In this final installment of Ed Diener and Robert Biswas-Diener’s book Happiness, I’ll share their thoughts on what confers happiness and genuine wealth.

Money? While life satisfaction generally rises with income, rising desires often cancels the benefits of greater income. In fact, the amount of money someone makes only modesty predicts their satisfaction with that income. It turns out that one’s happiness can be measured by taking what we have divided by what we expect. Uncontrolled materialism – i.e., privileging money and material things over relationships and leisure time – proves toxic to happiness.

Making money can be very satisfying. It confers social status and leads to self-reliance and control. It relieves worry over the provision of essential needs and makes it possible to be generous toward others. But it’s effect on happiness is not large. So, it’s good to have it, but toxic to want it too much.

Religion/Spirituality? While the relationship between happiness and faith varies across religions, nations, and individuals, a spiritual practice can provide a boost to happiness. Key determinants include comforting beliefs, social support, connection with something personal and important, the experience of ritual, and the benefits of gratitude. Folks raised in a faith tradition find happiness more easily accessible in their practice than those who were not or had unfavorable memories of it.

Culture? Healthy societies provide environments in which happiness can be achieved. Higher happiness scores accrue to countries that are economically developed, democratic, high in human rights, and high in equal rights for women. Countries that tend toward extreme poverty, political instability, and conflict tend toward low life satisfaction. That being said, individualists and collectivists derive their happiness from different sources. Individualists look for self-satisfaction and uniqueness; they focus on internal feelings. Collectivists derive pleasure from contributing to the group; they focus on actions and relationships. In short, there are different definitions of what constitutes happiness.

Genetics? Twins show impressive similarity on standardized tests of personality, intelligence, and emotion. Identical twins raised in different households manifest more emotional similarity than fraternal twins raised together. That finding should not be surprising. At the physiological level, our genetic code influences the hormones we produce and how the brain uses them, both of which impact a positive outlook on life. But epigenetics effects gene expression, so we aren’t consigned to a dour mood even if our genetic predisposition leans in that direction.

The authors forewarn against trying to make ourselves happy through artificial stimulants. Hedonic adaptation causes us to adjust to new levels of joy and bring us back to baseline. We then need even more stimulant to perk us up again. We get hooked on the stimulant without attaining the desired long-term effect. If we want to change our emotional set point, we’re better off engaging consistently in pleasurable activities, surrounding yourself with upbeat friends, and experiencing successes at work.

The natural process of adaptation is actually good for us. A healthy adaptation to new circumstances allows us to learn new skills, tolerate change, and seek improvement. Adaptation also acts as a buffer against unfortunate circumstances and shields against sustained negativity in response to adversity. And even though it might sound appealing, a constant state of euphoria isn’t desirable. Absent challenges, we may not care about personal growth, set goals for ourselves, or realize the thrill victory.

Novelty? We might be tempted to think: If I I’d change my [job, partner, city, house, church, social network], then I’d be happy. But as we say in mindfulness meditation: “Where you go, there you are.” We may make a change, but if the source of our distress lies within us, it’ll follow us to the new thing.

Of course, there can be good and logical reasons for making a change – to get out of a bad circumstance, to take advantage of a great opportunity, to pursue one’s passions or calling in more fertile ground. The smart money calls for looking at the big picture, not just the shiny new object. Consider all the factors; take time making the decision. Carefully examine whether you will like it more than you want it. And while you can get input from others, consider personal experience and listen to that “small inner voice” that speaks the truth.

Attention? Unhappy people ruminate on faults, failings, and character flaws. Focusing inwardly makes you unhappy; directing attention to others makes you happy. Start noticing good things in the environment because there is always plentiful to see.

Attitude? Many situations in life are unclear or ambiguous; we are forced to fit the pieces together. Whether something is good or bad depends on how you interpret it. For people who see the world as harsh and threatening, it’s likely their mood will be more negative. They take social comparisons hard and get upset. For people who see it as full of promise and opportunity, these rose-colored glasses will likely translate to more happiness. They’re not undone by critical feedback and do far less social comparison. Optimism is good for happiness.

Attitude translates into memory; we choose what we remember. Happy people err on the side of positivity, storing up good memories in ways that make for easy recall. They treat adversity with humor and focus on what they did to overcome it.

We don’t need to be cheerful all the time. Life has ups and downs, and the unpleasant emotions that attend to the latter can be forces for positive change. But we can exert some control over our general demeanor by:

• Direct our attention as much as possible to the good things in life
• Paying attention to how we interpret daily events and taking action to short-circuit unhelpful thinking patterns
• Savoring happy moments and taking time to capture them in memory for future enjoyment
• Noticing the kind and helpful things that others do and expressing gratitude for them
• Investing in long-term relationships for mutual benefit and support
• Working toward meaningful goals
• Living as though happiness is a process, not a destination; enjoying life in the moment

Good health. Good relationships. Good work. Those are three things most of us want. How do we increase our odds of getting them? According to Ed Diener and Robert Biswas-Diener’s book Happiness, it just takes a little happiness.

