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Top Performers Have a Superpower: Happiness

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Re: Top Performers Have a Superpower: Happiness

#251

Post by zrail »

nicbou wrote: post #202
suction wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, having already made enough money to always be able to just say "you know what, I'm out" whenever you feel like it is necessary to be happy in any situation and interested in everything. Anyone who's not "secure for life" and has to keep the salaries coming in will have to deal with bad people, bad decisions, bad culture, etc. and become unhappy. I've sort of dabbled in that situation: I made and lost a fortune…

I can confirm. Stepping off the treadmill - or just slowing it down - gives you so much more space to be curious. It's not just a matter of precariousness. You just have a lot more time and energy for these things. You can always sleep a bit longer, or delay work to follow an impulse with your full energy. There's always time for projects, even if they're not part of some hustle. It's an incredible privilege. Forget…

> I want to spend my days being a gentleman scientist and a student of the arts. I want my best work to follow my morning tea in the garden, and I want to join a Society of Likeminded Nerds to talk about it.

Atop a healthy and happy family, this is all I want from life. I would be honored to apply for membership at your Society if and when you ever start it.

Re: Top Performers Have a Superpower: Happiness

#252

Post by austincheney »

pjc50 wrote: post #234
austincheney wrote: post #223

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I don't know whether it's because I'm not American or just really cynical, but I absolutely hate this kind of mandatory public performance of fake emotions. It seems that you completely misunderstood the study, a longitudinal study conducted over 5 years and compared against a real world factor outside the study: military awards irrespective of any study.

"mandatory public performance of fake emotions" relates to this paragraph of the article which I quoted: >> Here are three examples of simple exercises, each backed by rigorous evidence of effectiveness. In the first, the Gratitude Visit, participants prepare and present a 300-word testimony of gratitude to someone who changed their life for the better. In the second, Three Good Things, participants write down three…

The study claims that high measures of X resulted in more rewards statistically validated against a long enough timespan and large enough sample size, where X is whatever they chose to measure. In this case the measure is happiness as defined by prior research which they describe in moderate details under the heading: "What Do We Know About Happiness?"

Re: Top Performers Have a Superpower: Happiness

#253

Post by lokalfarm »

jfoutz wrote: post #23
adra wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd argue lazy people don't often change the world and probably not people who are drunk/high all the time. I'd argue self worth and personal happiness doesn't eliminate ones desire to positively change society (same with rich people), though it may be less common. Lincoln was a rich white guy who still did good things. Tons of CEOs are money obsessed miserable sociopaths whos greatest contributions will be adding so…

Lincoln was born in poverty. The founding fathers were all rich. I get your point, it’s just a bad example.

Lincoln is also a famous example of someone who struggled heavily with depression.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/106591.Lincoln_s_Melanch...

https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=497612...

Re: Top Performers Have a Superpower: Happiness

#254

Post by muzani »

suction wrote: post #150
hyperman1 wrote: post #128

I had the chance to work with a few people I'd consider genius level. While I'm pretty smart myself, they all have something I don't always have: The ability to be happy in any situation and interested in everything. For example, we were walking trough a hallway. On a wall is an old, damaged, ugly map of my country, half covered with graffiti. I'd walked past it almost every day for half a year. He checks it out, and…

Well, having already made enough money to always be able to just say "you know what, I'm out" whenever you feel like it is necessary to be happy in any situation and interested in everything. Anyone who's not "secure for life" and has to keep the salaries coming in will have to deal with bad people, bad decisions, bad culture, etc. and become unhappy. I've sort of dabbled in that situation: I made and lost a fortune…

This might also be why religious people are so optimistic. I mean actual religious people who welcome poverty and their own death, as opposed to those using it to socially/politically get ahead.

Re: Top Performers Have a Superpower: Happiness

#255

Post by jon-wood »

wtetzner wrote: post #249
scotty79 wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe growing up with this kind of money has that effect, but not acquiring it midlife. I got the money to get out and that's exactly what I did. I got out of everything. I'm not any more open than I was and I'm not happier. I just feel more secure and comfortable.

