The Science of Happiness

Asking what true happiness can be tantamount to asking about the meaning of life. It can be different for every person and there may be no universal answer. But there is some science behind our natural proclivity for happiness, who's likely to be happier than others and what contributes to our happiness. There are even proven exercises for improving your happiness!

What affects our happiness?

• 40% of our happiness is under our direct control
• 50% is due to genetics
• 10% is due to life circumstance, such as wealth

What role do genetics play?

• Scientists have identified a gene, 5-HTT, that may be a predictor of a person's general happiness
• 5-HTT plays a role in transmitting serotonin, and the longer the gene, the better the serotonin delivery
• All of us have two 5-HTT genes
• Having one long 5-HTT gene increases a person's likelihood of self-reporting being "very satisfied" with life by 8.5%
• Having two long 5-HTT gene increases a person's likelihood of self-reporting being "very satisfied" with life by 17%

This finding is not a steadfast determinant, but may provide some insight into predisposition for happiness

What about health?

We are distracted about 50% of the time - with TV, smartphones, wandering thoughts and more. More focused people are happier.

• Healthy people are about 20% happier than average
• Unhealthy people are about 8.25% less happy than average
• 
  
  The links between enjoyment of life and increased longevity are stronger than those between obesity and diminished longevity
  
  The happiest person in America:
  
  
  • Jewish
  • Asian-American
  • Male
  • Lives in Hawaii
  • Married
  • Tall
  • Over age 65
  • Has children
  • Makes more than $120,000 per year
  
  
  The unhappiest person in America:
  
  
  • Muslim
  • Female
  • Lives in West Virginia
  • Short
  • No children
  • Makes less than $12,000 per year
  
  
  What is the main factor?
  
  Money.
  
  Asians make more money than any other ethnicity:

• $952 per week for men
• $779 per week for women

White people made 89% as much, while black and Hispanic people made 62% as much

• Women make 81 cents to the dollar on male earnings
• Marriage tends to increase household incomes
• Those with higher incomes are about 3.% happier than the average

Tips to improve happiness:

One study revealed three key actions to take:

- Express your gratitude

Write a letter to someone you feel deserves a better "thanks" than you've given them and hand-deliver it. That week, you'll likely feel an amazing surge of happiness - but you'll have to do it every few months to keep the feeling going.

- Keep track of the good things

Every night write down three good things that happened to you that day. Happiness continues to increase after about the first month of this practice. At the six-month mark, it was the most effective technique in the study.

- Know your strengths and use them

Have a trusted loved one or perhaps a professional list your five best character traits. Make an active attempt to use these traits in your daily life. This is nearly as effective as writing down the positive events of your day.