What win I if I gain this thing I seek,
A dream, a breath, a froth of fleeting joy?
Who buys a minute’s mirth to wail a week,
Or sells eternity for a toy?
A friend set me thinking about happiness recently. Why are we less happy than others even when we live in much more fortunate circumstances? And why does happiness seem to be a never-ending pursuit, with no happily-ever-after endings?
I came up with a model (”Economists: we do it with models”) for happiness to answer the two questions above, and which I hope can give further insight on the science of happiness. Interestingly, the model also reveals some surprising tips on how to achieve it.
