the happiness algorithm by haidt
- Haidt in his book, Happiness Hypothesis, explains that happiness is a summation of five variables, one of which may be an individual constant.
- The costant may have arised from the current buzz on the understanding that happiness, like what is believed to be true also for body weight, and what is confirmed true for body temperature, has a biological set point and it may be different for individuals from one to another (although it is the same for body temperature for everbody).
- What this mean is that although the level of happiness can fluctuate depending on the other factors, there is always a set level of happiness that a person will fall back to. This may also mean that any other factors of happiness povide only temporary sense of happiness, and if time is let to run its course, happiness level may dwindle back down towards the set point.
- Some authors even call this a genetic set point, but I think that though mental conditions such as severe depression may be demonstrated hereditarily, personal characters and attitudes may play a bigger role in this so called 'set-point', and may even change if a person is able to change his or her temperament. So I may not be a buyer of the Happiness-Set-Point theory, and I chose to sweep it under the Temperament heading, because attitude and temperament, however may be shaped by upbringing and environment, can be changed.
- So Haidt may have a point in drawing out this algorithm, but I am more comfortable rewording some of those factors into something that I can relate to: so here is mine, where other factors like a person's sense of purpose, one's internal and external relationships, sense of control and sense of progress ;o) and I'll be working on my Fuzzy Project based on these categories.
TEMPERAMENT + PURPOSE + RELATION + CONTROL + PROGRESS
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