Get Happy!

Psychologists and neuroscientists have toyed with this notion for years. The version of the formula I like best is Happiness = Achievements – Expectations. 
 
While mindfulness practices help us focus on the back end of the equation, exploring freedom from desire and non-attachment to expectations, many of us still lean heavily into achievement, pushing ourselves to excel in the pursuit of happiness.

Does it work?
 
Not exactly. When human beings experience something good (a promotion! a new car!), we get a surge of happiness and then return quickly to our personal happiness baseline, a phenomenon known as the “hedonic treadmill.” It’s a survival adaptation that helps humans adjust to ever-changing circumstances. But it makes moving the happiness needle really challenging.

So how do we get happy?
 
Eat the ice cream.

Hedonism is the pursuit of pleasure that gives you a quick hit of happiness (food! sex! video games!). Simple pleasures may seem trivial, but they're actually an important part of your well-being. The longer-lasting fulfillment you experience from more meaningful activities, like helping others, working toward personal goals, and cultivating supportive relationships, builds upon the ability to experience pleasure that you’ve learned through eating ice cream.

Forget the Joneses.

Keeping up with the Joneses never made anyone happy, so don’t let them set your expectations for you. Studies have found that when you achieve something that you value for its own sake and not because other people have it or want it, your satisfaction is stronger and last longer. Stop comparing yourself to others and define achievement on your own terms.  

Catch a wave.

The equation also works in reverse. Research shows that if you’re happier, you’ll actually achieve more. Students primed to feel happy before taking math tests far outperform their neutral peers. Doctors put in a positive mood make accurate diagnoses 19% faster than doctors in a neutral state. In business, happy workers have higher levels of productivity, stronger sales results, perform better in leadership positions, and receive better reviews and higher pay. Leveraging this idea, the founder of Patagonia instituted a “Let My People Go Surfing” policy. Should the mood strike you, he told his people, grab a surfboard and hit the waves. 
 
If spending more time doing the things you enjoy is the road to happiness, my wish for you this holiday season is just that. Enjoy your time with loved ones, with ice cream, with surfboards... whatever it is that floats your boat.