Suppose one day, the phone rings. An excited voice tells you that you have just scooped the lottery jackpot \u2013 $10 million! How would you feel? And, how long would you feel like that? Another scenario. The phone rings and you learn that your best friend has passed away. Again, how would you feel, and for how long?<\/p>\n
Harvard psychologist Dan Gilbert says no. He has studied lottery winners and discovered that the happiness effect \ufb01zzles out after a few months. So, a little while after you receive the big cheque, you will be as content or as discontent as you were before.<\/p>\n
A friend, a banking executive, whose enormous income was beginning to burn a hole in his pocket, decided to build himself a new home away from the city. His dream materialised into a villa with ten rooms, a swimming pool and an enviable view of the lake and mountains. For the \ufb01rst few weeks, he beamed with delight. But soon the cheerfulness disappeared, and six months later he was unhappier than ever. What happened? As we now know, the happiness effect evaporates after a few months. The villa was no longer his dream. \u2018I come home from work, open the door and?. . .?nothing. I feel as indifferent about the villa as I did about my one-room student apartment.\u2019 To make things worse, the poor guy now faced a one-hour commute twice a day. This may sound tolerable, but studies show that commuting by car represents a major source of discontent and stress, and people hardly ever get used to it. In other words, whoever has no innate af\ufb01nity for commuting will suffer every day \u2013 twice a day. Anyhow, the moral of the story is that the dream villa had an overall negative effect on my friend\u2019s happiness.<\/p>\n
Many others fare no better: People who change or progress in their careers are,
\nin terms of happiness, right back where they started after around three months. The same goes for people who buy the latest Porsche. Science calls this effect the hedonic treadmill: we work hard, advance and are able to afford more and nicer things, and yet this doesn\u2019t make us any happier.<\/p>\n
So how do negative events affect us \u2013 say, a spinal cord injury or the loss of a friend? Here, we also overestimate the duration and intensity of future emotions. For example, when a relationship ends it feels like life will never be the same. The af\ufb02icted are completely convinced that they will never again experience joy, but after three or so months they are back on the dating scene.<\/p>\n
Wouldn\u2019t it be nice if we knew exactly how happy a new car, career or relationship would make us? Well, this is doable in part. Use these scienti\ufb01cally rubber-stamped pointers to make better, brighter decisions: 1) Avoid negative things that you cannot grow accustomed to, such as commuting, noise or chronic stress. 2) Expect only short-term happiness from material things, such as cars, houses, lottery winnings, bonuses and prizes. 3) Aim for as much free time and autonomy as possible, since long-lasting positive effects generally come from what you actively do. Follow your passions even if you must forfeit a portion of your income for them. Invest in friendships.<\/p>\n
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\nThe Art of Thinking Clearly<\/em><\/strong>
\nRolph Dobelli<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n