

To make his arguments more relevant, I would advise Mr. Brooks to

broaden his language and perspective to include the other half of the

population.

TMSG Chicago


It's not really surprising that people, for whom the controllable portion

of their happiness depends on building their own life and doing well in

the things they can control are happier than people, for whom the

controllable portion of their happiness depends on controlling the

actions and perceptions of reality of other people.

Runaway The Desert


How about hedge fund trimming?

Maureen O'Brien Middleburg Heights, Ohio


So, Arthur, we all should be free sty ling entrepenuers?

Guy Spector Chicago


Amazing to me how many comments seem obsessed with who the author

is. Either the message is correct, or it isn't. I don't see how you can argue

with the message. Does the part about religion bother you? Well, I'm an

atheist, but I'm willing to admit that being involved in a religion is one

path in giv ing an indiv idual a sense of community .

IMO, the only thing missing is the importance of one's standing, relative

to others in your sphere. Maybe you buy your clothes at Target, and

you're perfectly happy about that. Eventually you realize that your

friends shop at Nordstrom. I'm guessing you'll be (at least) a little less

happy . Y es, this is a response that many of us would regard as shallow,

but it's human nature.

JumpinJack San Diego

I think that we are most content when our jobs coincide with our

abilities. I thought that I, with parental consent and enthusiasm, was

going to be a civ il engineer. The Vietnam War interrupted that. I took a

job as an apprentice mechanic as those were the only jobs available for

future draftees. I remained in the trade all my life and loved it! The


teachings of Carl Jung as expressed by the Myers-Briggs Indicator

confirmed this. I am an ISTJ; the decider. Auto mechanics is a series of

problem/solution events. Civ il engineering was exactly wrong for me.

Civ il engineers can spend their whole career working on a freeway

system and never complete it. It is the "process" that they like. More

happiness in Europe might relate more to being able to find a trade to

work at, rather than having to ex ist in a job that you are not suited for.

js washington, dc


"Faith" is required for happiness? Sounds like he's condemned atheists to

eternal unhappiness. I was immediately suspicious of this article as soon

as I saw that word.

a new york ,ny


"half genetic" means that, half of the time, the difference between your

and my happiness is due to genes. so the cause is 100% genetic. also,

that's just the genes that we understand. it may all be mostly genetic but

we simply cannot prove it yet because the genes haven't been identified

yet.

Guitar Man New York


Dear Arthur,

Excellent, excellent article. The paragraph containing the first reference

to Kahneman hit home - I've been a believer of this for many years.

A request: Please find a way to get this article into the hands of one

Democrat in the House and one in the Senate and allow each to use it as a

speech to be read verbatim. And force the conservatives to listen to each

and every sy llable.

Jason North River, NY


Even though Mr. Brooks is president of the American Enterprise Institute

he doesn't have a clue about genetics of so-called identical twins. They

are not identical--same genes, possibly , but those genes are differentially

regulated. It is called epigenetics and I suggest he do a bit of reading

before he spouts anymore of his nonsense science. Secondly , what genes

have been identified that predict happiness? The NYT needs to develop

some standards for their op-ed contributors.

daved Bel Air, Maryland


I'd be much happier if I lived in a world where there was less disparity of

income, where the precious fragile environment of our planet was

protected, where so many creatures were not threatened with

extinction, where the numbers of our human species was stable and lived

in balance with our natural world. I don't think the American Enterprise

Institute can help me much - in fact I suspect they 're incapable of dealing

with any of these really fundamental problems.

CEO Houston, TX


Wish the author tell us what he means by faith, family , community and

work, before his associations to empirical ev idence. Another propaganda

for "free enterprise" and the infallibility of the founders who foresaw all

and all from the beginning of whatsoever to the end of what? Sad note of

our times and the corruption of "science" for the sake of ideology.

personwithabrain planetearth


In 30 years of reading the NYTimes, this is without a doubt the most

intellectually dishonest article that's ever been published in this pages.

So very disheartening ...

Susan Seattle, WA


Oh, for heaven's sake, sound science or not, the tone of this article is

revolting. The author comes across as a guy with several not-just-silver-

but-actual-gold spoons sticking out of his self-satisfied mouth.

Oh, and BTW, the science itself was presented much more effectively on

public TV last week, in a program called "Happy".

imagiste currently in motion, CA


Of course those percentages only really apply to subsets of indiv iduals

and at particular points or intervals in time, not for everyone at all times.

So the aggregate conclusion tends toward uselessness for the indiv idual.

Y ou can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some

of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.

Marty f California


The 40% is NOT only random short term happiness.

Each indiv idual subjectively knows what experiences bring them JOY .

This can be experiencing a SUNSET or watching children play on a beach.

The writers focus on the 12% does not recognize that a concerted daily

effort on the

Discovery and enjoyment of finding and repeating the 40% random

events when added to the 12% values pursuit can bring happiness into

our lives 52% of the time.

In summary . We should not wait for the 40% as if we were waiting for

Godot

Jefferson advised that we have a right to PURSUE happiness

As a lifelong pessimist,I would agree

Ivo Whistler


On the other note: if making over certain amount does not really increase

happiness, while making below certain amount clearly destroys

happiness, then we should redistribute income - so nobody is below the

happiness threshold, and nobody takes in more than necessary to be

happy , instead of blabbing about the free enterprise.

Floretta NY


In short, to those to whom much is given, much is expected. And, follow

your bliss.

AZ DC


Hmmmmmmm...I think this might be propaganda.

G. Sears Johnson City, TN


Got it.

Well sort of, kind of, maybe.

Now someone please tell just what in the world happiness is?

Ah, eureka, must be something akin to the opposite of unhappiness.

Well sort of, kind of, maybe.

And by the way, which gene was it that makes everything copacetic?

barrie a wigmore ny, ny


It requires some twisting of the meaning of "a job" to explain the

happiness of women before they were emancipated to join the work force

(assuming their happiness has held more or less constant).

NM NY


There are so many intriguing elements in this article!

Happiness can be seen not only as a state in itself, but also as the absence

of unhappiness. When I consider what often makes us unhappy -

isolation, insecurity , aimlessness - I see why employment has a positive

effect. Work offers routine, focus, stability , dignity and social

connections. Even when I bemoan a try ing day, I am grateful to have my

job keeping me grounded.

