Comments on: Happiness: The Science behind Your Smile

By: Alexander Kemestrios Ben "A.K."

Alexander Kemestrios Ben "A.K." — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 04:30:53 +0000

Happiness is like the tooth fairy. It never comes. Nettle has produced a terse gem of a book. The writing is all beef no fat. The theory and studies presented are poignant and relevant. This is one of the best books on ‘Happiness’ I have read.Nettle’s main thesis is that humans are notoriously bad at knowing what will make them happy. This is because evolution has programmed us to maximize reproductive success, not to maximize our felicitous feelings. He points out that most of the things people think will make them happy do not. These include having money/material goods, having a hot wife/husband, eating great food, drinking, doing drugs, short term indulgence in TV, or other media, etc.The things that really determine our happiness level are genes, satisfaction, autonomy, and challenges.Nettle breaks down our happiness system into many components. one is a dopamine system that prods us to want. This is what tricks us into thinking that lighting another cigarrette will make us happy as we get more and more miserable and our health fades. Another system is the reward system consisting of opioids. These neurotransmitters blunt our pain and heighten our pleasure. This is what is released during copulation, eating, drinking, etc. The fact that we have seperate brain systems for wanting and having is interesting and highly explanatory.Nettle adds many details that I shan’t get into. If you want to know more, read the book. Heck, it only takes about five hours.One thing that I find fascinating is the concept of the hedonic treadmill. This is the idea that if we get status and other worldy goods, we adapt to them so quickly that our happiness level returns to what it was before we got them.I always had an inkling that this was the case from personal experience. Yet, I find it fascinating that people still bloviate about how having this or that thing would make them happy. No, it would not; and there is solid scientific evidence to back this contention. The fact that we fallible humans fall prey to this illusion so often only proves what Randolph Nesse said, “natural selection does not give a fig about your happiness.”The best part of this book, besides its scientific nature, is the authors’ restraint. He offers no panaceas or guides to follow on the way to happiness. All he does is summarize the evidence and leave it to the reader to find his or her own way.A brilliant bedtime read.

By: komyathy

komyathy — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 04:09:30 +0000

Worth 4 stars if it was a bit longer. Thesis: People are inclined toward making choices that DO NOT maximize their happiness Drugs such as nicotine “stimulate the ‘wanting’ system, making them the perfect self-marketing products. If you are a smoker, you have been duped by chemistry into spending a lot of time and money on doing something you don’t actually enjoy.” And if you don’t smoke? Well, there’s nothing really to take solace in since you too are afflicted similarly, but solely by a genetic bug to outperform others (or at least try to); programmed by evolution. Evolution, the author reasons, “hasn’t set us up for the attainment of happiness, merely its pursuit.” We consequently stive for better pay, a nicer home, newer cars; conquests of all sorts—elevations of our status in some regard, all; even if little of it makes us marginally more happy. “Thus our biggest enemy if we decide we want to be happy beings, is the very psychology we have to use to do it.” That is not to say most folks aren’t happy. As studies around the world (cited by the author) have shown, from poor and more well-off countries alike, we are happy, generally speaking—most folks rating their happiness between 6-8 on a ten point scale—but more because most of us are genetically predisposed not to wallow in despair (which explains why we are still here; reproductive success being the proof herein). The author doesn’t specifically address the issue but it seems implied to conclude that most folks anywhere—from time immemorial to now, in most any country, whether rich or poor—will rationalize that what they have isn’t bad (& while it certainly could be better—and perhaps will, with hope), they’d acknowledge being generally happy (ie., the 6, 7, or 8 of 10, above). The point of this book, to summarize then, is that by doing more of what one does, hoping to reach, say, a 9, 9.3, 9.5—you name it, is realistically impossible. Mind you, I didn’t say one cannot increase their personal happiness; or move from a 5.5 to a 7 or whatever on the happiness scale. It’s just that we ought not deceive ourselves that $20,000 more a year will make us happy, or that an impressive title will, or a new job—or that in 10 years we will be happier because of such expectations being fulfilled. Heck, even winning the lottery doesn’t make most ‘happy happy’ for any considerable time period, once they adapt to having what they perhaps dreamed would bring them happiness. There’s the rub: Wanting Wanting Wanting keeps us going (& is very productive from a macro perspective–capitalism, after all, has exponentially increased living standards for billions), but addiction to always wanting more is only going to get us just that—More. But don’t expect it to bring happiness. Next week should your boss say that she/he, because of a lack of work, needs volunteers to take a few days off without pay, raise your hand. Likewise, spend more time with your kids (even if it costs you financially), your galfriend/boyfriend, husband/wife, boating/golfing/tennis buddies, ecetera. Only by doing more of what you really enjoy will you be happier. There’s a lot of potential herein too, I personally believe. Don’t we all spend too much time (wasting time) watching TV & seeing the most talked about (but usually terribly unsatisfying) new films? Sense of community is down (leading to increases of those suffering from depression) TV viewership is always up, & most are working more hours to pay for things they really don’t need. This is a small, short book (184 written 4X6 sized pages) that addresses something few of us give much thought to—whether we can immeasurably increase out happiness by simply bucking some convential misnomers instead of focusing on a chimera of “happiness.” Cheers!

By: Grady Harp

Grady Harp — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 04:06:52 +0000

‘Happiness is like a butterfly…’ This brief but scholarly and entertaining little book is not the expected ‘self-help book’ – or is it? Daniel Nettle explores studies collecting data on people’s views of whether or not they are happy (polls), on brain systems (biology), on anti-depressants, hallucinogens, and dopamine (biochemistry), and on the media/marketing blitz of recipes for achieving happiness. It is all very concise, non-biased, and informative.But by far the most helpful and sensible information contained in this book is Nettle’s quiet explanation of how we as humans are geared to determine ‘happiness’ on comparisons with our fellow beings: is my income as big as theirs, my car/house/lifestyle, business success and yes, even sexual achievement as gratifying as my neighbors’? It often boils down to a polarity between ‘wanting’ and ‘liking’ – the decision is ultimately ours. Nettle contends that in constantly pursuing happiness (or questioning why our levels don’t meet expectations), the most we can hope for is ‘what psychologists call subjective well-being’. He then closes with rays of hope that with increased scientific and biochemical investigation, the goal of happiness just may be closer at hand.Nettle quotes Hawthorne: “Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.” A well-written, necessary book for today’s society. Grady Harp, August 05