One Apple A Day #1034
I woke up thinking of happiness.
Mostly because yesterday I learned about the 50-40-10 formula by Sonja Lyubomirksy, the author of "The How Of Happiness".
Lyubomirksy states that 50% of our happiness is determined by our genetics and 10% by our circumstances. The remaining 40% is informed by our internal state of mind.
This simple formula suggests that, in our pursuit of happiness, we should focus less on the circumstances and more on ourselves. According to this formula, we always have a lot of power to influence our happiness, no matter what happens.
More recent studies suggest that those percentages may not be accurate, that the influence of both heritability and life circumstances are underestimated. So, our own work can account for as little as 15 per cent.
But that doesn't change the point that we can do something about it. When it comes to happiness, what we do matter.
That's an interesting paradox.
Sometimes, we spend so much energy looking for happiness out there that we forget to do the work that creates it.
"A human being is not one in pursuit of happiness but rather in search of a reason to become happy." — Viktor E Frankl