I agree that happiness, like other aspects of personality , is significantly

innate and genetics seem to outweigh other variables. Within my family ,

the sibling who has the least money is by miles the happiest. This brother

has had a positive outlook all his life and his disposition has always

endeared him to others and facilitated relationships like his strong

marriage, which, in turn, increase his happiness.

We all have to take the bitter with the sweet in life. Hopefully , there is

more of the latter than the former and we have good health to carry us

through it.

jrpardinas San Diego


Since the author is by his own account one of those predestined to

imperturbable happiness, I do not feel as guilty about saying that this

article reads like pabulum and leaves the impression of mindlessly

superficial over-generalized "happy talk."

nlitinme san diego


This strikes me as being near useless. For one thing, what makes a study

from 197 2 relevant today? To say 48% of our happiness is genetically

determined is a little absurd. This is a science and math thing, an area

where we in the USA are really challenged.

There was a book on happiness written a few years ago, a simple study,

international and what was found makes a lot more sense. The happiest

people in the world have this in common-strong family and social ties, a

government that promotes and supports general wellbeing and safety

and a spiritual foundation of some sort. The happiest places in the world?

There was a place in Mexico, a city in Denmark, Singapore and a place in

India.

There is a documentary on happiness as well- strong social/family ties

and support and spiritual beliefs are big factors.

Susan Abuja, Nigeria


One of the silliest articles I've read in a long time. It must have made Mr.

Brooks very happy to write it.

Vikram Brookline

Anyone who believes that ~50% of our happiness is genetic would do

well to run some basic research, they will quickly find Mr. Brooks'

number to be a false one.

Why would a 1 per-center care at all about the happiness of others? It's

plain as day this is not the case, from Walmart's food collection drive for

its grossly underpaid employees to the removal of food stamps at

Christmas, to the hard fight against a health care system whose purpose

is to prevent the bankruptcy-inducing costs of a bloated health care

system.

Quite interesting that someone who advocates for keeping the middle-

and lower-classes down by lobbying the more conservative members of


congress and who works diligently to further empower the 1% should

author this article. Not surprising that his findings show conservatives to

be happier on average than liberals.

Sad to say , simply because of Mr. Brooks' affiliations I cannot trust the

numbers in his article. Conservative republicans have proven

themselves to be any thing but moral and honest, in fact this article

wound up twisting from the source of happiness to advocating for free

enterprise. Disgusting.

HN New Orleans


I stopped reading this mess at the faith part.

Tom NYC


I don't know why the Times insists on publishing such drivel. It's

perfectly suitable material for a church newsletter. But it's the concerted

efforts of groups like the AEI ("think tank" is a far too generous

characterization, I think) over the past 30-40 years that have bullied

editors of mainstream publications into publishing sheer nonsense for

the sake of appearing "balanced." The effect has been to give voice to

cooks and false legitimacy to cherry-picked or purely fabricated data

presented as empirical ev idence in support of a purely political aim.

That's not balance. It's certainly not journalism. It's just nonsense, and

any good journalist or editor would present it as such.

Paul 11211

Dec. 15, 2013 at 11:56 a.m. RECOMMENDED 68

I would say of course conservatives are "happier" than liberals. It's to

easier to be so when you distance yourself from the suffering of others,

and your responsibilities to help those in need. In their universe all

unhappiness is due to one's own failures ( so why is it my problem?"). It is

much more difficult t be happy when suffering is so prevalent in this

world, and when we understand that the real distance between your own

well-being and theirs is an illusion at best.

I guess I fall into the category of "unhappy" liberal male. But having a

"happy" life was never a goal of mine. Rather it was to have a full one. And

if that means experiencing the unhappiness of others as it it were my

own, then so be it. I may not feel happy often, but I always feel human. A

trade I very "happily" would make any day of the week.

Bathsheba Robie New England


I liked the article until 1) I saw what "job" the author had and 2) read his

pean to free enterprise. No hedges on hedge funds. Come on.

I note that in his discussion of the impact of events on one's life that

barely a word was spent on analyzing the impact of a disastrous event on

happiness. Getting that raise or promotion may only make you happy for

a short time, but I can guarantee that being fired and becoming

permanently unemployed and/or developing a serious uncurable

diseases will have a long term impact on your happiness index. And

unrestrained libertarian capitalism will not buffer the fall.

Unemployment usually means uninsured and unless you're 22, private

health insurance premiums were laughably high. All it takes is a major

uncurable disease and your misery index will soar. Hopefully the

financial impact of a health disaster will be mitigated under Obama care,

something his "think tank" was adamantly opposed to.

Finally , the loss of a job which you loved, gave you status and the

inability to find another due to age discrimation or no market for your

skill set because of a down market, is not helped by unemployment

benefits which equal what a part-timer at McDonald's would make.

Perhaps the Times should allow someone to discuss the impact of our

free market on our misery index. Maybe those Northern Europeans are

happier because of the benefits they receive and their greater limits on

unrestrained capitalism.

James Murphy Providence Forge, Virginia


As a Democrat, I would be supremely unhappy to wake up one day to

find that my nightmare had been real--I really was working for the

American Enterprise Institute or, worse, the Heritage Foundation. As it

is, I'm a very happy member of the five percent.

scholastica8 Inglewood, CA


As a genealogist, I've long believed that genes have a far greater impact

on our psychology & emotions than credited in the past. I see generation

after generation of families repeat the same behaviors... make the same

mistakes or repeat their successes. I see suicide run in families... & not

parents & children... or siblings... but a great-uncle, a cousin, etc... who

didn't know each other & didn't live remotely similar lives. The older I

grow, the more I recognize my behaviors, etc as those of my parents...

sometimes I'll realize, that's my mother... or that's my father. At the time,

what they did or said made no sense... or I didn't give it a thought. When

I was 10, they were 50... Now that I'm finished with my 50s... & I'm

finally entering their period of life which I remember, but as an adult. My

dad slept with a radio on under his pillow. I sleep with the TV on, turned

down low. Why? It acts as white noise & helps stop anxious thoughts.

Now I understand the radio, whose murmurs drove me nuts.

c2396 SF Bay Area


For me, happiness is freedom and enough money to enjoy it.

Not riches, just enough money to pay for life's essentials, with a little left

over for things like travel; entertainment such as opera and dance

performances; volunteering in unpaid positions to support organizations

whose goals you support; ongoing university education; and little

luxuries like an occasional meal at a terrific restaurant.

