Happiness as a Path to Success Rather Than the Destination

Why Be Happier?

You know how great it feels to be happy. But did you know being happy offers several other benefits beyond the warm, fuzzy feeling in your heart and soul? It’s true, according to Sonja Lyubomirski in The How of Happiness.

Research reveals, for example, when compared with their less happy peers, happier people earn more money, are physically healthier and enjoy longer, more energetic lives. They’re also better leaders, have more friends and are more creative and productive at work. These are just a few “happiness by-products” Dr. Lyubomirsky offers to suggest you’d not only feel better by being happier, but it’s likely you’d also be more successful and contribute more to the world around you.

“In becoming happier, we not only boost experiences of joy, contentment, love, pride, and awe but also improve other aspects of our lives: our energy levels, our immune systems, our engagement with work and with other people, and our physical and mental health. In becoming happier, we bolster as well our feelings of self-confidence and self-esteem; we come to believe that we are worthy human beings, deserving of respect. A final and perhaps least appreciated plus is that if we become happier, we benefit not only ourselves but also our partners, families, communities, and even society at large.”

- Sonja Lyubomirsky, The How of Happiness, pg. 26

The implication of Sonja’s message is both profound and counterintuitive. We’ve been conditioned to believe that “I’ll be happy when [fill in the blank].” When I earn more money, find a better job or get a bigger house, for example. We pursue such goals and focus on future rewards fueled by the belief that they’ll lead to long-term happiness.

Apparently, we have it all backwards. It seems we’d be better-served to make happiness our main goal rather than an after-effect of other achievements; happiness as the path rather than the destination. In this approach, happiness does not result from success, but instead, success results from happiness.

“Often people attempt to live their lives backwards; they try to have more things or more money in order to do more of what they want so that they will be happier. The way it actually works is the reverse. You must first be who you really are then do what you need to do in order to have what you want.”

- Margaret Young, 1920s Singer

Seeking Happiness in the Wrong Places

What do you think would make you happier? Maybe a better job, more money or a few extra vacation days is what you need. Perhaps a better marriage, a bigger house or a leaner, meaner physique would brighten your days. If your answers look anything like these – as mine do – you’ll be surprised to learn we’re both misinformed about what really leads to long-term happiness and fulfillment.

“None of these things will make you substantially happier … What we believe would make a huge difference in our lives actually, according to scientific research, makes only a small difference, while we overlook the true sources of personal happiness and well-being.”

- Sonja Lyubomirsky, The How of Happiness, pg. 14

It’s hard to believe something like a fatter paycheck, for example, won’t make us much happier, and Sonja acknowledges that. She quickly adds, however, that more money actually does make us happier; just not as much or for as long as we believe it will.

“Why is is so hard for us (even myself!) to believe that money really doesn’t make us happy? Because the truth is that money does make us happy. But our misunderstanding, as one happiness researcher eloquently explains, is that ‘we think money will bring us lots of happiness for a long time, and actually it brings us a little happiness for a short time.’”

- Sonja Lyubomirsky, The How of Happiness, pg. 16-17

The Real Keys to Happiness and “The 40 Percent Solution”

If more health, wealth and beauty doesn’t make us happier, what does? What are the real keys to long-term happiness and fulfillment? Is it even possible to achieve? Maybe we’re all destined to the endless pursuit of happiness, only to have it slip through our fingers the moment we finally grasp it. Are we wasting our time trying to be happier, unaware of research that says our level of happiness is fixed and limited by our genetic inheritance?

These are the questions that drove Dr. Lyubomirsky and her colleagues to investigate and eventually identify the three key factors that determine our level of happiness. Based on these key factors, they fashioned an approach to long-term happiness called “The 40 Percent Solution,” and it serves as the entire foundation for the book.

What’s so special about the 40% figure? This is the part of your happiness that’s within your power to change through intentional activity – your daily thoughts, behaviors and habits. Although 40% is not a large figure, says Sonja, it’s reasonable, realistic and gives us plenty of room to intentionally increase our level of happiness. The rest of the book helps you take control of your own 40% by offering several “happiness activities” that have been scientifically proven to increase your happiness.

So 40% of our happiness is determined by our daily thoughts and behaviors, but what about the rest? Research done with twins shows that each of us has a genetically predetermined happiness set point that accounts for 50% of our happiness. This set point is inherited from our biological parents and serves as a baseline happiness level to which we’re all bound to return regardless of life circumstances. Like genes for height, weight or intelligence, our happiness genes determine to a large extent how happy we’ll be over the course of our life.

The remaining 10% of our happiness is determined by our life circumstances. Things like whether you’re rich or poor, beautiful or plain, healthy or unhealthy, etc. Although the 10% number seems unrealistically small, Sonja says the research backs it up. One study, for example, showed that some of America’s wealthiest people reported happiness levels that were only slightly higher than people with an average income.

“The 49 wealthy respondents reported average levels of subjective well-being which were higher than the 62 control group respondents … However, there were unhappy wealthy people and the average level of this group was only modestly higher than for other groups … None of the respondents believed that money is a major source of happiness.”

- Ed Diener, Jeff Horwitz and Robert A. Emmons, Happiness of the Very Wealthy

Chapter One Summary

Backed by scientific research, the message Dr. Lyubomirsly presents in chapter one is clear and convincing. Becoming a happier person will do more than just make you feel better. It will also lead to greater success and make you more valuable to the world around you. Fortunately, although your genes and life circumstances determine to a large degree how happy you can be, you have the power – though your daily thoughts and behaviors – to intentionally increase your level of happiness. It will take some effort on your part, she says, but it’s certainly worth it.

“Consider how much time and commitment many people devote to physical exercise, whether it’s going to the gym, jogging, kickboxing, or yoga. My research reveals that if you desire greater happiness, you need to go about it in a similar way. In other words, becoming lastingly happier demands making some permanent changes that require effort and commitment every day of your life. Pursuing happiness takes work, but consider that this ‘happiness work’ may be the most rewarding work you ever do.”

- Sonja Lyubomirsky, The How of Happiness, pg. 24