Arthur Brooks teaches a course on happiness at the Harvard Business School. He teaches how to be happy and how to make those around you happy.
Why would happiness be important in business?
“According to the best research available (which we will read in this class), to be a successful leader, you need to understand happiness and manage it—yours and others’. Unfortunately, most leaders have to learn this fact by hard experience. Furthermore, they are never exposed to the expanding science of happiness, which contains a wealth of information on how to be happier as a leader and make others happier as well.”
~ Course Description for “Leadership and Happiness,” Course 1885, Harvard Business School
As a social scientist, Arthur Brooks even has an equation for happiness.
Genetics + Big Life Events (or Circumstances) + Habits = Happiness
We can’t change our genes, but we can understand that we all have a set point for experienced happiness.
Most of us will try to change our circumstances by influencing big life events. In other words, we chase our goals and avoid bad outcomes. However, Arthur Brooks tells us that the happiness that comes from successfully achieving our goals wears off after 6 months. Attempting to change our circumstances can sometimes have a high personal cost while only giving us short-term results in improving our happiness level.
When it comes to experienced happiness and long-term results, the most effective change that we can make are our habits.
In the video below, Arthur Brooks approximates the percentages slightly different as: 48% genetics + 40% big life events + 12% habits.
While habits make up only a small portion of the equation, they represent the part of our “Happiness Portfolio” that we can control. He divides these habits into four categories:
- Faith
- Family
- Community
- Work
What are your habits? Are they optimized for happiness?
In the case of work, are you creating value in your life and value in the lives of others? Are you earning success? Are you living life on your own terms?
Watch Video by Arthur C. Brooks, The Secret to Happiness
More Resources
- Arthur Brooks Official Website
- Take the Free Online Course “Managing Happiness”
- Harvard Gazette
