Reading: Happiness complete!

Yep, that's right. I'm happy now, 100%. Just kidding.

I finally finished reading the Happiness Hypothesis! The end of the book concluded a few things.

First, it concluded that balance is needed. Living in pure liberalism or pure conservatism for example would be absolutely detrimental to any person or society. Instead look for wisdom, he suggests, in your opposites. By not assuming evil on your counterpart, you can learn quite a lot and understand that balance is always needed from both sides. All yings, need a yang!

Second, he discusses the meaning of life, and essentially splits the question into two: why are we here, and how should I live? He then of course, doesn't answer them, but reverts back to his Happiness equation H=S + C + V. Using an example of the plant, he contextually explains that C, conditions, is like water, food, and sunlight for a plant. Unless you kill a plant completely, it can revive from almost anything, just as a human can. However, the conditions need to be set, right for someone to be happy. He suggests these conditions are strong relationships, meaningful work, love, and a connection to something larger(a community, G-d, the universe etc).

Throughout the book he talks about how the ancients don't have it quite right, as people need to feel emotionally attached to things. However, contemporaries don't have it right either, as money and fame are not going to make you happy either. He stresses that Happiness comes from Between those two. It's the journey not the destination would be something he would say!

Overall I enjoyed the book! It took a while to get through as it wasn't really a story, persay. However, I really enjoy this pseudo psychology, or armchair psychology, if you will. He really made scientific studies understandable to those not in the science field! His book, inadvertenly actually gave me the idea for this blog, and for the chart, so I'm thankful for reading it! Thanks Peter!