The Happiness Formula

@souvikstweets http://bit.ly/souvikOnLinkedIn

In life, you can work as hard as you want but you can’t get ahead – the riches you accumulate will just raise your expectation & leave you no better off.

Happiness

Biological Set Point

Conditions of life

Voluntary work

Breaking out of the hedonic treadmill

Each person has a characteristic level of happiness, more a range than a set point. Whether you operate on the high or low side of your potential range, depends on

both C & V.

Generally you adapt to these. Constitute things you control – wealth, address - & those that you do not – race, sex, disability. Conditions you never adapt to are noise, a bad commute, lack of control, a sense of shame, & relationships. So these are worth the effort.

Non sensorial* work where there is a clear challenge that fully engages your attention; you have the skills to meet that challenge; & you get immediate feedback on how you’re doing at each step (the progress principle).

* Sensorial work – food, sex, strolling in cool breeze etc.

Pleasure comes from making progress toward goals than from achieving them.

In every permanent situation, where there is no expectation of change, the mind of every man, in longer or shorter time, returns to its natural & usual state of tranquility. In prosperity,

it falls back to that state; in adversity, it rises up to it.

Progress principle Adaptation principle