Can We Have Happiness Right Now?

What It’s About: Let’s face it, this pandemic really sucks. So in the middle of all this, are you really happy? Pretty happy? How about, not too happy at all? I’ve been trying to catch my breath during the time spent sheltered in, and find myself personally pondering this question. A famous Nathaniel Hawthorne quote is “Happiness is a butterfly, which, when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.” I found that reference in a wonderful article published in The Atlantic recently. I strongly urge you to read the whole piece. It’s very thought provoking, insightful and provides a framework to help us better answer the question.

Arthur C. Brooks is the author of the above piece, a professor in public leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School, and a senior fellow at the Harvard Business School. He is also renowned for the “Happiness” course he teaches in that school’s MBA program. The following captures the three equations he outlines to help people better solve the question for themselves.

“EQUATION 1: SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING = GENES + CIRCUMSTANCES + HABITS.

EQUATION 2: HABITS = FAITH + FAMILY + FRIENDS + WORK.

EQUATION 3: SATISFACTION = WHAT YOU HAVE ÷ WHAT YOU WANT.”

Read the full article to fully appreciate the depth of work behind each.

Why It’s Important: Brooks, after reviewing thousands of academic studies, is convinced happiness comes from human relationships, productive work, and the transcendental elements of life. “One extraordinary 75-year study followed Harvard graduates from 1939 to 1944, into their 90s, looking at all aspects of their health and well-being. The principal investigator, the psychologist George Vaillant, summarized the findings as follows: ‘Happiness is love. Full stop.’ People who have loving relationships with family and friends thrive; those who don’t, don’t.”

I also wanted to emphasize the importance of work in answering the happiness question. “One of the most robust findings in the happiness literature is the centrality of productive human endeavor in creating a sense of purpose in life. Of course, there are better jobs and worse jobs, but most researchers don’t think unemployment brings anything but misery.” Work ideally is a wonderful piece in our happiness puzzle. If we think of work as a separate entity from ourselves, and by default some dreaded thing to retire or escape from, we will miss a key part of the full happiness equation. Work is also a vehicle for belonging. It also can be part of our definition of love. Meaningful work and purpose can add to the people we love, without taking from them. As Brooks emphasizes, meaningful work gives one a sense of earning success while serving others.

As we reflect on the post-pandemic world, I hope we make more room for developing loving relationships with family and friends, along with finding clearer paths to living a life with purpose. And as Brooks wisely stresses: “Don’t obsess about your haves; manage your wants, instead. Don’t count your possessions (or your money, power, prestige, romantic partners, or fame) and try to figure out how to increase them; make an inventory of your worldly desires and try to decrease them.”

Think Big, Start Small, Act Now,

- Lorne

One Millennial View: Man, I really hoped we were done asking questions like this after last week’s “Shifting Gears to the UPSIDE” blog. I thought “Enough!” with the darkness and negativity? And I think pondering the allowance/existence of happiness is pretty bleak. Needless to say, this is a tragedy with loss of life, so we can’t minimize it. The happiness question has a simple answer for me though: Of course we can still have happiness. And frankly, I’m pissed off that some really smart people are suggesting we shouldn’t or can’t. HOWEVER, I think that requires completely getting out of our own mental funk too, and avoiding repetitive traps. I’ve found myself hyper aware of the saying, “weird times,” “crazy times,” etc. Even the most creative minds seem stuck there. While this tragedy is not over, be mindful that it will end. And be very careful of accepting all ideas and terms, like a “new normal,” where purpose, goals, dreams, even possessions and worldly desires are no longer worth pursuing. Where happiness is questionable. Where “weird” and “crazy” is normal. I reject that idea wholeheartedly, and funny enough, that helps me retain my happiness.

- Garrett

Edited and published by Garrett Rubis

Can We Have Happiness Right Now?

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