{"id":86270,"date":"2022-12-01T20:59:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-02T00:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=86270"},"modified":"2022-12-16T17:30:15","modified_gmt":"2022-12-16T21:30:15","slug":"formula-for-happiness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/formula-for-happiness\/","title":{"rendered":"The Formula for Happiness: Gawdat&#8217;s Happiness Algorithm"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Is there a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/happiness-formula\/\">formula for happiness<\/a>? If so, how does it work?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When your perceptions about life don\u2019t rise to the level of your expectations, you\u2019re unhappy. Happiness results when your perceptions exceed your expectations. This observation underpins Mo Gawdat&#8217;s algorithm for happiness that he discusses in his book <em>Solve for Happy<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep reading to learn about this formula for deep and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/lasting-happiness\/\">lasting happiness<\/a> and the assumptions it&#8217;s based on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Formula for Happiness<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Before we proceed to Gawdat&#8217;s formula for happiness, let\u2019s discuss the key assumptions that shape it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First, Gawdat asserts that <strong>happiness is our default state<\/strong>. To support this assertion, he points out that infants and toddlers are naturally happy as long as their basic needs are met.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: In <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/the-happiness-trap\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>The Happiness Trap<\/em><\/a>, Russ Harris claims that, on the contrary, happiness isn\u2019t our default state. Rather, he argues that <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/the-happiness-trap\/part-1-1#myth-1-humans-are-naturally-happy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">our brains evolved to be vigilant<\/a>, which makes us unhappy because we\u2019re constantly scanning for survival threats. Consequently, Harris finds it counterproductive to think that happiness is our default state since it leads to misguided expectations of happiness.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Consequently,<strong> we\u2019re <\/strong><strong><em>unhappy <\/em><\/strong><strong>only when abnormal reasons make us unhappy<\/strong>. In particular, Gawdat argues that many people are unhappy because they\u2019re mistakenly convinced that material success is necessary for happiness. Thus, they become unhappy chasing a goal that doesn\u2019t lead to happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: In <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/the-road-to-character\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>The Road to Character<\/em><\/a>, David Brooks argues that the emphasis on success hasn\u2019t only made us less happy, but has also made us less virtuous. In turn, he recommends looking to past exemplars of virtue\u2014like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/dorothy-day-biography\/\">Dorothy Day<\/a>, Dwight Eisenhower, and Saint Augustine\u2014to learn to balance worldly success alongside moral growth.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In light of this, Gawdat developed an algorithm that addresses the underlying reasons for our happiness by dispelling misconceptions, fixing weaknesses, and accepting pillars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To apply the formula for happiness, you also need to understand what factors make<em> <\/em>you happy or unhappy in the first place. To that end, Gawdat introduces the following <em>happiness equation<\/em>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Happiness <\/strong><strong>(Your perception of life\u2019s events) &#8211; (Your expectations for life\u2019s events)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ll call this the happiness formula. According to this formula, you\u2019re happy when you perceive life as exceeding your expectations and you\u2019re unhappy when you perceive life as falling short of expectations.<strong> <\/strong>For example, if you enter a local 5k expecting to run an average time, and you actually run a faster time, then you\u2019ll be happy\u2014but if your time is slower than average, you\u2019ll be unhappy.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: In <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/nicomachean-ethics#defining-happiness\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Nicomachean Ethics<\/em><\/a>, Aristotle agrees that we desire happiness. However, unlike Gawdat\u2019s focus on perceptions and expectations, Aristotle argues that happiness is the result of <em>rational activity aligned with virtue<\/em>. This analysis has three parts: First, it requires rationality, where we use sound logic to make our decisions; second, it requires virtue, where our decisions are morally and intellectually sound; and third, it requires action, where we consistently act rationally and virtuously.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gawdat\u2019s happiness formula has two key implications. First, to become happy, we need to adjust our perceptions and expectations so the former outstrips the latter. Second, our life events <em>themselves<\/em> don\u2019t affect our happiness\u2014rather, our <em>perception <\/em>of them affects our happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: Whereas Gawdat argues that happiness involves alignment between our perceptions and expectations, Derren Brown takes a different angle in <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/happy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Happy<\/em><\/a>: He argues that <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/happy#a-balanced-life\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">happiness involves alignment between our <em>desires <\/em>and <em>reality<\/em><\/a>. However, because this alignment occurs when we <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/perceiving-reality\/\">perceive reality<\/a> accurately, Brown\u2019s view of happiness can complement Gawdat\u2019s conception.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Is there a formula for happiness? If so, how does it work? When your perceptions about life don\u2019t rise to the level of your expectations, you\u2019re unhappy. Happiness results when your perceptions exceed your expectations. This observation underpins Mo Gawdat&#8217;s algorithm for happiness that he discusses in his book Solve for Happy. Keep reading to learn about this formula for deep and lasting happiness and the assumptions it&#8217;s based on.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":86276,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[828],"class_list":["post-86270","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-psychology","tag-solve-for-happy","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Formula for Happiness: Gawdat&#039;s Happiness Algorithm - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Happiness results when your perceptions exceed your expectations. Learn about Mo Gawdat&#039;s happiness formula as discussed in Solve for Happy.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/formula-for-happiness\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Formula for Happiness: Gawdat&#039;s Happiness Algorithm\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Happiness results when your perceptions exceed your expectations. Learn about Mo Gawdat&#039;s happiness formula as discussed in Solve for Happy.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/formula-for-happiness\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-12-02T00:59:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-12-16T21:30:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/math-formula-equation.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1198\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"629\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Elizabeth Whitworth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Elizabeth Whitworth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/formula-for-happiness\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/formula-for-happiness\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13\"},\"headline\":\"The Formula for Happiness: Gawdat&#8217;s Happiness Algorithm\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-12-02T00:59:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-12-16T21:30:15+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/formula-for-happiness\/\"},\"wordCount\":614,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/formula-for-happiness\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/math-formula-equation.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Solve for Happy\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Psychology\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/formula-for-happiness\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/formula-for-happiness\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/formula-for-happiness\/\",\"name\":\"The Formula for Happiness: Gawdat's Happiness Algorithm - Shortform Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/formula-for-happiness\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/formula-for-happiness\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/math-formula-equation.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-12-02T00:59:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-12-16T21:30:15+00:00\",\"description\":\"Happiness results when your perceptions exceed your expectations. 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