The Happiness Curve (Jonathan Rauch 2018)

The Voyage of Life (Thomas Cole, 1839)

The Happiness Curve (Jonathan Rauch, 2018)

happiness isn’t rational, predictable, or reliably tethered to our objective circumstances. Rapid change makes people very unhappy. The result is what she calls the paradox of frustrated achievers and happy peasants. Here’s the most fundamental finding of happiness economics: the factors that most determine our happiness are social, not material

Seven big factors of happiness:
1.our family relationships
2.our financial situation
3.our work
4.our community and friends
5.our health
6.our personal freedom
7.our personal values.
Except for health and income, they are all concerned with the quality of our relationships.

Six factors account for three-fourths of reported wellbeing:
1.social support: having someone to count on in times of trouble
2.generosity: people are happier when they do generous things and live among generous people
3.trust: corruption and dishonesty are bad for life satisfaction
4.freedom: feeling that you have sufficient freedom to make important life decisions
5.income per capita
6.healthy life expectancy

Chapter 4: The shape of the river: Time, happiness and the curve of the U
Chapter 5: The expectation trap: Midlife malaise is often about nothing
Chapter 6: The paradox of aging: Why getting old makes you happier
Chapter 7: Crossing toward wisdom: The happiness curve has a purpose, and it’s social
Chapter 8:

Happiness equation:
H = S + C + V + T
H is your enduring level of happiness, S is your emotional set point, C stands for the circumstances of your life, V stands for factors under your voluntary control, and T stands for time’s influence on life satisfaction