The best work I ever did was as a newspaper reporter and editor, which

combined elements of immediate gratification with the ability to benefit

people in some very concrete ways. Being selfish in a healthy way

(meaning not being selfish in a way that hurts anyone else) while helping

others is, for me, as good as it gets on the job.

I've always been a liberal. I always will be. And throughout most of my

life I've been happy. But never happier than since I retired. My time is

my own, and I'm extraordinarily fortunate to be financially secure,

although certainly not rich.

Freedom and financial security . That's my recipe for happiness. After

that, it's all about choices. And this is a world in which there are so many

opportunities to be happy, it would be impossible to take advantage of all

of them.

Kathy Roberts Orange County, NY


If I had enough money to live on, I'd be happy, too.

jept54 New York City


Didn't Mr. Brooks intend for this to be published in the Wall St. Journal??

I am astounded that the New Y ork Times has inflicted this clap-trap on

us.

Thank you to all who have commented to illuminated the flaws in this

sort of self-serv ing spin.

JD CA


Three words... Ignorance. Is. Bliss.

Ivo Whistler


A conservative think-tank is telling us we shall be more happy if we are

conservative, what a shocking surprise. Embrace values like faith, family ,

community and WORK, and you will be happy. This should be read with

Trent Raznor's "Happiness in Slavery" humming in the background.

Although, Arthur C. Brooks, the president of the American Enterprise

Institute, who wrote this, did depart from conservative orthodoxy,

advocating capitalism with a more humane face. Maybe those who play

music can't truly be ev il. Still, his main prescription is more free

enterprise. Which seems to me like a homeopathic remedy.

Kyle Elkhorn Slough, California Central Coast


Near the end of the article he sight countries that have much higher rates

of social mobility ; Scandinavia and Canada. These are some of the most

renowned social welfare states. Then in complete reversal he states that

we need more free enterprise. The two are complete contradiction. So

what we need is a more social welfare state and less laizze faire

economics is what I take away from this artical, not more "free

enterprise"

Jill Minneapolis


I love when NY Times writers write about how happiness is only linked to

income before reaching upper middle class as if this is some easily

achievable goal. For the rest of us, those of us who were not born into

priv ilege, it isn't. It's a daily struggle. This kind of attitude and this study

makes me think the pursuit of happiness is nice for those who can afford

it.

Douglas Wisconsin


There is no debate about most of this article about happiness. There is no

debate that capitalism and free enterprise are essential. The bulk of the

article outlines the problem. It is unfortunate that the last 3 paragraphs

are included, address only one facet of the solution and have drawn the

attention they have in the comments. The point they fail to discuss is to

what extent is taxation and regulation of free enterprise appropriate to

support the goal of societal success and that is the sticking point.

Christine Mcmorrow Waltham, Massachusetts


I liked this essay until it drifted into work, mobility and the wonders of

free enterprise. What an economic system has to do with indiv idual

happiness is anyone's guess. It seems to be a forced segue.

So let me address the first part, about the co-efficients of happiness as the

author sees them: genes, events and values. I fully agree with the genes

part, to which I would add "nuture"--the thoughts and attitudes instilled

in us from an early age by our families. A depressive by nature, it's taken

me a lifetime to overcome my dad's innate Irish melancholy and glass

half empty worldview.

I also agree with events, although I see them more as triggers than

personality drivers. Events do have the power to test, and challenges,

but they also have the power to teach, helping us learn new response

mechanisms. This has been true in my life since I joined a recovery

program 33 years ago.

As for values, well, I believe values don't have to be all carved in stone.

Since the author suddenly went political, I will too. Most of my life I

followed my dad's leanings towards conservatism. In the past 5 years,

I've turned dramatically liberal. While this switch may not have made me

happy , it's made me happier with myself. I simply feel that the tolerance,

love, and serv ice I hold dear to day are better expressed in the values of

the Democratic party .

But in the end, I also believe happiness is a choice, as Lincoln famously

said. Today, I choose to be happy more often than not.

GH Princeton, NJ


Mr. Brooks makes an illogical leap when he says that we must "declare

war on barriers to entrepreneurship at all levels, from hedge funds to

hedge trimming". Reasonable regulation of entrepreneurship, even

regulation that some see as a barrier, is necessary for the general welfare.

Unregulated hedge funds? Ridiculous.

missjadwiga Omaha, NE


I can believe that many people enjoy the kinds of jobs that other people

disdain. My mother enjoyed being a waitress because it gave her a

chance to talk to people, and my father truly loved being a policeman

(who only once drew his gun in the line of duty , so that wasn't the appeal

for him). But I have my doubts about enshrining the founding fathers'

inalienable right to "life, liberty , and the pursuit of happiness" as a "moral

convenant." I thought Jefferson borrowed the phrase from John Locke,

whose original words were "life, liberty and the pursuit of property ," and

that the founding fathers changed it to "happiness" not out of any moral

impulse but because they were the ones with the property and they

didn't want everyone else pursuing it. I could be mistaken.

Ignacio Gotz Point Harbor, NC


I think that any research on happiness based on surveys is flawed, for the

simple reason that it relies on what PEOPLE think happiness is, and

people have a very narrow v iew of happiness; therefore the results are

going to be skewed.

World-wide, and across centuries, people have defined happiness as

contemplation, as possessing things, as contentment, as exhilaration, as

striv ing, and have written extensively about this. Think of saints and

scholars, millionaires, sybarites, athletes, and explorers: all such people

found happiness in something specific and identifiable. Moreover, what

makes a person happy at one age may shift when the person matures and

grows older. And then there are Christians and Muslims for whom

earthly happiness does not really count, the only one being the

happiness of the "elect" in heaven.

The sensible thing to do is to admit that happiness wears many faces in

different climes and cultures over time. It is a truly cross-cultural

experience whose definition is not contained by any formula.

One could say that happiness is the preponderance of satisfaction over

desires over a lifetime, a formula that can then be filled by whatever

satisfaction the indiv idual or the culture may propose. I find happiness

in reading, listening to music, praying, and just pondering "things," all of

which are contemplative activ ities; but I have also found enjoyment in

playing basketball or soccer, in eating a good meal with friends, and in

traveling. And in just liv ing!

A. Harris Billings, Montana


"We would do well to remember that before scoffing at 'dead end jobs'. ".

