Happiness
Actionable insights for a happier life: a curated exploration of what it means to live well. Decoding the mechanics of fulfillment through the lens of neuroscience and behavioral psychology.
Essentials
Gratitude helps break the cycle of always wanting more
Gratitude explains why new gains fade and complaints rise.
videoLove your enemies: a buddhist guide to defeating anger, ego, and self-loathing
In their collaborative work Love Your Enemies: How to Break the Anger Habit & Be a Whole Lot Happier, Robert…
We create a false self in early life to meet external expectations and cope with childhood experiences – James Hollis
James Hollis explores the psychological and spiritual upheaval of midlife as a necessary and meaningful rite of passage. Drawing from…
Having an emergency fund makes people measurably happier
Easily accessible savings, known as precautionary savings, have a profound positive effect on individual well-being. This type of savings provides…
Happiness keeps rising with income for about 80% of people
A 2023 PNAS reanalysis by Killingsworth, Kahneman, and Mellers of 1.7 million phone reports found happiness rising with income for most American workers; only the least happy 15 to 20% stopped gaining above $100,000 a year.
The ideal free time would be 2 to 5 hours/day
As an individual’s free time increases, so does that person’s sense of well-being – but only up to a point.…
Daily Habits
Eight research-backed habits for a happier life
- Live in the here and now
- Appreciate the simple pleasures in life
- Give back by helping others
- Smile more
- Invest in your relationships
- Positive self-talk
- Learn to say no
- Commit to adding to your life resumé
Walking 20,000 steps a day: studies find most gains by 10,000
A Newsweek writer reports better sleep and mood after a month at 20,000 steps a day. Two large step reviews link more steps to lower death risk, with most of the drop by 10,000 steps.
Ten habits that reliably make people happier, with one that stands above the rest
Say things now to people you care about.
Spend time with parents and children.
Enjoy daily pleasures instead of waiting for something that may happen later.
Work in a job you love.
Choose your partner carefully.
Exploring more new places is linked to higher happiness
Most people cycle through a small set of familiar places. Research in human mobility suggests that, at any given time,…
Spending on experiences leads to quicker happiness than possessions
Spending money on experiences rather than material goods tends to bring more immediate and lasting happiness. Researchers Amit Kumar from…
Deeper Meaning
How to be UnFuckWithAble
Being “UnFuckWithAble” means reaching a state where you are so confident and at peace with yourself that no external factors…
Lao Tzu’s life lessons most people understand only after it is too late
Lao Tzu’s teachings emphasize simplicity, humility, and inner peace. Key lessons include the importance of letting go of material desires,…
videoNovelist Laurent Gounelle urges taking back decisions from apps
In a 2024 interview on the novel Un monde presque parfait, Laurent Gounelle argues that people hand too many choices to technology, and shares three simple ways to train intuition, felt in the body.
Hypnagogic imagery: flashing-light devices guide the brain into dream-like states without drugs
The idea is simple: when a rhythmic burst of white light reaches your closed eyes, the neurons in your visual…
Why owning more and looking better rarely lead to real happiness
When we are happy to have a nice car, it’s not happiness, it’s satisfaction.When we are happy to have passed…
American millennials say they need $43,000 a month to feel satisfied
US gen Z and boomers around 10 000$/month, West Europe 8 000$/month, and East Europe 3750$/month.
More about money & happiness in the survey.