Baucells Manel - Engineering happiness: a new approach for building a joyful life

We are what our deep, driving desire is. As our deep, driving desire is, so is our will. As our will is, so is our deed. As our deed is, so is our destiny. Upanishad

Socrates and Aristotle regarded the human desire to be happy as self-evident. All subordinate goalsincluding health, wealth, and virtueare sought because they ultimately lead to happiness. In turn, data shows that happy people tend to be healthier, live longer, and have better social relationships. The pursuit of happiness explains the billions of dollars spent each year on consumer goods, from cosmetics and fashion apparel to computers and new cars. Who among us does not want to be happy?

In recent years, lots of books on happiness have been written. This one is different.

This is a book on happiness written by engineers. Engineers love to solve puzzles. Engineers at play have solved countless puzzles and given the world amazing things such as skyscrapers, bridges, cars, televisions, planes, computers, and cell phones. Engineers have built useful and beautiful things to alleviate pain and suffering and to increase the comfort, well-being, and even happiness of all. That got the two of us thinking about the nature of happiness, and we ventured the question: Can happiness itself be engineered?

Simply put, engineers strive to understand, quantify, and manipulate the physical world from computer chips to steel. Engineers play with physical objects, discover their underlying properties, and create formulas to predict their behavior. Would the same mind-set work for something as elusive as happiness?

Perhaps you're thinking: What can two pointy-headed math geeks possibly teach me about happiness? As any good, curious engineers would do, the two of us set out to define, measure, and discover the properties of happiness in a systematic and analytical way. Our curiosity has led us to some fascinating findings, the most important of which is our belief that happiness can, in fact, be engineered.

We begin with the crucial observation that

HAPPINESS equals REALITY minus EXPECTATIONS

We call this the fundamental equation of happiness. In order to engineer happiness, we propose a set of six laws that govern our emotions. We call them the laws of happiness. Each of these laws modifies the fundamental equation of happiness, making it more precise and applicable to a wide range of life choices. Our claim is that through planning and acting on these six principles, happiness becomes a controllable and predictable possibility.

To some, happiness is like a pendulum. It may swing back and forth, but will always return to the center. According to this view, there is not much one can do to fundamentally change our base level of happiness. Our view is different. We argue in this book that happiness is like a sailboat. Indeed the wind and ocean currents influence its movements, but you have the control of the rudder. Without your exerting control, the sailboat drifts. Our laws of happiness serve as the rudder that will help you guide your sailboat to a happier destination.

The very essence of attaining a joyful life is a choice. Once you understand the nature of happiness and master its laws, as described in this book, we believe that you can lay the groundwork for building an amazing life brimming with happiness.