These, he says , are jobs that lack prestige and are low income and

worked at by people with the least educations. I don 't personally know of

anyone who scoffs at or derides low paying jobs. I do know a lot of people

who feel the minimum wage should be raised to be the livable wage it was

40 or so years ago. I don't think the Walmart sales associate reading this

opinion piece necessarily scoffs at his or her job. I do think that person

might wish that he or she did not have to take a second job in order to

pay the rent.

NTS Virginia

I do believe I am the opposite of what the author poses. I am always

happy and have situational sadness based on 'off' events. I tell my

husband that I have a human imperative to help those less fortunate then

myself. We are not rich, we have steady income, but my spare time is

spent try ing to advocate for things that reduce homelessness, poverty ,

disease, etc.

We are less a community and more a corporate structure leaving so


many stagnate at the bottom with no hope of bettering their

circumstances. That seems to be OK with those at the top of the earnings

scale. And why shouldn't it be? They don't have too worry about going

hungry, or bankruptcy from medical expenses, unemployment or any of

the other situations that are lumped in to that mysterious 47% of takers.

Free enterprise only works when all things are equal. Access to and the

ability to take advantage of the bounties only work when we have laws

and policies that render inequality a thing of the past. When money

equals votes how are the less wealthy supposed to compete? I don't

resent rich people, I am happy for them. I do however resent the rich

working so tirelessly to tip the scales in their favor.

The interesting thing is, I don't see much difference between corporate

socialism that benefits the current top earners and true socialism the fear

mongers claim we are leaning toward.

But maybe I don't have enough faith, don't work hard enough, or possibly

I am genetically defective.

Naushad Khan Thanjavur


Human wants are unlimited. Happiness is not having or possessing more

but you need no more. Driven by greed and try ing to achieve more than

what we deserve and need is the reason behind all miseries of life.

Alexia RI


Once I saw bumper sticker that said: "happiness is coming". Lets not

forget that fun is the reason why socializing makes people happy. The

right kind of socializing is important though, and more elusive now;

'meetups' with a bunch of strangers as a way of building a social circle of

support is difficult, and fleeting.

J Voigt Sewanee, TN


CORRECTION: "These researchers found that we inherit a surprising

proportion of our happiness at any given moment around 48 percent."

Close. John Hodgman informs me that the actual proportion is 47 .35

percent. Therefore, it would have been more accurate to say "around 47

percent". That leaves an extra 1% unaccounted for in the overall portfolio

of factors contributing to bliss ... v iz., high thread-count linens.

zb bc


What a pile of hypocritical rightwing rubbish. First, since the AEI was the

"intellectual" backbone of the Bush administration and we know what that

got us (a trillion dollar war, an economic meltdown, collapsing real

estate market, exploding deficits, and endless joblessness to name a few)

as a practical matter they are a complete disaster.

Considering that the AEI preaches that unions, workers, the poor, the old

and the sick, and the government are all pariahs to be harshly dealt with;

Considering further, that the vast majority of businesses - meaning the

workers that make the business actually run - are engaged in an activ ity

that is basically destructive of either other peoples lives or our planet,

Therefore how is there anything about most jobs that can lead to

happiness unless one lives in a complete delusion?

You mean that person who designs packaging for tobacco products is

happy knowing he is helping kill millions of people; You mean the person

who works for the government is happy with you saying to get rid of his

job because its a waste of money; you mean the wounded vet is happy

having gone to a war over a lie pushed on us by AEI and its polities.

Wake up. Everything the AEI has said and done has proven to be

nonsense.

Terrence Milky Way Galaxy


How simplistic a presentation. I wonder if stupidity makes for happiness.

Quazizi Chicago


A key insight that doesn't appear to have been considered is how much

happiness do people think they deserve or expect. We have been in an

age of diminished expectations for a few decades now (thanks for the

phrase, PK). With the co-opting of our government and society by big

business, militarism, and various forms of social darwinism these past

years, I suspect the vast majority of Americans have been conditioned to

expect much less in terms of opportunity , justice, and security . Horatio

Alger is long dead, spinning in his grave. Were we fools to believe?

Sunny New York


My mother is an "ultra-conservative" (her term) Republican, a born again

Christian, who, if a participant in this survey, would have declared

herself Happy! Happy! Happy! and Paradise-bound. It's the Kool Aid.

Trust me. There's not a more consistently miserable human being on the

planet. But admit it to a survey taker? Not in this life. Clyde Wynant

nailed it. She would and does claim to be blissful because she thinks it

makes her sound like a "better person," a good Christian, counting her

blessings. Narcissism from the word go.

Anders Pytte Vermont, USA


Is happiness a v irtue? Maybe not, when associated with ignorance,

insularity and dogmatism. I'm sorry to see so many liberals responding

defensively to this article. I mean, so what if it's true that conservative

women are the happiest of the lot? The word "compassion" derives from

the latin "to suffer together". A compassionate person may have a more

difficult time feeling at peace in a world filled with v iolence, bigotry and

injustice. The author glosses over the big 50% of happiness he terms

"genetic" to focus on the little fraction that fits his tidy theory . But what if

this bigger part is associated with an inherited propensity for personal

integrity and caring for others?

hdb Tennessee


Is happiness even the right goal? If you are concerned about your fellow

man and you see injustice and suffering everywhere, should you be

spending your energy wondering about how to be happier? That sounds

sociopathic or, at least, disconnected. Ironically , many have found that

the best way to be happy is to help others and forget yourself.

The right-wing religion of self-interest has clearly failed to make the

majority richer, happier, more free, safer, or well-fed. This author tries

to put a scientific spin on business as usual. Or maybe this is not

businesses as usual. Maybe they are abandoning the prosperity gospel

bait-and-switch because people have realized that they never intended

to share that wealth. New strategy: sell happiness instead. It's genius on

so many levels. Happiness can't really be measured and lack of it can be

blamed on your genes instead of economic hopelessness. And it's a

distraction from the very real issue of wealth inequality . I'm just

speculating; I don't know that this is what it really is. But if so: clever.

Diabolically clever.

Robert Victoria BC


"...conservative women are particularly blissful" Ignorance is truly bliss.

Ignorance of being poor, marginalized, powerless and v ictimized in a

society where the zip code of your birthplace is an excellent indicator of

your future economic status.

Joe New York


Good article except his stroke to his funders there at the AEI: "we should

declare war on barriers to entrepreneurship [at] hedge funds. Really?

Private equity and hedge fund are the chief source of wealth

concentration in the US and provide no social benefit. Its just borrow,

pump up a company and dump it. Its immoral.

