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The Price of Happiness (2024)

happiness-science.org

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Re: The Price of Happiness (2024)

#41

Post by [deleted] »

sokka_h2otribe wrote: post #36
gib444 wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> and their findings lean towards good relationships with family and friends are highly correlation with happiness, health, and many aspects of financial success The daily reminder about the pains of autism and depression :/

If you can, consider to volunteer at a shelter or any volunteer activity that you find accessible to you. I say this specifically because giving to others is undervalued for its internal benefits, and animals tend to be more accessible to direct love towards than humans with their complexities. But overall just giving is a way of transferring some of yourself into a more together context, and volunteering tends to be…

[deleted]

Re: The Price of Happiness (2024)

#42

Post by t0mpr1c3 »

jongjong wrote: post #35
AnimalMuppet wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Freedom is the only missing piece holding them back from pursuing what they think will make them happy. That freedom makes them happy today, happy with the hope of tomorrow's happiness. But a number of people find that pursuing that thing (whatever it is for them) doesn't actually make them happy. Now they're less happy, because not only are they not happy, but their dream of future happiness has also died.

I don't know about other people but certainly not for me. I was actually earning crypto passive income for 3 years not working and I was very happy. Now that income is gone, through no fault of my own (literally this was the best case scenario how it could have played out), and I now have to work for money again and I'm very unhappy. I'm even more unhappy now because my life expectations are higher and I can't get to…

You are experiencing one of the corollaries of the thesis in the OP. Material loss is experienced as unhappiness, no matter where you started on the distribution of wealth.

Another is that there is no satisfaction to be had in status comparisons. There will be always somebody who has more than you.

Re: The Price of Happiness (2024)

#43

Post by t0mpr1c3 »

DaveZale wrote: post #17

Great analysis, but I would probably add that most (but not all) of those who end up with the six- and seven- figure salaries are smarter, more well-connected and socially adjusted, optimistic etc. Most _not_ all. And some are just really good bullshitters, of course. Ever been to a third world country and seen happy people who make just a couple hundred bucks a month, yet are very healthy and happy? I have. It's ver…

To those that have, is given. Everywhere and always.

The biggest delusion of Americans is that they worked hard for everything they have.

It is characteristic of Americans to think poor people are undeserving.

Re: The Price of Happiness (2024)

#44

Post by laylower »

throw0101d wrote: post #2

Harvard has been running longitudinal studies for several decades: * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grant_Study and their findings lean towards good relationships with family and friends are highly correlation with happiness, health, and many aspects of financial success. The released a book summarizing many results a few years ago: * https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61273746-the-good-life * https://archive.is/http…

""The Grant Study is an 87-year continuing longitudinal study from the Study of Adult Development at Harvard Medical School, started in 1938.[2] It has followed 268 Harvard-educated men, the majority of whom were members of the undergraduate classes of 1942, 1943 and 1944.""

So they took the cream of the crop in the US and tracked it for 80 years. Most of these people will never starve or have to choose a tier 3 education for their children. It's useful as a study, but mostly to demonstrate what matters for the affluent / well-off for their happiness.

Re: The Price of Happiness (2024)

#45

Post by yboris »

throw0101d wrote: post #14
yboris wrote: post #13

A classic paper worth a read: If money doesn't make you happy, then you probably aren't spending it right by Elizabeth Dunn, Daniel Gilbert, & Timothy D. Wilson https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S10577... Includes explicit recommendations (even in the short abstract)!

Books on happiness (research) have become a bit of a thing in recent years, but Dunn seems to have published one of the earlier ones in 2013: * https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15803098-happy-money I'd also recommend Morgan Housel's various writings: * https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/231148075-the-art-of-spe... He had an interesting observation: the popular saying " don't spend money on things, but on experien…

I'm a huge fan of Positive Psychology and have read dozens of books (by Ph.D researchers of the subject).

My favorite academic summary is The Good Life: Unifying the Philosophy and Psychology of Well-Being by Michael A. Bishop. As a hyper-short summary: psychologists studying well being have used different definitions and approaches, yet what unifies them is positive feedback loops - behaviors and activities that beget more positive affect in the future. Think spending time with good friends, etc.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22897962-the-good-life

A classic read is Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert. It shows how humans are systematically bad at predicting to what extent future events will make them happier or sad. His TED talk is a nice 20 minute summary of the book.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56627.Stumbling_on_Happi...

