Happiness Isn't Math

The Idea

Contributed by @philhagspiel |  Edited and curated by @philhagspiel

Happiness is not like math, it is more like art.

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World View
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Self-Perception

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Happiness can't be computed algorithmically. There is no finite truth about what happiness is or how one can be happy. There is no formula that is always true for everyone everywhere.

With happiness, the process matters. What you see when you zoom out is important. It is perceived differently by different people. It has different labels and depends on context.

Happiness means not wanting the world to be different. Happiness is not a goal you reach. It's the continuous byproduct of a life well-lived.

Happiness can be conflated with joy, pleasure, fun, peace, contentment and other labels we use to describe positive perceptions of life. There is no agreed upon definition of what happiness means — which makes it difficult to objectively grasp and describe.

Nuanced perspectives can help us understand more about how happiness relates to our everyday experience.

“Peace is happiness at rest; happiness is peace in motion.”

— Naval Ravikant

Explore

Watch Daniel Kahneman's distinction between the Experiencing Self and the Remembering Self as a nuanced view on the difference between happiness as an in-the-moment enjoyment or as a form of satisfaction based on reflection on one's life.

Read about the Peak-End Rule to understand more about how we judge experiences.

➞ Explore the concept of Neuroplasticity in this video to understand how our brain re-wires and how this affects our experience.

Resources

If this idea resonates with you, some of these resources might add value to your life.

MindVault Resources Master

LinkNAMEFormatAuthor
Daring Greatly
Book
Brené Brown
How To Stop Worrying And Start Living
Book
Dale Carnegie
10% Happier
Book
Dan Harris
Happy
Book
Derren Brown
The Voice Of Knowledge
Book
Don Miguel Ruiz
The Power Of Now
Book
Eckhart Tolle
Navalmanack: The Almanack of Naval Ravikant
Book
Eric Jorgenson
To Have Or To Be
Book
Erich Fromm
The Art Of Loving
Book
Erich Fromm
Siddharta
Book
Hermann Hesse
The Poetry of Impermanence, Mindfulness, And Joy
Book
John Brehm
The Little Book Of Stoicism
Book
Jonas Salzgeber
The Happiness Hypothesis
Book
Jonathan Haidt
12 Rules For Life
Book
Jordan B. Peterson
The Prophet
Book
Khalil Gibran
Dao De Jing
Book
Laozi
Meditations
Book
Marcus Aurelius
Courage
Book
Osho
The Alchemist
Book
Paulo Coelho
You - The 4 Pillars of Self-Determination
Book
Philipp Hagspiel
Ego Is The Enemy
Book
Ryan Holiday
Waking Up
Book
Sam Harris
The Road Less Traveled
Book
Scott Peck
The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People
Book
Stephen R. Covey
Happiness
Book
Thich Nhat Hanh
Man's Search For Meaning
Book
Viktor E. Frankl
Zhuangzi
Book
Zhuang Zhou
Podcast
Brené Brown
Podcast
Esther Perel
Podcast
Jay Shetty
Podcast
Krista Tippett
Lex Fridman Podcast
Podcast
Lex Fridman
The Daily Stoic
Podcast
Ryan Holiday
Podcast
Tim Ferriss
YouTube Channel
Pursuit of Wonder
YouTube Channel
Einzelgänger
YouTube Channel
YouTube Channel
YouTube Channel
Blog
Leo Babauta
Blog
Tim Urban
The School Of Life: Eastern Philosophy
Blog
Blog
Seth Godin
Blog
Waking Up
App
philhagspiel
Instagram
Mindshine
App