Hugh CC Budapest


Good grief! After reading a column on a formula for happiness I

encounter the same unhappy, miserable bickering in the comments as

always! Perhaps a portion of the happiness formula should be regular and

extended vacations from online commenting.

John Crowley Massachusetts


Is there a way to distinguish -- I'm sure it's been thought about -- between

people who say they are happy and people who are happy? Or between

happiness and the assertion of happiness? Maybe conservative women

are simply more likely to claim to be happy -- more likely to assert

happiness about the present circumstances -- than liberals or leftists.

Conservative men might confess to more grumpiness.

Aaron Barnhart Kansas City, USA


He had me right up to the point where he blamed teachers.

But AEI is too busy churning out data to "prove" that teachers are the

real scourge of American education for him to care.

If this were coming from the other Brooks, who is actually a paid

disinterested observer, it would carry more weight.

Naomi Wood Kansas


It does seem as though the logical conclusion of this piece would be the

opposite of the general recommendations of conservative think-tanks

such as the Heritage Foundation.

If happiness does not increase past accumulating enough wealth to live

comfortably and without anxiety , and if happiness inheres in having a

decent job, why does not the Heritage Foundation recommend taxing the

super-rich and using that money to create employment opportunities for

those who want and need them?

After all, our founding document upholds each American's right to "Life,

Liberty , and the Pursuit of Happiness."

Rich Washington, DC


Brooks cherry picks a study that has a rather small sample and that has

been cited as exaggerating many genetic features by people who have

more depth in genetics than the study investigators. He then trots out

this old right wing nonsense about happiness and remaining "in ones

place" and traditional values, etc. It's no surprise that he works at a

position paper mill and I wonder if he'd be as happy toiling as a Wal-Mart

greeter. He'd have essentially the same employe (rich conservatives),

but far less income, although he'd be doing something that requires more

thinking than this kind of vanity piece displays.

MDV Connecticut


I have not read the research upon which some of the questionable and

sweeping generalizations contained in this article have been based, nor

am I a social scientist. Still, this does not strike me as a particularly

scholarly piece of writing. I would much rather read about the elusive

subject of human happiness written by someone who does not have a

political agenda.

Magloire Niagara Falls, NY


A bit like love, it is impossible to agree on a definition of happiness but

the two may have something else in common - reciprocity at a personal

level. Love is a two way street and most often an honest attempt to

contribute to another's happiness will be rewarded in kind.

evd Pike, NH


The last few paragraphs sound much to sane to becoming from the AEI.

But there you have it. Most of the stated ideas are endorsed by

responsible thinkers both on the right and left. Aside from the oblique

promo for a school voucher system, even as an avowed left wing liberal

(think Bernie Sanders) I was impressed and heartened

by Mr. Brooks observations and admissions of the unjust and unfair

developments in civ il society .

Sarah Arlington, VA


"To share happiness, we need to fight for free enterprise and strive to

make its blessings accessible to all".

Oh dear, the sarcasm of that sentence at a time when food stamps are

cancelled and unemployment benefits for the long term unemployed are

not ex tended can hardly be outdone.

Larry Bole Boston


I almost snorted my milk through my nose when I read this gem of

'wisdom':

"And according to the General Social Survey, nearly three-quarters of

Americans wouldnt quit their jobs even if a financial windfall enabled

them to live in luxury for the rest of their lives. Those with the least

education, the lowest incomes and the least prestigious jobs were

actually most likely to say they would keep working, while elites were

more likely to say they would take the money and run. We would do well

to remember this before scoffing at 'dead-end jobs.' "

All this demonstrates is that people say what they think they 're

SUPPOSED to say when answering a certain type of survey questions--

questions that address the core issues of American cultural norms and

biases, starting with the strong current of Puritanism in American

culture.

I don't know if anyone is keeping track of these things, but how many

people who have won enough money in the lottery to REALLY never

have to work again, have continued working at the job they had at the

time they won?

Alan Chicago


I loved reading this! Some of my happiest moments involve reading

newspapers with my coffee in the morning of a day off.

hal9000 Orlando


Show me where the AEI has fought for the definitions of free enterprise

found in your article ( not shredding the social safety net, reflex ively

cheering big business, etc) and I'll eat my hat.

Roy Shane Tn

Not work...as much as productiv ity is essential. People inherently want

to be productive...

Also one other crucial ingredient to happiness is gratitude...no matter

what your circumstance. People that practice gratitude ..like a

discipline...become grateful for everything in their lives.


There is no surer way to unhappiness than concentrating on the things

you dont have. It can only make a person an ingrate and eventually

bitter

Brian Hagerty New York


I found this essay interesting and enjoyable, even if not persuasive. I am

impressed that the author chose to publish this in the Times, where I

expect he'll be met with harsh criticism. I look forward to reading the

comments.

Mark New York, NY


I wonder whether the social scientists here are consistently *measuring*

anything, even if the same proportion of people are saying "very happy"

or "pretty happy." Maybe how people *report* their level of happiness

depends on the situation or context. Brooks says that psychologists use

sophisticated techniques to "verify" the responses, but I don't see how

you get around the basic problem of subjectiv ity . By analogy: it might be

that, with some consistency, people say that ice cream is "ping" and soup

is "pong," rather than the reverse, but it's not at all clear what that would

be measuring.

andrew durham nc


When I saw "American Enterprise Institute", I assumed that Mr. Brooks

had liberalled up his writing to appeal to us lefty Times readers. But going

to AEI's website, I was surprised to find several position articles that I

strongly agree with, particularly on education and the state of the

Republican party , as well as ones I strongly disagree with, such as free-

enterprise health care. Well, as long as he's not being disingenuous about

job creation, improving economic mobility , "not shredding" the safety

net, ending overpaid Peter-principle positions, and countering our

culture of greed, I'm pleasantly surprised and have to give Brooks props

where they 're deserved.

David Boyle New Jersey


The tone of this piece is that of an all-knowing master - such is the

confidence of the very wealthy.

Such opinions, and their writers, are praised and warmly approved,

developing in complexity over the years. But their support is due only to

their happy alignment with the interests of the very rich. Shallow, but

they serve their purpose.

Debate and analysis are quite superfluous in this cozy scheme.

Shawn Wyoming


What about gratitude? Of that 12% of things we can control regarding our

own happiness, I believe that acknowledging and appreciating what we

do have is central to one's happiness. Not just physical assets, but things

like good health, freedom and relationships really do matter.

