The mental tricks you can use in your lifelong pursuit of happiness

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MORE than 2300 years ago, Aristotle argued that happiness was the highest good. Later, the US founding fathers considered its pursuit to beryllium an unalienable quality right. These days, you volition find countless books promising to uncover the secrets of a blessed life. But person millennia of philosophical and technological enquiry taught america thing astir however to execute that?

First, let’s look astatine however radical who survey happiness measurement it. One of the astir communal strategies is to inquire radical to complaint statements specified arsenic “In astir ways, my beingness is adjacent to my ideal” and “If I could unrecorded my beingness over, I would alteration astir nothing”. These purpose to seizure someone’s wide restitution with life, alternatively than their temper connected a circumstantial day.

That makes sense, says Richard Layard, co-director of the Community Wellbeing Programme astatine the London School of Economics, due to the fact that asking radical to sum up their wide contentment is often much applicable than measuring their affectional authorities implicit an extended period. The different thing, says Layard, is that wide contentment fits amended with philosophical definitions of happiness arsenic an overarching quality, arsenic opposed to transient pleasures.

Using this benignant of scale, psychologists person attempted to identify the circumstantial ingredients that lend to happiness. Contrary to the thought that “money can’t bargain happiness”, income does play a role: it is easier to consciousness pleased with your batch erstwhile you don’t person to interest astir bills and tin dainty yourself to luxuries.

We are besides influenced by the riches of others – we are little blessed if we cognize our neighbour is earning much than us. …