Re: The Price of Happiness (2024)

#46

Post by bryanlarsen »

throw0101d wrote: post #2

Harvard has been running longitudinal studies for several decades: * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grant_Study and their findings lean towards good relationships with family and friends are highly correlation with happiness, health, and many aspects of financial success. The released a book summarizing many results a few years ago: * https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61273746-the-good-life * https://archive.is/http…

> good relationships with family and friends are highly correlation with happiness,

And disputes over money are the most common way to break up a family. Probably friends too.

Re: The Price of Happiness (2024)

#47

Post by throw0101d »

laylower wrote: post #44
throw0101d wrote: post #2

Harvard has been running longitudinal studies for several decades: * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grant_Study and their findings lean towards good relationships with family and friends are highly correlation with happiness, health, and many aspects of financial success. The released a book summarizing many results a few years ago: * https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61273746-the-good-life * https://archive.is/http…

""The Grant Study is an 87-year continuing longitudinal study from the Study of Adult Development at Harvard Medical School, started in 1938.[2] It has followed 268 Harvard-educated men, the majority of whom were members of the undergraduate classes of 1942, 1943 and 1944."" So they took the cream of the crop in the US and tracked it for 80 years. Most of these people will never starve or have to choose a tier 3 educ…

> So they took the cream of the crop in the US and tracked it for 80 years. Most of these people will never starve or have to choose a tier 3 education for their children. It's useful as a study, but mostly to demonstrate what matters for the affluent / well-off for their happiness.

1. Their (alleged) affluence was no guarantee of success or happiness.

2. There was a second study (with the two later merging) that followed boys from the rougher part(s) of town: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glueck_Study

The referenced book looks at both cohorts.

Re: The Price of Happiness (2024)

#48

Post by throw0101d »

asdfman123 wrote: post #15
gib444 wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> and their findings lean towards good relationships with family and friends are highly correlation with happiness, health, and many aspects of financial success The daily reminder about the pains of autism and depression :/

I read a great quote by someone, maybe Nietzsche, suggesting that when you encounter that which you struggle with you tell yourself the equivalent of "hell yeah, this is my struggle." This is prime time. This is what I'm currently on earth to solve. I'm going to enjoy the process of trying to defeat it. Amor fati. Of course, you don't have to think that way. But you're going to have one problem or another, either way…

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right.” — https://quoteinvestigator.com/2015/02/03/you-can/

An effective form of 'treatment' for depression/anxiety is to recognize that negative feels often don't come first, but rather we are doing actions that cause them, so you should do the positive things and this will reduce one's negative emotions:

* https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54930681-feeling-great

Re: The Price of Happiness (2024)

#49

Post by throw0101d »

gib444 wrote: post #8
throw0101d wrote: post #2

Harvard has been running longitudinal studies for several decades: * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grant_Study and their findings lean towards good relationships with family and friends are highly correlation with happiness, health, and many aspects of financial success. The released a book summarizing many results a few years ago: * https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61273746-the-good-life * https://archive.is/http…

> and their findings lean towards good relationships with family and friends are highly correlation with happiness, health, and many aspects of financial success The daily reminder about the pains of autism and depression :/

> and depression :/

Regularly recommended on HN by folks:

* https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46674.Feeling_Good

there's also a follow-up:

* https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54930681-feeling-great

Re: The Price of Happiness (2024)

#50

Post by asdfman123 »

qsera wrote: post #37
asdfman123 wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I read a great quote by someone, maybe Nietzsche, suggesting that when you encounter that which you struggle with you tell yourself the equivalent of "hell yeah, this is my struggle." This is prime time. This is what I'm currently on earth to solve. I'm going to enjoy the process of trying to defeat it. Amor fati. Of course, you don't have to think that way. But you're going to have one problem or another, either way…

I do this, or in other words, I had to do this to go on. I think everyone comes up with some philosophy to keep on going. Even a street bum might have come up with philosophy on par with some of the greats that keeps them going... In fact, for this particular idea, I am so over the edge that I sometimes feel pity for those conventionally lucky people who seemingly have it all and don't have a struggle on their on. I…

Only a precious few are so lucky that they don't have secret miseries. So you didn't get lucky -- I didn't either. Gotta take your licks and move on.

Besides, there is a way to transcend that unhappiness. I've seen people meditate their way out of it, but it takes years of study and discipline. The only reason why every psychiatrist doesn't tell you to start doing it is you can't just tell someone to work hard at something, they have to want to do it themselves.

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