Paul Brooklyn

Happiness like beautiful is in the eyes of the beholder and even then the

beholder doesn't even know for sure if they are happy.

Happiness is a never ending quest for most people. Society can teach

hints like to have a family , children, hobby, etc etc. but the bottom line

most people

have to find it on their own and their are infinite combos and definitions

of happiness.

The key thing in looking for happiness is not to obviously harm yourself

or

Dec. 15, 2013 at 11:33 a.m.

others.

weekend manhattan


At the end of it all, the head of the American Enterprise Institute offers

"free enterprise" as the panacea for unhappiness. This should be rich

territory for Colbert and Stewart. Surely you're joking, Mr. Brooks.

Sara Minnesota


I'm relieved that this piece appears under the Opinion column. Was the

author able to pay off his student loans, if he had them?

Having returned to college as an adult I was deeply saddened to witness

the survivalist mode of most of my young classmates. The pursuit of

happiness wasn't even on their radar screen - only graduating from the

for-profit "university" which could provide clinical sites and hence

graduation for only 7 of the 22 students in our cohort. The owners of the

school? Education Management Corporation, nearly half owned at the

time by Goldman Sachs.

Perhaps eating our young is satisfy ing.

Tom NYC


That's an awful lot of print to simply affirm that ignorance is bliss.

That 40% of a group of people says they 're very happy is proof of one

thing: that 40% of that group SAYS they 're very happy. Simply knowing

that statistic is enough to make a lot of people I know jump to categorize

themselves as unhappy.

The word "empirical" that appears in the ensuing paragraph has no place

in this article, no matter how long sociologists have been studying

happiness.

I have a wonderful marriage and family , a close but varied community of

friends and colleagues, and a fascinating and fulfilling career; and I have

faith that humanity will continue to progress despite its demons.

This article, however, makes me unhappy.

Z in TX Austin, TX


For me, this article reinforces the fact that when you talk about big issues

in the most abstract terms, conservatives and liberals don't really v iew

things too differently . They both want essentially the same things. It's

only when you start talking about specifics -- for example, how exactly to

go about building a system that provides "opportunity for all" -- that they

begin to diverge.

Unfortunately , "specifics" are how the world runs day-to-day.

fuzzcheeks Brooklyn, NY


If you're try ing to convince us that money is not that important, you

have a long way to go. As Sophie Tucker once said, "I've been rich and

I've been poor - and believe me, rich is better."

b nc


Until I noticed that Brooks is head of the Enterprise Institute, I thought

the article had some merit. But he is feathering his own nest.

djg Tuscon, AZ


a lot of conservatives aren't troubled by a thorough rev iew of facts or

logic - deductive reasoning when applied creates ambiguities reaching

conclusions unless you use selective facts coupled with subjective

interpretations that the conservative woman is very good at - Sarah Palin

is a fine example!

Ralph Norwich, NY


Mr. Brooks affirms that finding happiness can require hard work. It does

not often just land in our laps.

To be happy, one must regard happiness to be important enough to

change life direction and to take risks. Some will disapprove. In our

culture, it may be seen as irresponsible to make happiness a priority .

Happy people are not necessarily selfish. In fact, the more happy you

are, the more generous you can afford to be.

E.H.L. Colorado, United States


It seems to me the the Buddha tackled this over 2k years ago.

Rob Porter PA


And how much freer would we all be if we were free to make career

decisions without having to consider whether we would lose our access

to health care? How freeing would that be? How self-enabling would that

be? How un-free enterprise would that be?

Shirley Marquez Boston


The author fails to discuss one fact about finances: although wealth does

not seem to make people happier, research has shown that poverty

makes people unhappy. The social safety net is important because it lifts

people out of the extremes of deprivation that make people unhappy.

AA NY

Dec. 15, 2013 at 12:17 p.m.

"Reliev ing poverty brings big happiness" sounds to me like the

author did say exactly what you claim he failed to discuss.

JS27 New York


Sorry , but no matter what the science says, I still can't trust anyone who

says they 've "caught the butterfly of happiness" and will share it with us

as long as we click the link that (unknowingly to us) takes us to his

Y ouTube v ideo, thereby increasing his page v iews. Sounds more like a

used car salesman to me!

Make Oregon


Mr Brooks. Please consult a genetics textbook on how to properly

interpret heritability .

Bill Croke Martha's Vineyard, MA


Happiness is all about feeling valued. Feeling valued is all about feeling

part of. Feeling part of is all about giv ing. BTW, how come nobody

checked with Gretchen Rubin? She's NYC's happiness guru.

xxx xxx

It goes completely against the grain of US culture to admit publicly that

something is not well in ones life. One automatically expects a greeting

of how are you to produce a posotive response. It is the socially

accepytable, and expected, response.


Therefore we should assume that notwithstanding all the controls social

researchers would like is to believe guarantee the validity of responses, I

am disinclined to believe that so few are less than happy , particularly in

the dramatically unhappy state of our nation at this time.

Pecus NY, NY


There is a strange air of childishness about this article. It's as though a

seemingly reasonable and kind creature suddenly woke up from some

long slumber, to find out that it didn't really know what it was looking at.

He touches this and that part of life softly with an index finger, tries to

taste a bit of workplace disappointment, thinks kindergarten thoughts

about "genes," and hears distant voices calling for "opportunity and

liberty ." And when befuddled by all the confusion, rushes to find

consolation in the Catechism of Social Science.

This man knows the notes, but not the song.

Timothy Barksdale Montana


This article began wonderfully . There are some wonderful points which

allow for immediate identification with Mr. Brooks and his story .

But as I got to the end with a conclusion which glorifies the free

enterprise system, I was left with - "Huh?".

Another article in today 's Times is about 3 specials- one about Michael

Morton and a film called "An Unreal Dream". Mr Morton spent 25 years in

prison for a crime he did not commit. Y et, he has achieved a level of

inner happiness and peace - unattainable to the vast majority of humans,

let alone Americans.

Some how the juxtaposition of these two articles leaves me with the

feeling Mr Brooks has had an ephemeral touch of happiness while Mr

Morton has reached a state of lasting grace achieved through pain. This

irony is one of the great paradoxes of religious thinking.

My short response to Mr Brook's conclusion- the Beatles may have put it

the best in the 1960's - "Money Can't Buy Y ou Love".

Mtnman1963 MD


"Psychologists have used sophisticated techniques to verify these

responses, and such survey results have proved accurate."

