Happiness Is Not A State Of Mind

Why the pursuit of chronic happiness is an unhealthy expectation

Following the financial collapse of 2008, there were a number of stories about wealthy hedge fund managers who lost everything. There was one in particular that stood out — one that was featured by some of the mainstream press. It was about a wealthy fund manager who was forced out of living a life of luxury to living in an apartment and delivering pizzas.

I felt bad for him, but it was more than that. Upon further reflection, I noticed that my sense of grief for this stranger was worse than the thought of someone spending their whole adult life living in relative poverty as a pizza delivery person. My emotional reaction seemed odd and unfair. Furthermore, if I imagined someone raised in abject poverty in some third world country moving to America to deliver pizzas and live in an apartment, I kind of felt happy at that thought.

My emotional reaction to these three individuals (one real, two hypothetical) did not reflect my attitude toward their current station in life, as each one shared the same state — living with little money in an unpromising career. Rather, my emotional reaction was clearly a response to each individual’s trajectory. In fact, I would argue that whether people feel happy or sad is mostly determined by their…