How we can be more happy

Since 1776, a concept called the “pursuit of happiness” has been enshrined in America’s national consciousness.

There are many things that divide us as a nation and as a campus. There is at least one thing, though, that all of us — Republicans and Democrats, the old and the young, GDIs and fratstars, professors and students — can agree on. Happiness is good.

But what is happiness? Where does it come from? How can we get and keep it?

Luckily, there is an emerging field of science that has been able to answer some of those very questions. Last weekend, I heard from Arthur C. Brooks, who has written several books on happiness and its political implications.

First, the bad news. Forty-eight percent of your happiness is genetic and another 40 percent comes from big life events like marriage, graduation, etc. Even though we can work towards such big events, the happiness we get from them is ephemeral. The effects of even the most substantial life events linger in our happiness levels for only six months at most.

Luckily, that still leaves us with 12 percent of our happiness that we can control, and it comes from our choices.

This is where happiness science can connect to our everyday lives — from the political battles in D.C. to your own choices right here in Chapel Hill.

While details are of course important, it is crucial that each decision we make, whether as a nation or as individuals, is framed with our larger objectives in mind.

Researchers have found that the way to secure lasting happiness for yourself is earned success — the happiness that you get when you experience a good outcome that you feel is tied to your own merit or efforts.

This result rings true for me, and probably for you. It’s the reason why even though you might be happier in the short term spending a half hour on Buzzfeed than going for a run, you will be more satisfied in the long term if you choose the run. You’ve earned the subsequent happiness.

In the same way, we need to reframe our policy debates with an eye towards opening opportunities for people to earn success, and then allowing them to reap the benefits of that success.

Yes, there should be enough taxes to maintain a social safety net. Research has shown that gaining money does increase happiness for those living without the essentials.

As long as one is not in extreme poverty, however, more money does not mean more happiness. In fact, when people do not feel that their success is tied to merit, happiness goes down. Think of how much less happy you would be with an A on your last test if you knew it was randomly generated rather than the result of hard work.

Just as we hope that our grades are a reflection of our effort, we need to ensure that people can keep the success that they earn on a wider scale. It is only by ensuring that our government functions as no more than a means to enable earned success that we can all be truly happy.