How to do it
- Pick something worth doing whatever it does to your mood. Fixing the bike, cooking properly, a long walk.
- Skip the check-in. "Am I enjoying this yet?" is the question to leave out.
- Keep the bar modest on the fun stuff. Expecting less has its own hack.
- Wanting a good life is fine. What carried the drop was disappointment with their own feelings.
How chasing it backfires
- Prizing itraises the stakes
In one study, some women were first led to put a high value on happiness. Then everyone watched a happy film.
- Disappointmentcreeps in
The ones nudged to prize happiness enjoyed the film less. Their disappointment accounted for the gap.
- Everyday lifelower well-being
In a survey of women, valuing happiness more went with lower well-being, but only when life was calm. A link, not a cause.
- Youaim at the thing
Doing something for its own sake and letting the mood follow is my reading of this. Nobody has tested it.
Why it works
Put happiness at the top of the list and you may start grading everything against it. Evidence: worth trying In one study, women who were first led to value happiness more then watched a happy film, and enjoyed it less than women who hadn't been nudged. Their disappointment explained the gap. Evidence: decent In a survey of women, valuing happiness more went with lower well-being, but only when life was fairly calm. Evidence: decent
So aim at something else and let the mood come along or not. That step is mine. Evidence: worth trying It's close to expecting less: a high bar leaves less room to be pleased. Evidence: worth trying
The long readEvery step of the chain, each study with its numbers, and what's still unproven. 2 min read.
What happens in your brain
This chain is behaviour, not brain areas. The first three stops are one paper; the last is mine.
Prizing it raises the stakes. Some women were first led to put a high value on happiness. Then everyone watched a happy film. Evidence: decent
Disappointment creeps in. The ones nudged to prize happiness enjoyed the film less, and their disappointment accounted for it. Evidence: decent
Everyday life, lower well-being. In a survey of women, valuing happiness more went with lower well-being under low stress. A link, not a cause. Evidence: decent
You aim at the thing. Something worth doing for its own sake, with the mood as a side effect. Untested. Evidence: worth trying
The proof
- Mauss, Tamir, Anderson and Savino, 2011: in study 1, women who valued happiness more reported lower well-being, but only under low stress. Evidence: decent In study 2, women led to value happiness enjoyed a happy film less, through disappointment. Evidence: decent
- Ford and colleagues, 2015: chasing happiness went with lower well-being in the US, no difference in Germany, and higher well-being in Russia and East Asia. Evidence: decent
How to do it
- Pick something worth doing whatever it does to your mood: fixing the bike, cooking properly, a long walk. Evidence: worth trying
- Skip the check-in. "Am I enjoying this yet?" is the question I'd leave out. Evidence: worth trying
- Keep the bar modest on the fun stuff. Expect less covers why. Evidence: worth trying
- Wanting a good life is fine. What carried the drop in the film study was disappointment with their own feelings. Evidence: decent
Watch out
Both studies in the main paper were of women only, and the survey link showed only under low stress. Evidence: decent Across countries, chasing happiness went with lower well-being in the US, no difference in Germany, and higher well-being in Russia and East Asia. Evidence: decent The survey is a link, not a cause, and the film study was one lab session. Evidence: decent
"Never think about being happy" is the oversold version. Nothing here says don't want it. Doing things for their own sake is my reading, not a tested method. Evidence: worth trying