

The Futile Pursuit of Happiness (2003) - kirse
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0DEFD61538F934A3575AC0A9659C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all
The tinyurl goes to this article:
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0DEFD61538F934A3575AC0A9659C8B63&#38;sec=&#38;spon=&#38;pagewanted=all<p>HN was bouncing me to some old NYTimes submission when trying to post that original link.
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wallflower
I read a theory once that happiness is designed to be fleeting because
otherwise we would eat one meal and then starve to death or procreate once and
then die.

Also, related article I read in Newsweek recently:

"If you want to test yourself, take a quick look at this domain name sometimes
used by stress researchers: www.opportunityisnowhere.com.

What do you see? For many people, the web site seems discouraging: opportunity
is nowhere. But others see the exact opposite: opportunity is now here. When
it comes to hidden messages, lucky people perceive more of the world around
them. "It is not that they expect to find certain opportunities, but rather
that they notice them when they come across them," Wiseman writes in his book
"The Luck Factor." This ability (or talent) "has a significant, and positive,
effect on their lives."

<http://www.newsweek.com/id/181290/output/print>

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einarvollset
You want the TED talk. Stunning:

[http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/dan_gilbert_asks_why_are_...](http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/dan_gilbert_asks_why_are_we_happy.html)

~~~
nazgulnarsil
the first thing I thought of after watching that was to do a study on how
applying happiness study findings to your life affects happiness.

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zaius
If you haven't read his book, I highly recommend it.

Also, he gave a great speech at sxsw a few years ago:
[http://server1.sxsw.com/2006/coverage/SXSW06.INT.20060311.Da...](http://server1.sxsw.com/2006/coverage/SXSW06.INT.20060311.DanielGilbert.mp3)

It changed my life

~~~
wallflower
> It changed my life

Without being too nosy hopefully, could you go into that a little? I find I
read a lot of books and the imparted wisdom/motivation decays exponentially.

~~~
msluyter
The lesson I took away from the book was not to take my plans too seriously,
which may sound defeatist. But if the book is to be believed, we may end up
quite happy even if things go seriously wrong, or even _because_ of it.

~~~
aaronblohowiak
Happiness is an attitude, not a score.

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nazgulnarsil
happiness research is chilling. Do you want an optimal life imposed on you? A
large part of what makes people happy is self determination and I do not
believe that that is being accounted for. The hack for that is to give people
the illusion of free will but make all the important "happiness maximizing"
decisions behind the curtain. But this too is scary. What is the happiness
researcher made a mistake? Or is calculating via averages? My happiness is not
other people's happiness.

~~~
khafra
Yudkowsky's eudaimonia essays might ease your fears. Truly rational approaches
to happiness maximizing don't involve monkey's paw type unintended
consequences.

[http://www.overcomingbias.com/2009/01/fun-theory-
sequence.ht...](http://www.overcomingbias.com/2009/01/fun-theory-
sequence.html) <http://www.overcomingbias.com/2009/01/fun-theory-laws.html>
<http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/12/devils-offers.html> \-- to start

~~~
nazgulnarsil
and you think the people adept at getting the job of government regulator are
also the ones adept at avoiding such bias? Happiness research will be seized
upon by socialists.

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msort
Still hard to believe the usual things (health, love, money) don't affect
one's happiness much.

But maybe something else matters more. I wonder if the researcher has the data
on: 1) Does a sound marriage affect one's happiness? 2) If attitude is
everything, does that make real difference?

~~~
blackguardx
After being out of college and working full-time as engineer for two years,
I've discovered that money doesn't buy happiness.

It was quite a discovery. I really don't like my job and performed a simple
thought experiment one day: what would change if they doubled my salary. The
answer: nothing! How would I magically like my job? The last thing I think
about when I'm in my cubicle is my salary.

Having discovered that money doesn't buy happiness, things get more
complicated. I now have to figure out just what will make me happy.

I've recently applied to several PhD programs. I like to learn new things and
think that I will gain some satisfaction from going to class and performing
research. I still have trouble deciding what I want to do, however.

~~~
ovi256
I'm a bit in the same situation, altough after only seven months. I had a case
of buyer's remorse after a few months, after being very excited at the
beginning (company logo as background and all). I soon realized the only new
thing I learned is not to put on lightly-colored tshirts under dark pulls. And
some PHP, which I tend to consider a negative asset.

I'm now looking into PhD too, for the same reasons. And being in Europe, I
think the lifestyle change (young software engineer -> PhD student) won't even
be that big.

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cyberpunkdreams
I've only scanned the article, but it seems a lot like Buddhism in a nutshell.

~~~
herval
You should go back and read it, then, as NOT looking for the Zen seems to be
the conclusion for the article....

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peregrine
I read this article in 2004 and its even more relevant now.

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coglethorpe
I just listened to this book. It made me happy.

