today I learned what is responsible for our happiness.
50% is our set line (i.e. what you are born with), 10% is life circumstances (wealth, where you live, job, etc.) and 40% is up to you. So it's in your control if you choose how happy you choose to be with that 40%. Now I don't really know how encouraging I find this. I mean - wouldn't it suck if you were born with a low "set line" because there is nothing you could do. So if you had a high set line you have the potential to be 100% happy. But if you are born with a lower set line, all you would ever be able to achieve was 70% happiness. And what if you love someone, a partner, friend, child who has a low set point. Imagine loving someone who doesn't have the potential to be as happy as you. That seems a little bit depressing to me. Now - who knows how accurate this is, or how people can know something like that (source montioring note: W5) - but I think that there is some truth to it. How often have you heard someone refer to a person, or a child, who is just a happy person, child etc. There are people who are justs predisposed to happiness.
And there are people who go to Jacob and find out that everything in the store is 30% this week and who use that to maximize that other 40%.
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From September 2005 until August 2008 I was a graduate student at the university of Victoria. This blog is a collection of my experiences and reflections from that time.
4 comments:
30%!!!
yes!
Alex
oh wait.... no, that's interesting, did you MAKE that up? or did someone actually do some experiment to suggest these random percentages?
Alex
i reserve my 40% for the day starbucks becomes free :)
i assure you - it is actual scientific data about happiness. There was a CTV one hour program on happiness where the CTV guy and a psyologist went around Canada finding out about Canadians and happiness to confirm labratory happiness results. The psycologist is the one who suggested the 50-40-10 break down.
i am enjoying the 30% off as well...hooray for 30% off at jacob (now if only some other stores that I fit well into and that i enjoy would have similar sales so that i don't look so Jacoby all the time)
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