A Formula for Happiness
How functional programming practices can be applied to the way we think and feel
When we model anything, we simplify it. Even if we want to represent something as basic as a drop of water, we do not paint each atom in the drop.
Instead, we try to distill the most relevant aspects of the subject, which are determined by the purpose of the model. If our purpose is to evoke the idea of a water drop, the color and shape is probably enough.
Modeling is nothing new for us. In order to navigate the overwhelming complexity of our lives, we build mental models and act based on them before we ever consciously realize it. For example, when I was very young, I would become anxious to the point of crying if the sun set before my parents took me home from school. The process behind my anxiety looked something like this:
I associated the sun setting with having to go to bed, which meant if I got home after sunset, I wouldn’t have any time to play. And…