Happiness : 50 % genes.... the rest it is up to you...

A Formula for Happiness

Brian Rea
By ARTHUR C. BROOKS

HAPPINESS has traditionally been considered an elusive and evanescent thing. To some, even trying to achieve it is an exercise in futility. It has been said that “happiness is as a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but which if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.”
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Social scientists have caught the butterfly. After 40 years of research, they attribute happiness to three major sources: genes, events and values. Armed with this knowledge and a few simple rules, we can improve our lives and the lives of those around us. We can even construct a system that fulfills our founders’ promises and empowers all Americans to pursue happiness.

Psychologists and economists have studied happiness for decades. They begin simply enough — by asking people how happy they are.

The richest data available to social scientists is the University of Chicago’s General Social Survey, a survey of Americans conducted since 1972. This widely used resource is considered the scholarly gold standard for understanding social phenomena. The numbers on happiness from the survey are surprisingly consistent. Every other year for four decades, roughly a third of Americans have said they’re “very happy,” and about half report being “pretty happy.” Only about 10 to 15 percent typically say they’re “not too happy.” Psychologists have used sophisticated techniques to verify these responses, and such survey results have proved accurate.

Beneath these averages are some demographic differences. For many years, researchers found that women were happier than men, although recent studies contend that the gap has narrowed or may even have been reversed. Political junkies might be interested to learn that conservative women are particularly blissful: about 40 percent say they are very happy. That makes them slightly happier than conservative men and significantly happier than liberal women. The unhappiest of all are liberal men; only about a fifth consider themselves very happy.

But even demographically identical people vary in their happiness. What explains this?

The first answer involves our genes. Researchers at the University of Minnesota have tracked identical twins who were separated as infants and raised by separate families. As genetic carbon copies brought up in different environments, these twins are a social scientist’s dream, helping us disentangle nature from nurture. These researchers found that we inherit a surprising proportion of our happiness at any given moment — around 48 percent. (Since I discovered this, I’ve been blaming my parents for my bad moods.)

If about half of our happiness is hard-wired in our genes, what about the other half? It’s tempting to assume that one-time events — like getting a dream job or an Ivy League acceptance letter — will permanently bring the happiness we seek. And studies suggest that isolated events do control a big fraction of our happiness — up to 40 percent at any given time.

But while one-off events do govern a fair amount of our happiness, each event’s impact proves remarkably short-lived. People assume that major changes like moving to California or getting a big raise will make them permanently better off. They won’t. Huge goals may take years of hard work to meet, and the striving itself may be worthwhile, but the happiness they create dissipates after just a few months.

So don’t bet your well-being on big one-off events. The big brass ring is not the secret to lasting happiness.

To review: About half of happiness is genetically determined. Up to an additional 40 percent comes from the things that have occurred in our recent past — but that won’t last very long.

That leaves just about 12 percent. That might not sound like much, but the good news is that we can bring that 12 percent under our control. It turns out that choosing to pursue four basic values of faith, family, community and work is the surest path to happiness, given that a certain percentage is genetic and not under our control in any way.

The first three are fairly uncontroversial. Empirical evidence that faith, family and friendships increase happiness and meaning is hardly shocking. Few dying patients regret overinvesting in rich family lives, community ties and spiritual journeys.

Work, though, seems less intuitive. Popular culture insists our jobs are drudgery, and one survey recently made headlines by reporting that fewer than a third of American workers felt engaged; that is praised, encouraged, cared for and several other gauges seemingly aimed at measuring how transcendently fulfilled one is at work.

Those criteria are too high for most marriages, let alone jobs. What if we ask something simpler: “All things considered, how satisfied are you with your job?” This simpler approach is more revealing because respondents apply their own standards. This is what the General Social Survey asks, and the results may surprise. More than 50 percent of Americans say they are “completely satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their work. This rises to over 80 percent when we include “fairly satisfied.” This finding generally holds across income and education levels.

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Arthur C. Brooks is the president of the American Enterprise Institute, a public policy think tank in Washington, D.C.

Happy Holidays from the google local experts

Facing the single/ in a relationship dilemma.

