The Psychology of Happiness: What Really Makes Us Happy?

Do you know the one thing that could increase your income and improve your health at the same time? I'll let you guess.

It's not something I learned from an online course or something that was featured on your favorite podcast. It's something you probably already know: happiness.

What is happiness anyway?

Well, according to Wikipedia, it's "the subjective experience of pleasure or the absence of pain. Happiness is also the condition of being happy."

So does happiness matter?

Does anyone really care if they're happy or sad? No.

If they did, life would be a much easier (and less enjoyable) process.

But is happiness even possible?

Absolutely.

It's easy to see why most of us don't feel too excited about what we do for a living. Sure, we work hard every day and get paid well, but it rarely feels like enough. And even when we feel successful in our careers, there's a part of us that still wants more.

Why is this?

It's because while we're constantly working hard for more money, we're only looking for short-term gains. When we don't get those results quickly, we start to resent our jobs.

And when we don't see the results, we feel depressed.

So, is there a solution?

We've all heard about the "secret" to a long and healthy life... but how do you apply that knowledge to your career? Let's explore.

Let's talk about the basics of happiness first. Here are some examples.

Pleasure = Money

Many of us spend our lives chasing money because it feels good. But in reality, money doesn't make you happy.

In fact, it actually makes you feel bad.

Money might make you feel happy for a brief moment, but as soon as it goes away, you're left feeling empty and angry.

A good life is about being able to live without needing money.

Freedom + Self-Reliance = Happiness

The other reason that money doesn't make us happy is because we rely on it to meet our basic needs.

Our parents, teachers, and coaches might have told us to "never stop learning" and to "do for others before you do for yourself". They might have told us to "always put others before ourselves", but we all knew that wasn't true.

Because that advice isn't practical. You don't have time to do everything yourself and you don't want to lose what you have.

Instead, what we should be aiming for is self-reliance. Being able to survive, regardless of the conditions or resources available.

There are some practical ways that we can do this.

Freedom from the constant need for money

You don't need to be rich to be free. You just need to know how to achieve financial freedom. You don't need to work full-time for the rest of your life. You can work less than 40 hours a week