The Social Science of Happiness: Commitment Versus Freedom

Key Insight

Extensive research into happiness reveals a complex relationship with money, challenging common assumptions. While richer countries and individuals tend to be happier, this correlation is not consistently strong and depends on how happiness is defined. For instance, Nigerians rate themselves as happy as the Japanese, despite Japan's GDP per capita being almost 25 times higher. Similarly, the percentage of Bangladeshis satisfied with life is double that of Russians. Despite a dramatic rise in US living standards over 50 years, no measurable increase in national happiness has occurred, nor has increased societal inequality reduced happiness, even among the poor. Winning lotteries provides only a short-term 'jolt' of happiness, with no discernible long-term effects. The happiness gain from moving from poor to middle class surpasses that from middle to upper class, indicating a flattening happiness curve. People prioritizing material well-being tend to be less happy, and happiness is highest in one's twenties and sixties, not during peak career promotion years.

People consistently misjudge what will make them happy, vastly overvaluing external achievements like work, money, and real estate, while significantly undervaluing intimate bonds and the importance of arduous challenges. For example, the average American believes an additional $90000 a year would fulfill all their dreams, but evidence suggests this is incorrect. Conversely, the relationship between social bonds and happiness is unequivocal and strong. Deeper relationships directly correlate with greater happiness. Being in a long-term marriage offers a psychic gain equivalent to earning an additional $100000 annually, and joining a group that meets just once a month provides a happiness boost comparable to doubling one's income.

Further evidence highlights the critical role of social connection: individuals with one recurrent sexual partner per year are happier than those with multiple partners. More friends are associated with lower stress levels and longer lives, and extroverts are generally happier than introverts. Daily activities most strongly linked to happiness are social, including having sex, socializing after work, and having dinner with friends, while solitary commuting is the most injurious to happiness. Professions with high social interaction, such as corporate manager, hairdresser, or health/care provider, correlate most closely with happiness, in contrast to less social roles like machinery operator or 'perversely social' ones like prostitute. Ultimately, a network of good relationships is a significantly stronger predictor of happiness than any other objective factor.