One of my fondest Blackadder quotes is from the scene where Baldrick and Thick Prince George (after whom one of my cats is named) are trying to help Blackadder rewrite the dictionary that had taken Dr Johnson 15 years to write. Baldrick proudly defines C as a ‘big blue wobbly thing that mermaids live in’.
Back to our Happiness equation (H = S + C + V), and C is next in line for an explanation; not a big blue wobbly thing then, but Circumstances. And the good news is that a change in our circumstances can increase our happiness levels. The not so good news is that the changes needed may be impractical or rather expensive.
Let’s take a look at what has been discovered over the years about how our external circumstances influence happiness.
1. Money – that old chestnut. I did read somewhere that once you are earning as much as the average Portuguese person (around €12-15k), you’ll have maxed out on your happiness potential. No amount of additional income over that amount allegedly will make you lastingly happier. So my wise Mum has been right all along then when she tells me that money won’t buy you happiness. Now of course there are people in poor nations living in abject poverty, where life is itself at threat, who will definitely be happier with some more cash. But in wealthy nations where pretty much everyone has their basic needs met through the welfare state, then increases in income have negligible effects on personal happiness. According to Seligman, even those with an average net worth of over $125m are only slightly happier than the average American.
2. Marriage - her indoors; my other/better half; trouble and strife. It costs on average around £15-25K these days to get married in the UK. That’s an awful lot of dosh isn’t it, so does it make you any happier? Well the evidence on the whole does suggest that marriage is positively related to happiness. But does marriage actually cause happiness? It’s a bit like drowning and ice-cream. When ice-cream sales go up, more people drown, therefore ice-cream causes drowning. Now that would be ridiculous, as the thought had probably crossed your mind that more people eat ice-cream in hot weather and that’s when they are also more likely to go swimming. And it follows that more people swimming = more drownings. So back to marriage causing increased happiness… maybe it’s just that people who are already happy are more likely to get married and stay married?
3. Social Life. Again drawing on Seligman’s research, very happy people differ from averagely happy and unhappy people in that they have busy and fulfilling social lives. Very happy people spend the least time alone and the most time socialising. Now is this just bad science or is there really a causal link? Yes a rich social life (combined with a happy marriage) might just make you happier, but it could be that happy people are just better liked so they have more friends and are more likely to attract a partner? Hmmm…
4. Age. Older and wiser – maybe; but older and happier? Well apparently life satisfaction does go up slightly with age due to not having the enormous emotional peaks and troughs that e.g. teenagers have to contend with.
5. Health. Well this seems obvious doesn’t it? If you ask your average person to share what their top three wishes would be, then having good health for life is likely to feature somewhere. But apparently our happiness levels here are totally dependent on how we perceive our health to be, rather than our actual health. Humans are remarkably good at adapting to adverse events and we’ll make out we’re a lot healthier than we really are. Remember the Black Knight in Monty Python’s Holy Grail who, having suffered the bloody loss of both arms insisted that ‘it’s just a flesh wound’! Our happiness levels do decline however with severe and prolonged illness, but not as much as you would think.
6. Religion. Again there has been much research on the effect of having a faith and the impact on levels of happiness, and it certainly looks like having a faith gives you something to look forward to (heaven, seeing loved ones again, nirvana etc.) and instils a sense of hope (life after death, reincarnation etc.). The atheist just has to work harder at finding meaning in life and relieving existential angst.
7. Other things worth a mention but which don’t really impact happiness levels are getting a good education and qualifications (may help you earn more money but unfortunately won’t really increase happiness levels), having a high IQ (may help you pass exams, get better paid jobs, progress your career etc. but has no effect on happiness levels), sunny climate (may help with SAD but that’s about it), race (no effect) and gender (no difference overall but bizarrely women are meant to be both happier and sadder than men).
So in summary then, what could you change about your C to increase your H? Well you should try and live in the western world, maybe get married (but make sure it’s to the right person), spend time nurturing friendships and get out more. And, if you’re so inclined, worship a god.
Conversely earning, inheriting or winning more cash really doesn’t make you happier, there’s no point feeling guilty about missing that morning run, don’t worry about your looming exam results, and don’t bother moving to Corfu (although we did have a lovely holiday there last week).
Next time we’ll look at our final variable V, after which you’ll know exactly what to tweak in order to maximise your H! In the meantime, stay happy!
The simple act of smiling can make you happier. Too often we walk past strangers without a glance, or with a straight face or we avoid eye contact altogether. Instead, try something different! Look strangers in the eye, and give them a genuine smile. In most cases, you’ll get a smile in return, and the more you smile, the more smiles you’ll see in return! The end result is a happier world. So simple!
