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By Grayson Ford
Last semester I was enrolled in my senior seminar course for my economics degree. It was centered on “the economics of happiness." I walked away from this course with something unexpected. More than gaining economic insights about normal topics such as demand equilibrium, the course completely changed the way I go about every day. One of the first things I was asked to do was to read an article centered around the science of what actually influences happiness in human beings. It turns out that among economists and behavioral psychologists there is actually a pretty uniform consensus among the areas that influence happiness and well as the level of each aspect’s impact.
The first factor was the role of genetics. Though every person is different to some degree regarding their genetic influence on their happiness, the consensus is that on average one can expect their genetics to be responsible for roughly 50% of their experienced happiness. Perhaps this is the explanation for those folks who are always seemingly happy regardless of what is going on around them.
Speaking of surrounding circumstances, one would think that would account for a large portion of what makes us happy, right? Well, the research actually puts it around the 10% mark. This category of “circumstances” encaptures everything from financials, family, health, love life, etc. This struck me as it seems people seem to spend the most amount of their energy towards making their circumstances as ideal as possible. To be frank, that is the main reason I decided to attend college.
But the last category responsible for 40% of happiness experienced by the average individual lies in the activities they find fulfillment in. I suppose there are two ways to view this. One could be disheartened at the fact that half of their happiness is not in their direct control. Or, one could spend their time focusing on the 50% that is. But circumstances change. Sometimes we get passed over for jobs, scholarships or other opportunities. But the things we choose to do with our free time we can almost always control. For some people, that's exercising. For others, it may be painting or making music. There is no one activity that fits all, so to speak. (I would be remiss if I did not mention that physical exercise almost always yields some boost in perceived happiness. So please, take care of yourself.) So, explore and do things you wouldn’t normally see yourself doing. Or, carve out more time for that hobby you stopped pursuing because of work or school. If the goal is to be happy, based on the numbers, shouldn’t we be putting four times as much energy into doing things that bring us joy rather than trying to make our circumstances perfect.
Recently, I have taken up trying to write and record music with a friend of mine. It has been one of the most enjoyable things I have done recently. I had always thought about it but never pursued it because I thought people would think I was strange or wasting my time. But, if it makes me happy and I enjoy it, who cares? That mindset has made all the difference for me, as of late.
Please consider reading “The How of Happiness: the Scientific Approach to Getting the Life you Want” by Sonja Lyubomirsky if you want to appreciate a more complete version of the arguments and opinions cited and given here (as well as the data supporting them).
Grayson Ford is a McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville. He is studying political science and economics at the University of Louisville.