What Makes Us Happy?

One of the big sources of inspiration for me over the last couple years has been the work of people like Dan Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness, who gives a truly inspiring talk at TED, above. Gilbert provides a lot of hard data that shows that happiness can be synthesized, and how we often over-rate the difference between a good situation and a bad one using quotes from Adam Smith and William Shakespeare.

Gilbert closes off with the following:

“Our longings and worries are both to some degree over-blown because we have within us the capacity to manufacture the very commodity we are constantly chasing when we choose experience.”

It’s a compelling argument, one that he proves through research is true, and crucial to keep in mind especially given the current global climate around the economy collapsing. Things are only going to get worse, as smart people like Jason Calacanis have said, so it’s more important than ever for us to moderate our temperaments and maintain perspective , even if the sky is falling.