A neuroscientist who studies decision-making reveals the most important choice you can make

According to Moran Cerf, a neuroscientist from Northwestern University who has been studying decision-making for over a decade, the surest way to maximize happiness has nothing to do with experiences, material goods, or personal philosophy [1].
For Cerf, it’s about who you spend time with which has the biggest impact on our happiness.

He states that we put too much stock into the decisions that we make because we believe it will directly impact our happiness, when really, the biggest impact on our happiness comes from social cues. According to Cerf, making decisions is too tiring and so we don’t have sufficient mental energy to devote to all the decisions we have to make in a day.

Rather, it’s the people we choose to keep around us can directly impact our moods, behaviors, and ultimately, our happiness.

How To Find Your Happiness
We can apply this method to our own lives. If you notice that those who are closest to you are always complaining about their job, their relationships, or just seem to always be in a negative mood, it might be time to create some distance between yourselves.

Surround yourself with people who can help you get to where you want to be in life. If you’re trying to be healthier, instead of hanging out with someone who has unhealthy habits maybe try becoming friends with someone who likes to play a sport or exercise. Even if you don’t do these activities together, you can feed off of each other’s energy and help yourself reach that goal that will make you happy.

Maybe you’re looking to stop spending money needlessly and start saving more. If you surround yourself with people are who are constantly going out for dinner or drinks, or are always shopping, try spending time with those who are more relaxed and like to have fun doing things at home or that are low budget.

If you’re trying to stop spending so much time in front of a screen, whether it’s at work, at home, or both, surround yourself with people who find joy in experiencing the world first hand instead of from behind a screen! You’ll start to develop your own habits and methods of avoiding screen time and gaining more time in the world.

Cerf’s concludes that if people want to happier and have less stress, they should create a life that requires them to make fewer decisions by surrounding themselves with people who embody the traits they prefer. Over time, they will naturally pick up those desirable attitudes and behaviors and be able to create their own happiness.
Source:
1.https://www.businessinsider.com.au/neuroscientist-most-important-choice-in-life-2017-7
2.https://academic.oup.com/jcr/article/44/1/160/2938969
3.https://theheartysoul.com/key-happiness/
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