No details. No credibility .

raydc USA


I find it humorous that some smug liberal commentators use this fuzzy

study on happiness to attack conservatives for their happiness by

asserting that their greater happiness must be because they ignore facts,

have religious faith and exploit the poor.

They left out the screeds on guns, gays, racism, abortion and Fox news

but I am sure it will be covered in other comments.

Peter Cleveland, OH


Mr. Brooks sounds a little too liberal here for the American Enterprise

Institute. I suspect that his days there are numbered.

Carolyn Saint Augustine

I hate to say it - perhaps it's in my genes to be skeptical - but this sounds

like pure propaganda. There seems to be an underly ing message which is

that we should stop expecting so much and be "happy" or "satisfied" with

our underpaid jobs and stop aspiring for more, because the happiness of

achievement is only temporary anyway. In other words, accept our


"status." The rich may get richer, but we should find our satisfactions

someplace other than a better economy or the hope of upward mobility .

We should be happy with our friends and family and our 12 year old car

and stop wanting more. That's the key to happiness.

And although the author is careful to point out that social safety nets and

livable incomes are important, I still have an unpleasant taste in my

mouth with regard to what he's really saying. I dispute his claim that

most people in mundane jobs would continue to do them if given a

financial alternative. Happiness may not be predicated on wealth, but

hope and freedom of choice are significant factors to a sense of well-

being. Feeling trapped in a job or struggling to make ends meet are

certainly not causes for contentment, close family or not.

I suspect that this is another Obama apologist column for why we should

accept our fates and stop looking for more equality . The one percent,

after all, are probably no happier than we are. Right?? Bah, humbug.

Janet Salt Lake City


Trust the president of the American Enterprise Institute to conclude that

if we are to be happy we must believe that "free enterprise is a moral

imperative."

Lucy Horton Allentown PA


My life experience has been that happiness has a lot to do with liv ing in a

physically safe environment, and I deeply believe that people can't really

be happy without some contact with nature. I also believe the role of

pets is underestimated. People truly love their dogs and cats in a way

that might not be possible with the people in one's life, even those who

are dearly beloved. As for faith--leave me out of the religion, please, but

key to my happiness is the fact that every day I have pleasant encounters

with people who seem to be of good will. So my life is based on the faith

that where I live, dogs aren't eating dogs (to bring the pet theme back in).

s.brown cincinnati


My mother always said,"Ignorance is bliss."

Maggie New Orleans


Blah, blah, blah. How can anyone with half a brain be truly happy when

much of the world is underfed, when children die needlessly , when we

force women to be second class everything?Those conservative women

are comfortable, not happy. They are comfortable because they don't

think about the real world. Free enterprise is a joke in the world of

runaway capitalism. Satisfaction from screaming about the problems in

the world and seeking a better world though education and social reform

is far different from this article's obsession with the definition of canned

happiness. I am never HAPPY with the state of the world. It is in my

genes to seek a better world. No matter what job or family bliss we

experience, we live in a world of drones and war and greed. Come on, can

this really mean anyone can be happy?

a new york ,ny

Dec. 15, 2013 at 12:09 p.m.

maybe they are smart enough to realize they shouldn't constantly

compare their lives to the absolute lowest common denominator

or the worst case scenario.

AJ Burr Ridge, IL

"We need schools that serve children's civ il rights instead of a adult's job

security ." Why does the media, now the New Y ork Times, assume, 1) that

schools are failing and 2) that it is the teacher's fault (tenure) and 3) that

without tenure are economy/jobs would turn around. There is not

enough room to elaborate on these false assumptions (read Reign of

Error by D. Ratv ich), but just some quick responses: 1) the five states


with the highest test scores have the strongest unions and those states

with the worse scores are non-union; 2) somehow the last decade of

"poor schools" have not stopped our economy from still being number

one in the world; 3) do you blame colleges for graduating students who

can only find jobs at Starbucks; 4) whatever happened to poverty---

could having the highest child poverty rate for an industrialized nation

have anything to do with mobility and success in school. Would the

pundit class, and I place the NYT in that category , stop talking to

Michelle Rhee's and start talking to professional educators before they

drag out the tired assumption that our schools are a mess and that tenure

is the problem.

Raton del Desierto the bathroom


Wow. Mr. Brooks just basically plagiarized the documentary "Happy" and

then added some conservative spin at the end of it blaming our public

schools (kids' civ il rights vs. adults' job security) for America's

unhappiness. Incredible.

Mayngram Monterey, CA


"But scholars like the Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman have found

that once people reach a little beyond the average middle-class income

level, even big financial gains dont y ield much, if any, increases in

happiness."

Based on this statement, it would be compassionate and caring if the

"happy conservatives" of Congress helped high income and wealthy

Americans understand this by increasing their tax rates.

It would not only force the wealthy to deal with the illusion that more

money = more happiness. It would also help the lower-middle class and

poor come closer to realizing the happiness of reaching average middle-

class income levels.

shivashankrappa Balawat india


Happiness is a state of mind. Budda has said " Aashe ( want ,desire ) is the

root cause of unhappiness and misery". We should learn to be happy with

what we have. look to the people who are in less advantage positon than

us, not to those who have more advantages than us.

J-Dog Portland, Maine


Mr. Brooks, have you considered that your finding that conservative

men are apparently nearly twice as likely to report being happy as liberal

men may reflect differences in how people with differing sets of v iews

answer this question, as opposed to actual differences in their objective

happiness level (if any such thing even exists)? I can imagine plenty of

reasons why people who identify as conservative might report greater

happiness than those who identify as liberals, without actually being any

happier. For example, I would think that being religious would make one

more likely to tell an interv iewer one was happy, but I don't think it

follows from that self-report that religious people are necessarily any

happier.

Rocketscientist Chicago, IL

The flaws in most of the studies quoted in the article seem to be that the

poor working class is under-represented. In my work as an engineer Ive

met many hard-working carpenters, electricians and mechanics. Ive

worked alongside them; in the torrential rains, biting snow and

unrelenting heat. Though happy in their work they were paid so meanly

that they worked to survive and doing so robbed them of their

satisfaction. I think the author of this article understands this.