HEALTH: It has been proven empirically that happy people get sick less often, experience fewer symptoms when sick, and recover more quickly. They also live longer. Why is that?

• Happy people are more likely to have healthy habits – diet, exercise, vitamins, nonsmoker, moderation in alcohol consumption
• Happy people have more effective immune systems.
• Happy people are less prone to anger, depression, and stress, all of which have been associated with cardiovascular disease and hypertension.
• Happiness helps regulate the stress hormone cortisol. Stress undermines recovery from injury and may accelerate the rate of cellular aging.

RELATIONSHIPS: From the earliest times when humans roamed the earth, social relationships proved essential to survival. They helped distribute the work to provision shelter, sustenance, and clothing, and had our backs when facing threat. We also need them to find fulfillment. Life becomes especially meaningful when we have people who care about us, people toward whom we show affection, and people with whom we share life’s journey.

Happy people are far more likely to enjoy the blessing of family, friends, and support networks than people with low life satisfaction. They are more sociable, pleasant, and rewarding to be around. They express greater interest in social activities. And both introverts and extroverts have more positive feelings when with others.

Close relationships allow us to feel loved, validated, and secure. The mere presence of others proves comforting. Moreover, their diverse knowledge and experience help us solve problems, stretch our comprehension of the world, and form ideas and opinions. Groups to which we belong help define who we are and give us a sense of identity. And being with them can be just plain fun!

While happy people are more likely to marry that non-happy people, marital happiness depends on finding the right partner and cultivating forwarding communication. Further, most happiness studies have not shown children to be an important cause of happiness. It depends on one’s disposition and preferences.

WORK: Folks tend to view gainful employment from one of three perspective:

• It’s a job that makes it possible to pay the bills – i.e., transactional.
• It’s a stepping stone to advancement – i.e., career-oriented.
• It’s a place to express what matters deeply and be in contribution to community – i.e., a calling.

Callings abound in every profession, and happy people find ways to narrate their work in that context. They become architects of their work, taking the initiative to bring their day-to-day responsibilities in accord with a higher purpose. They’re great employees who show up on time, take fewer sick days, and lend helping hands to co-workers. Their positive demeanor promotes broad, creative thinking and results in superior decision making. People who are happiest at work are happiest at home.

Of course, favorable employment rests on the shoulders of the employee’s attitude and the company’s treatment of its workers. Important factors for job satisfaction include opportunities for personal control, a variety of tasks, supportive supervision, respect, equitable pay and benefits, clear job requirements and the means to meet them, and a good “fit” with appropriate challenge.

Now that my husband and I have settled in Colorado, I have the bandwidth for primary research on healthy lifestyles. The next few posts will cover Happiness: Unlocking the Mysteries of Psychological Wealth by Ed Diener and Robert Biswas-Diener.

The authors define true wealth in terms of happiness and life satisfaction. Elemental features include:

• Spirituality and meaning in life
• Positive attitudes and emotions
• Loving social relationships
• Meaningful work
• Engaging activities
• Life goals and the means to achieve them
• Physical and mental health
• Material sufficiency to meet needs

When endowed with true wealth, we see the good in the world while still remaining grounded in reality. We do not succumb to pettiness or negativity.

Happiness is more a process than a destination. It is seen as a beneficial way to travel on the journey of life, experiencing enjoyable, rewarding moments along the way. It places emphasis on being and doing rather than having. It acknowledges that unpleasant things happen along the way, and that no life is free from hardship. Yet working toward things that really matter – even when it’s hard – is part of the pleasure of obtaining them.

This treatment is consistent with mindfulness meditation practice. We are taught that everything in life changes. We may experience an exquisitely good mood in the moment, but it will not last. If we try to grasp onto it, we will suffer. Like clouds in the sky, that momentary sensation will float on by. If we experience physical or emotional pain, that, too, will change. In fact, the very act of paying attention to it with compassion and curiosity will alter the nature of the experience. We can find contentment when we bring awareness to each moment and open ourselves to whatever is present with compassion.

Life satisfaction arises from meaningful work, loving and supportive community, and worthwhile goals. As with happiness, we find satisfaction in the journey as well as reaching the destination. We then take the opportunity to define a new adventure and set out on a new journey.

The authors encourage us to see happiness for its beneficial impact rather than simply its pleasantries. Happiness is actually good for us!

• Happy people realize better health outcomes, better marriages, stronger social networks, improved financial security, and higher goal attainment.
• Happy people build up emotional capital that can be invested in worthy outcomes
• Happy people produce more creative ideas, work harder and better on the job, and make more money.
• Happy people find silver linings during setbacks and recognize that even bad moods serve a purpose – e.g., fear to keep us safe, guilt to instill moral behavior. Moreover, the heavier weight of good feelings outweigh the bad ones, ever bring them back to baseline.
• Happy people show curiosity and interest in new activities, actively develop their physical, intellectual, and social resources, leverage play to practice new skills and socialize, and brave new experiences.
• Happy people listen with concern, help when called upon, and exert effort to maintain relationship.
• Happy people perceive challenges as easier to overcome.

Sound good? Tune in to the next post for more details on the benefits of being happy!