The Happiness Hypothesis

After reading the whimsical novel, A Tale for the Time Being, this psychology-infused book with significant scientific and religious roots was quite the contrast. The author, Jonathan Haidt, is a social psychologist, participating in significant research on morality and happiness throughout his life. He self-identifies as a "liberal Jewish atheist", but he approaches religion, happiness, and the meaning of life with a very faithful perspective (it is a bit of a paradox, really). The Happiness Hypothesis examines various methods to achieve the ultimate happiness and potential in one's own life.

At first, I was extremely disheartened by the book. Haidt begins by describing what he calls "the cortical lottery", discussing the direct correlation between brain activity and happiness. Right-brained people tend to be significantly happier than left-brained people, and a person cannot change the function of their brain without therapy and/or medication, and even then, there is only so much one can do.

Just when I was about to give up hope for my own happiness, Haidt switched his perspective to discuss things one can control to maximize happiness. He provides this equation:

H = S + C + V

where S = your biological set point (right or left-brained tendencies), C = the conditions of your life, and V = voluntary activities, and these three variables add to equal H, your total happiness.

Obviously, there is little one can do to change the S value. But Haidt provides five key elements that can increase the C value. These are:

1. Noise - From the radio, to cell phone notifications, to TV, to the hustle and bustle of everyday life, noises constantly bombard our auditory senses. Reducing noise levels in one's home and life increases happiness. This can mean avoiding an apartment on a busy street or committing to silent time for an hour each day to reset your inner silence.
2. Commuting - Decreasing commute time directly correlates to increased happiness.
3. Lack of control - When people feel they have choices in life, they are generally happier. Having autonomous control over one's decisions leads to a greater sense of well-being. No one likes to be trapped in a corner with only one option.
4. Shame - A feeling imposed by society, shame tells people that something about their being is bad or wrong. Removing the source of this shame, whether it be images of airbrushed models or a toxic person, greatly aids happiness.
5. Relationships - Healthy relationships, especially romantic ones, improve a person's happiness. This one is far more obvious, but hard to enact.

For the V value, Haidt explains that the best activities to achieve happiness are ones that challenge and promote growth. For me, this relates specifically to my pursuit of dance. As hard and frustrating as it can be, nothing makes me as happy as dance does. An activity like dance leads to what Haidt coins "vital engagement". This activity not only makes me happy, but it has developed into a sense of community and identity. I have dear friends through dance, I have volunteered to bring dance to others, and I want to pursue dance throughout my life.

Similarly, practicing a religion can lead to vital engagement, and this, Haidt concludes, is why many people find that religion increases their happiness potential.

Finally, Haidt proposes an interesting tactic to the pursuit of happiness. Although improving weaknesses is key to moving forward, Haidt challenges us to work on our strengths to improve our weaknesses. For example, I struggled with feelings of regret, doubt, and second-guessing for a long time. Instead of trying to eliminate these feelings, I practiced gratitude, and simultaneously, lost my old habits.

Ultimately, happiness is a lifelong pursuit, one I think ends only in heaven. I plan to attempt to put the practices of this book into place to try to increase my H value to its highest earthly potential.