blog

This Wall Street Journal article definitely caught my eye. And it opens with a pretty provocative thought. “We may have life and liberty. But the pursuit of happiness isn’t going so well.”

The gist of the article is that while we may (as a country) be richer than ever, we are no happier than we were 30 years ago. The author says the key problem is that we aren’t very good at figuring out what makes us happier. I’ve highlighted in previous posts that I think happiness is a state of mind. You can be happier if you decide to be happier, but I also believe that part of being happy is “the pursuit,” not the arrival. That’s why the things that make Barefooters happy by and large are things that are either constantly changing (technology, fashion, etc.), or experiences that you can continue to collect as you move through life (travel, outsider art, etc.).

So perhaps it is true that once you have everything you’ve been pursuing, your happiness may plateau and even go into decline.

The lesson? Pick things that will always keep you growing and going.

Conversely, the author of the Wall Street Journal article, Jonathan Clements, shares that experts think we’re not happy due to two factors. First, we’re not “Built to be happy.” We’re designed to survive and reproduce. Second, “we’re bad at forecasting.” We don’t accurately project what will make us happier. I’m not sure I agree.

I’m happy. I would not attribute my happiness to being built different than anyone else (other than rounder perhaps), and I would not say I’m a better forecaster. Perhaps I’m just lucky, but I think it’s because I’ve discovered the things in life that bring me joy, and I pursue them. More importantly, I’ve decided to be happy, and I think that is the most important thing of all.