A model to predict happiness

This article tested 26 subjects (i know i know) and analyzed their sentiment after certain events. The caveat, the study concluded happiness was not determined by the actual event but rather how it compared to expectations. I found it interesting because this relates to my own experience with gambling. The utility from gains only occur with larger and larger wins because of past experiences.

http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/07/31/1407535111.full.pdf+html

I feel like they could have come to this conclusion without the brain scan part, and the researchers just threw it in there so they had an excuse to scan peoples’ brains.

Why would they need an excuse to scan random people’s brains?

Reminds me of girls getting pissed off about not getting the car they want for sweet 16.

(Modern Ph.D. Thesis) + (Ted talk) = (Some Random Question) + (Patients Getting a Brain Scan)

If I had to write a happiness equation it would be,

Happiness = f (Content, Reward)

This sounds contradictory, but happiness is a mixture of both. The more content and/or rewarded you are, the higher your state of happiness. He is richest who is most content, for content is the wealth of nature. Achieveing goals in life and having purpose is another type of happiness that usually requires discontent, which leads to the same general concept of happiness, although they might not both be the same.

That covers reliving pain and stress for the former, and achieving a dopaminergic rush for the second. You could easily get both through morphine and cocaine respectively. But don’t do drugs, m’kay.