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Get Happy Slowly

Michael considered fate at 17:10   |   Permalink   |   Post a Comment

From the ever-pertinent Get Rich Slowly blog there comes an interesting tidbit about happiness:

Several years ago, James Montier, a “global equity strategist”, took a break from investing in order to publish a brief overview of existing research into the psychology of happiness [PDF]

• About 50% of individual happiness comes from a genetic set point. That is, we’re each predisposed to a certain level of happiness. Some of us are just naturally more inclined to be cheery than others.
• About 10% of our happiness is due to our circumstances. Our age, race, gender, personal history, and, yes, wealth, only make up about one-tenth of our happiness.
• The remaining 40% of an individual’s happiness seems to be derived from intentional activity, from “discrete actions or practices that people can choose to do”.

While it is somewhat eye-opening to think 40% of one's happiness is in one's own control, I find it even more surprising that 50% of it is essentially set in stone, thanks to Gramps, Grandma, Mom, and Pops.

Thanks for nothing, Dad.