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Part - III

In order to understand how we can improve our level of happiness we need to understand its components. The latest research suggests that happiness is composed of three sections *.

The largest contributor to happiness is the genetically determined set point (or more accurately set range). That is to say, people are pre-disposed to a certain level of happiness, which is determined by characteristics inherited from their parents! As Sheldon et al note "The set point likely reflects immutable interpersonal, temperamental and affective personality traits, such as extraversion, arousability and negative affectivity, that are rooted in neurobiology,... are highly heritable... and change little over the lifespan".

Adam Smith, author of the Wealth of Nations, also wrote the Theory of Moral Sentiments, a text far closer to understanding the nature of human beings than the better known favourite of economists **. Smith noted "The mind of every man, in a longer or shorter time, returns to its natural and usual state of tranquillity. In prosperity, after a certain time, it falls back to that state; in adversity, after a certain time, it rises up to it".

Current estimates suggest that this genetically determined set range accounts for around 50% of an individual’s happiness. However, the set point is only the base line or default level of happiness that an individual enjoys. It is the level of happiness that an individual would have in the absence of other factors. Because the set point is generally fixed, it is not something we can alter in order to improve our happiness lot. This, of course, means that in order to increase our happiness we need to look elsewhere.

The second component of happiness is circumstances. Life circumstances include demographic factors, age, gender, ethnicity and geographic factors. It also includes personal history and life status. Frequently people focus upon the last element of this feature.

Indeed, amongst the most commonly reported correlates of happiness are marital status, occupation, job security, income, health and religious affiliations. In general, married, well paid, secure, healthy and religious believers are more likely to report themselves as being happy than the rest of us.

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* Sheldon, Lyubomirsky and Schkade (2003) Pursuing Happiness: The Architecture of Sustainable Change.
** Indeed a new paper by Ashraf, Camerer, and Loewenstein (2004) argues that Adam Smith was actually one of the first behavioural economists. They cite the Theory of Moral Sentiments as a good example of how insightful Smith really was.

Source: The Net