hap· pi· ness

/ˈhapēnəs/

noun

Have you ever aced an exam, got a promotion, or experienced any other event that was supposed to make you happy and thought… wait, that’s it?! Perhaps you thought your capacity to feel was dulled and you might never reach the peak of what happiness truly is. Well, I’m here to tell you happiness is a spectrum and by seeing it in its entirety, you’ll come to realize you’ve already experienced all the intensity and mellowness of happiness. By defining happiness as only joy, contentment and pleasure, this sets the threshold for happiness in our everyday lives unrealistically high. If we can expand happiness to encompass emotional well-being and life-satisfaction, much less intense yet more attainable states, we can more easily see ourselves as happy people.

the happiness advantage

Now let’s say, knowing this, you absolutely do not consider yourself a happy person because you’ve yet to obtain any of the markers of happiness. You might believe money, friends, success first— happiness after, but the opposite is actually true; being happy is more likely to cause success than the other way around. Harvard professor of positive psychology, Shawn Achor, calls this the happiness advantage and you can learn more about it in his TED Talk below. Even if you were to get everything you’ve ever desired, you’ll likely end up at the same baseline of happiness you were at before, also known as hedonic adaptation.¹ Sure, there’s an uptick of joy, but only for a brief time surrounding the event. If you were hesitant about starting this guide, hesitate no more because prioritizing your happiness will also lead to achieving your goals.

the guide

Now that you’ve got a better understanding of what happiness is, your brain is ready to absorb and apply this guide’s research-based tips for happiness. Each week, you’ll be introduced to a factor of happiness and how you can incorporate it in your own life through an activity. Perhaps it’ll seem daunting, or perhaps it’ll seem silly, but I encourage you to take it seriously, because that’s what your happiness deserves.