COOKIE DANCE - CHIP CHOCOLATE, brace yourself...xmas parties are coming

In only 20 min you can cook amazing chocolate cookies, perfect for all the holidays parties coming soon:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

1 cup butter, softened
 1 cup white sugar
 1 cup packed brown sugar
 2 eggs
 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
 3 cups all-purpose flour
 1 teaspoon baking soda
 2 teaspoons hot water
 1/2 teaspoon salt
 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
 1 cup chopped walnuts

Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt. Stir in flour, chocolate chips, and nuts. Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans.
Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.

Commemorate the 80th anniversary of the repeal of prohibition

Repeal Day Celebration Thursday, December 5th 8:00 PM 80 years ago today, the so-called Noble Experiment—Prohibition, came to a glorious halt. The selling and consumption of liquor was legal again. Our first 80 guests will raise a toast to its passing with an Old Fashioned, compliments of your friends at George Dickel Tennessee Whisky. huckleberry bar, celebrate the 80th anniversary of the repeal of prohibition and the 2nd anniversary of the new york distilling company with $2 dorothy parker gin martinis (6-7pm) and free food. the shanty (79 richardson st., bet. lorimer + leonard, williamsburg)

Lightening night! get a romantic NYC mood, with some passion poems!

Rockefeller tree in gonna be on fire tonight! e The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. Giant in stature and sentiment, the Tree has been a true crowd-delighter for over 75 years. The annual Tree Lighting Ceremony attracts star-studded names and floods of eager faces, but you can admire those brilliant lights all season long. FELT i felt your heart beating with mine, i felt your breath in sync i felt our souls merging together I felt your eyes seeing inside of me seeing me, the real me, the naked me. I felt you absolutely, complete. I felt the energy collapsing together i felt your skin softener behind my touch i felt your dreams becoming reality i felt our goal being reach i felt the french- latin passion losing the nationality i felt your dark eyes mirroring mines i felt you as you felt me. i felt the amazing connection i felt that we were one i felt 2 puzzle pieces binding in a perfect match i felt a completely new feeling I felt us alive, traveling in time and space. i felt intimacy, deep, strong and hard. I felt you and you felt me. but i don't feel you anymore.

happy monday! lets start with cool events!

Monday, December 2 Winter’s Eve at Lincoln Square : On Monday, December 2, 2013 the Lincoln Square Business Improvement District and presenting sponsor Time Warner will host the Fourteenth Annual Winter’s Eve at Lincoln Square – New York’s largest holiday festival! Join legendary folk artist Arlo Guthrie, Rosie’s Theater Kids, Michael Bacon, Frank London’s Klezmer Brass All-Stars, and WABC-TV’s Sade Baderinwa as we welcome the holiday season and light up the Upper West Side with an evening of music, food, dancing and fun for everyone.Admission to Winter’s Eve is free, but event attendees are encouraged to bring and donate gently used or new coats of all sizes to Dante Park at 63rd Street and Broadway as part of the 25th Annual New York Cares Coat Drive. Holiday Train Show Where: The New York Transit Museum Gallery Annex and Store, Grand Central Terminal When: 8am–8pm The New York Transit Museum Gallery Annex and Store at Grand Central Terminal is back with its 12th Annual Holiday Train Show. The installation features Lionel trains traveling through a two-level, 34-foot-long miniature New York City and countryside scene, with the route going all the way to the North Pole, where a certain Mr. Claus is readying his holiday plans. Illustrations by artist Maira Kalman—showing characters from her book Next Stop Grand Central—will accompany the exhibition, in addition to vintage trains from the museum's collection, among them New York Central models. Kids will be doubly entertained by a visit here if they take advantage of the Grand Central scavenger hunt—pick up clues at the Transit Museum Gallery. Tuesday, December 3 Trend-ology Where: The Museum at FIT When: 8am–8pm Trends may come and go, but in the fashion industry nothing ever really goes out of style for too long. Trend-ology focuses on a 250-year old trend cycle—starting in the 18th century—and follows the emergence (and reemergence) of fads up to the present day. This exhibition features 100 influential and sometimes flash-in-the-pan pieces including a tartan dress made in the early 1800s, a chunky gold Chanel necklace inspired by late 1980s and early 1990s hip-hop, and a Takashi Murakami–designed Louis Vuitton satchel that became a massive success and inspired numerous knockoffs. The show also explores how crazes develop in mediums such as art, music and film, and how fast-fashion stores like H&M and Zara have become a crucible for trends—catalyzing both their debut and demise. The exhibition runs until April 30.