This week, I’ve started to read a book by Sonja Lyubomirsky called “The How of Happiness”.  So far, I’m thoroughly enjoying it – it’s practical,  well written and comprehensively researched.

The “Happiness Industry” is a growing phenomenon and it’s easy to find a LOT of information and viewpoints on a subject that’s dear to everyone’s hearts – We all want to be and/or stay happy.

Some writers tell us to search for it.

Some tell us we have it already – we just need to realise it and recognise it.

Some tell us if we stopped worrying about it we might have more time to be happy!

For me, there’s an element of truth in all of these differing views. Most importantly, I know that if I’m not happy enough (and “enough” means different things for each of us), then I’m not going to be very effective in my professional life and I’m not going to be doing well in my personal life. I certainly won’t be giving of my best to those around me. So it’s worth me having a bit of a think about this from time to time.

What are the kinds of things that you think about when it comes to being happy?

In surveys that ask this question, money almost always comes out as one of the most popular answers (along with health and relationships). Yet many studies show us that the money=happiness equation “does not compute”. Not usually and rarely in the long run.

In thinking more about this, I remembered this excellent and thought provoking clip from AsapSCIENCE where Mitchell Moffit and Gregory Brown explore the question further.

I’ll leave you with 3 minutes of their wisdom to ponder over. It’s worth a watch, and you might become a little happier for doing so 😎