What he is saying is that if an electricians health care is free ---wholly

separated from depending on a company, if there is a safety net to

protect him when he is laid-off, if he makes enough money to provide for

his children, if he is protected from disability , then he is free to


appreciate his good works. Believe me, disability is a great fear. It is hard

for a working man to make it to 65 without becoming injured. And, those

are such long years. If work truly is the key to happiness, as this article

suggests, then the rich must give up some of their gold for the betterment

of the society they pretend to share with the rest of us.

Joe independent Ann Arbor, MI


Any effort to explain the emotional with a rational scientific argument is

fraught with risk. A noble effort by Mr. Brooks but I think he falls short. I

support his conclusions but mostly on an emotional level. His reasoning

has the appearance of a conclusion in search of validating science.

jah usa


First, I suspect it's only the economic top 20% or so in this counrtry that

have the luxury of pondering happiness - if they simply recognized that

fact that would lead to grreater happiness in that population, which in

turn would lead to more positive leadership from them. Second, this

article seems to have a Western focus. Try measuring happiness, and

what elements contribute to it, in other parts of the world, and I suspect

this thesis and research would fall apart. And, that would likely poke a

hole in the genetics aspect of this. So, those of you who come from

dreary families, take heart, you can overcome it, just with your

ATTITUDE.

JD Arizona


Not many people I know are "very satisfied" with their jobs (highly

educated folks who point out that they are having to work harder and

harder as each year passes). Many, even most perhaps, bemoan that they

have less and less time for faith, community , and/or family . Y es, that's

anecdotal; but the first page began not to ring true with my experience.

Scroll to bottom of page 1 where we see "American Enterprise Institute."

At that point, I quit reading. The AEI is a propaganda machine. If I

wanted the AEI's v iews, I could watch Fox News. If I wanted my head full

of unexplained, incomplete, even distorted figures and ideas, I could

have kept reading to find out how "free enterprise" will make us all happy.

Work makes you free---hmm, where have I heard that before?

I could read the v iews of Mr. Brooks, a work peer of people whose work I

scorn:

AEI Fellows and Scholars [partial list]

Lynne Cheney, wife of Vice President Dick Cheney and former chair of

the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House.

David Frum, a presidential speechwriter for President Bush, contributing

editor to the right-wing magazine Weekly Standard.

Christina Hoff Sommers, anti-feminist crusader, author of Who Stole

Feminism? How Women Betrayed Women.

Charles Murray, author of The Bell Curve, a book that asserted inherent

intelligence differences between the races.

Paul Adams Stony Brook


Venenum in cauda. Quite why "free enterprise" jumps out to sting at the

end of this hitherto promising piece was obscure - until I read the

author's affiliation. Given that, as Brooks writes, such a large component

of happiness is freedom from immediate want, I expected the obvious,

and highly reasonable, conclusion: shifting reward slightly from the

financial industries to other occupations would achieve an enormous

and straightforward increase in national happiness. But instead, free

enterprise, which as Willy Sutton said ensures the real money is in

banking, is the unexpected, and quite illogical, conclusion. It reminds me

of the trickster who saws a lady in 2, who then emerges intact and smiling

at the end of the show.

Fred Marshfield, MA


Other keys to happiness: treating all with respect, all people, the

environment, your body; working hard; giv ing back; being honest with

yourself and others; and taking time to enjoy the endless gifts that life

offers.

princeton08540 NJ


Who would have thunk it? II never would have guessed that nature,

nurture, life, and religion all contribute to whether we are happy.

Thank God for the American Enterprise Institute. And remember to

thank Him in your prayers, be they at school, public office, or

government meetings.

jrpardinas San Diego

Dec. 15, 2013 at 12:09 p.m.

Amen! :-)

BusSchDean Ewing, NJ


A careful articulation of happiness as it connects us socially and

economically . Of course, the author may be in trouble when some

conservative leaders see the comparisons to Canada and Scandinavia.

Goodness me, these countries provide national health care, worry about

the young and the old (regardless of income), make a social investment

in the mother-child relationship during that first critical year, AND have

social mobility? This past summer when a member of Copenhagen's City

Council described himself to me as a conservative he quickly distanced

his v iews from what that can mean (though it doesn't have to) in the US.

historylesson Norwalk, CT


Words of wisdom from the American Enterprise Institute?

Surely the editorial board jests.

Why, New Y ork Times? Why legitimize such a right wing "think tank" by

giv ing one of its mouthpieces so much space in the paper? The AEI has

multiple outlets for their propaganda. Please, not the NYT, too.

This isn't an example of journalistic "objectiv ity ." It's PR for

conservatives and their agenda. Happiness is 48% genetic? Right. Where's

the science to support this opinion? A sociology study doesn't qualify .

Then again, the author is part of a group of people who deny climate

change, and consider the Bible science.

Really , one doesn't know where to even begin to unpack this "opinion"

with its four simple steps to happiness, it's so rife with pseudo-facts and

assertions as facts. It would take all day.

Let the National Review print this stuff.

And tax the rich, as we were meant to do when we initiated the

progressive income tax in 1913.

Interested New York, NY


Sir, you have a slightly faulty perception that the NYT is anything

but the "main" in the "main stream media." It ain't called the "Gray

Lady" for nothing. The Times occasionally surprises but for the

most part it is as predictable as the sun rising in the East and as

"moderate" as a cup of decaffeinated coffee.

phil mamaroneck ny


conservative women tend to be happy because ignorance is bliss.

Lucille Hollander Texas


What a fat juicy worm Mr. Brooks baits the hook with. Everyone wants to

be happy, everyone loves to talk about what makes them happy. By the

end of the article, though, we find that he is a salesman and he is selling

his concepts of free enterprise.

Just like every advertisement, the advertiser has to make you want what

he is selling. And how clever this ad is, everyone wants to be happy.

Every hen thinks her chick is the best and Mr. Brooks is no exception. But

to say (as he does) that "free enterprise gives the most people the best

shot at earning their success and finding enduring happiness in their

work" is not necessarily born out by history , on the contrary , early

unfettered free enterprise was great for the entrepreneurs but created a

huge class of worker bees who faced a life of drudgery .

Be wary of fat juicy worms.

Miss Ley New York


The eternal pursuit of happiness? The other day a wonderful

acquaintance at a small international workshop chose to address the

topic of 'Happiness'. Clapping her hands, she encouraged us by say ing:

'Come on! We can all use some fun (true) and we all would like to be

happier!' Here I was tempted to chime in and declare that if I felt any

happier, I might go through the ceiling but instead I smiled.

Parental genes? My father wa

Documents

A Formula for Happiness - NYTimes