Heres what scientific research says happiness is, andperhaps more importantlywhat it isnt.
Can we become happier?
If so, how?
For a good many ancient peoplesand for many others long after thathappiness was not something you could control.
This kind of thinking is actually still pretty common today.
How happy are you feeling when youre doing the dishes, when at work, etc.
Longitudinal studies:When peoples lives are studied over time to find the trajectory of a happy life.
Experimental studies:Experiments that allow the pinpointing of causal relationships between happiness and outside sources.
Thats fine and dandy, but how does one actually measure happiness?
The answer is remarkably simple (and imperfect): self-reporting.
Usually these studies will ask questions like How satisfied are you with your life?
and On a daily basis, what kind of positive and negative emotions are you feeling?
There are no energy outputs to measure, or happiness midichlorians to count in your bloodstream.
They simply use surveys to ask study participants if theyre happy at a specific moment in time.
It may sound wishy-washy, but its the best we have.
The only person that can say whether youre feeling happy or not isyou.
and how happy are you feeling right now?
), or sometimes reported by others through behavioral indicators (particularly beneficial for studying infants and children).
Self-reporting is far from perfect, though.
After all, feeling happy can mean a few different things.
For example:
Well-being:Overall my life is going well.
Traits:I am an enthusiastic and positive person.
Emotions:I feel gratitude and appreciation.
Sensations:It feels good to sit in this hot tub.
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The combination of the two is what makes up your subjective well-being.
Your happiness level at any given time is equal to your Satisfaction with Life score plus your PANAS score.
you could take the questionnaires multiple times to see a more average score over days or months.
If so, your definition of happiness might be a little skewed in the wrong direction.
An especially important part of the happiness equation is the negative feelings you may be feeling right now.
As nice as it might seem,happiness is not the absence of negative feelings.
In fact, learning how to do that is essential to being a happier person.
The more important question is: Can you become happier?
It takes some conscious effort, and even then, there are some limitations.
First, you probably have a genetically determined set range for happiness.
Your genes might also set a maximum limit for how happy you’re able to ever be.
Catalino cautions that you should avoid relating to your happiness in extreme ways.
Has this taken me as far as Im going to go?
Remember, you have a limit that you cant control.
Dont beat yourself up about it, youre just being yourself.
So stop trying so hard.
Its a culmination of genetics, feelings, personality, emotions, and other life variables and circumstances.
But research does give us a pretty good idea of what happinesslooks like,at least.
If youre still not sure what you should be striving for, remember PERMA.
R
elationships: People who have meaningful, positive relationships with others are happier than those who do not.
M
eaning: Meaning comes from serving a cause bigger than ourselves.
A
ccomplishment/Achievement: To feel significant life satisfaction, we must strive to better ourselves in some way.
Illustration by Jim Cooke.