They mentioned they were happier having enough money to get out, but not actually getting out. Maybe that’s the difference? Just knowing it’s an option?

It definitely makes a difference knowing you have the option, the startup I worked for exited last year leaving me with a significant but not life changing windfall from cashing out my options. I'm still in the same job, but now working for a big corporate, and some days I absolutely hate it, but I at least know that I'm here by choice rather than necessity. Should it become too much I've got enough money in the bank to just rage quit and walk away without needing to immediately find another job.

Re: Top Performers Have a Superpower: Happiness

#256

Post by arbuge »

zrail wrote: post #251
nicbou wrote: post #202

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can confirm. Stepping off the treadmill - or just slowing it down - gives you so much more space to be curious. It's not just a matter of precariousness. You just have a lot more time and energy for these things. You can always sleep a bit longer, or delay work to follow an impulse with your full energy. There's always time for projects, even if they're not part of some hustle. It's an incredible privilege. Forget…

> I want to spend my days being a gentleman scientist and a student of the arts. I want my best work to follow my morning tea in the garden, and I want to join a Society of Likeminded Nerds to talk about it. Atop a healthy and happy family, this is all I want from life. I would be honored to apply for membership at your Society if and when you ever start it.

> I want to join a Society of Likeminded Nerds to talk about it.

>> I would be honored to apply for membership at your Society if and when you ever start it.

I'd argue this already exists. We're on it right now...

Re: Top Performers Have a Superpower: Happiness

#257

Post by blub »

hyperman1 wrote: post #128

I had the chance to work with a few people I'd consider genius level. While I'm pretty smart myself, they all have something I don't always have: The ability to be happy in any situation and interested in everything. For example, we were walking trough a hallway. On a wall is an old, damaged, ugly map of my country, half covered with graffiti. I'd walked past it almost every day for half a year. He checks it out, and…

In what kind of social context do people approach two strangers passionately pointing to and discussing an old, ugly map? Especially if said people are “beautiful partygirls”.

Unless those were Russian spies confusing you two for Ukrainian generals planning for the upcoming battle, that seems rather unlikely.

Re: Top Performers Have a Superpower: Happiness

#258

Post by bottled_poe »

hyperman1 wrote: post #128

I had the chance to work with a few people I'd consider genius level. While I'm pretty smart myself, they all have something I don't always have: The ability to be happy in any situation and interested in everything. For example, we were walking trough a hallway. On a wall is an old, damaged, ugly map of my country, half covered with graffiti. I'd walked past it almost every day for half a year. He checks it out, and…

Lmao. What an idol! Charisma, looks, wealth, connections - possibly some of these are relevant to your observations? Forgive me, I merely speculate..

Re: Top Performers Have a Superpower: Happiness

#259

Post by xwdv »

drra wrote: post #186
nicoburns wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know plenty of people who will say "you know what, I'm out" despite living paycheck to paycheck, or maybe having 1 or 2 months living expenses saved up. They're just open to the risk of going with the flow, and confident they'll find something to keep them going. They tend to be a lot happier than those I know who are focussed on money and career. This doesn't work if you're literally struggling to make ends meet t…

It works if you don't have many responsibilities. I recently lost my only source of income and that became crippling to my overall performance when it comes to side projects that could eventually replace that source. It was really surprising since I expected to head full forward with my projects. It used to be the case when I was a student capable of living on a shoestring budget.

Throw a wife and two kids into that mix and let’s see what happens to your side projects.

Re: Top Performers Have a Superpower: Happiness

#260

Post by raxxorrax »

lowercased wrote: post #246
raxxorrax wrote: post #209

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cannot really confirm this from my experience. Have worked with a lot of very unhappy geniuses. Perhaps not really unhappy, but not particularly happy either. But performance can mean something different. I think the study source is questionable as well. Perhaps the soldiers were happier because they got acknowledgement for their work? Most intellectuals don't get noticed because they are positively beaming, even if…

> But maybe they do perform well. More likely it's "well enough", and that matches the needs of most organizations just fine.

I would expect that corporate logic will then simply dictate happiness. Wasn't there a case in China or Japan were employees must smile to open doors? They are probably extremely happy employees.
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