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